Bhutan entry requirements, by passport
Bhutan visa requirements at a glance: 3 of the 198 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter Bhutan without arranging a visa beforehand: visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorisation. The other 195 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for Bhutan for your nationality.
What we've verified for Bhutan
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 25 September 2026). The specifics depend on your nationality: open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- e-Visa fee: 40 USD
- Required documents (5)
- Required vaccinations
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Stay and transit rules
Sources: exteriores.gob.es (travel advice of Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Bhutan, updated 8 April 2026: six-month passport, mandatory online visa, no visa on arrival, USD 40 fee, SDF of USD 100 and 50, tour operator not compulsory, yellow fever, monsoon and earthquakes, petty theft in Thimphu and Paro); gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bhutan (UK Government: prior approval and issue on arrival, non-refundable USD 40, district permits, extension in Thimphu, Paro and Phuentsholing, SDF, tobacco, antiques, BTN 30,000 and USD 10,000); immi.gov.bt (Bhutan Department of Immigration); sanidad.gob.es ("Listado de países") and who.int (WHO): yellow fever; data.unesco.org (World Heritage List). All checked on 25 September 2026.
This table summarises the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track. The difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorisation, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorisation: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 12 October 2026. Published: 25 September 2026.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Bangladesh | Visa-free | 14 days |
| India | Visa-free | 14 days |
| Maldives | Visa-free | 14 days |
| Visa required | ||
| Afghanistan | e-Visa | — |
| Albania | e-Visa | — |
| Algeria | e-Visa | — |
| Andorra | e-Visa | — |
| Angola | e-Visa | — |
| Antigua and Barbuda | e-Visa | — |
| Argentina | e-Visa | — |
| Armenia | e-Visa | — |
| Australia | e-Visa | — |
| Austria | e-Visa | — |
| Azerbaijan | e-Visa | — |
| Bahamas | e-Visa | — |
| Bahrain | e-Visa | — |
| Barbados | e-Visa | — |
| Belarus | e-Visa | — |
| Belgium | e-Visa | — |
| Belize | e-Visa | — |
| Benin | e-Visa | — |
| Bolivia | e-Visa | — |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | e-Visa | — |
| Botswana | e-Visa | — |
| Brazil | e-Visa | — |
| Brunei | e-Visa | — |
| Bulgaria | e-Visa | — |
| Burkina Faso | e-Visa | — |
| Burundi | e-Visa | — |
| Cambodia | e-Visa | — |
| Cameroon | e-Visa | — |
| Canada | e-Visa | — |
| Cape Verde | e-Visa | — |
| Central African Republic | e-Visa | — |
| Chad | e-Visa | — |
| Chile | e-Visa | — |
| China | e-Visa | — |
| Colombia | e-Visa | — |
| Comoros | e-Visa | — |
| Costa Rica | e-Visa | — |
| Croatia | e-Visa | — |
| Cuba | e-Visa | — |
| Cyprus | e-Visa | — |
| Czech Republic | e-Visa | — |
| Denmark | e-Visa | — |
| Djibouti | e-Visa | — |
| Dominica | e-Visa | — |
| Dominican Republic | e-Visa | — |
| DR Congo | e-Visa | — |
| Ecuador | e-Visa | — |
| Egypt | e-Visa | — |
| El Salvador | e-Visa | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | e-Visa | — |
| Eritrea | e-Visa | — |
| Estonia | e-Visa | — |
| Eswatini | e-Visa | — |
| Ethiopia | e-Visa | — |
| Fiji | e-Visa | — |
| Finland | e-Visa | — |
| France | e-Visa | — |
| Gabon | e-Visa | — |
| Gambia | e-Visa | — |
| Georgia | e-Visa | — |
| Germany | e-Visa | — |
| Ghana | e-Visa | — |
| Greece | e-Visa | — |
| Grenada | e-Visa | — |
| Guatemala | e-Visa | — |
| Guinea | e-Visa | — |
| Guinea-Bissau | e-Visa | — |
| Guyana | e-Visa | — |
| Haiti | e-Visa | — |
| Honduras | e-Visa | — |
| Hong Kong | e-Visa | — |
| Hungary | e-Visa | — |
| Iceland | e-Visa | — |
| Indonesia | e-Visa | — |
| Iran | e-Visa | — |
| Iraq | e-Visa | — |
| Ireland | e-Visa | — |
| Israel | e-Visa | — |
| Italy | e-Visa | — |
| Ivory Coast | e-Visa | — |
| Jamaica | e-Visa | — |
| Japan | e-Visa | — |
| Jordan | e-Visa | — |
| Kazakhstan | e-Visa | — |
| Kenya | e-Visa | — |
| Kiribati | e-Visa | — |
| Kosovo | e-Visa | — |
| Kuwait | e-Visa | — |
| Kyrgyzstan | e-Visa | — |
| Laos | e-Visa | — |
| Latvia | e-Visa | — |
| Lebanon | e-Visa | — |
| Lesotho | e-Visa | — |
| Liberia | e-Visa | — |
| Libya | e-Visa | — |
| Liechtenstein | e-Visa | — |
| Lithuania | e-Visa | — |
| Luxembourg | e-Visa | — |
| Macao | e-Visa | — |
| Madagascar | e-Visa | — |
| Malawi | e-Visa | — |
| Malaysia | e-Visa | — |
| Mali | e-Visa | — |
| Malta | e-Visa | — |
| Marshall Islands | e-Visa | — |
| Mauritania | e-Visa | — |
| Mauritius | e-Visa | — |
| Mexico | e-Visa | — |
| Micronesia | e-Visa | — |
| Moldova | e-Visa | — |
| Monaco | e-Visa | — |
| Mongolia | e-Visa | — |
| Montenegro | e-Visa | — |
| Morocco | e-Visa | — |
| Mozambique | e-Visa | — |
| Myanmar | e-Visa | — |
| Namibia | e-Visa | — |
| Nauru | e-Visa | — |
| Nepal | e-Visa | — |
| Netherlands | e-Visa | — |
| New Zealand | e-Visa | — |
| Nicaragua | e-Visa | — |
| Niger | e-Visa | — |
| Nigeria | e-Visa | — |
| North Korea | e-Visa | — |
| North Macedonia | e-Visa | — |
| Norway | e-Visa | — |
| Oman | e-Visa | — |
| Pakistan | e-Visa | — |
| Palau | e-Visa | — |
| Palestine | e-Visa | — |
| Panama | e-Visa | — |
| Papua New Guinea | e-Visa | — |
| Paraguay | e-Visa | — |
| Peru | e-Visa | — |
| Philippines | e-Visa | — |
| Poland | e-Visa | — |
| Portugal | e-Visa | — |
| Qatar | e-Visa | — |
| Republic of the Congo | e-Visa | — |
| Romania | e-Visa | — |
| Russia | e-Visa | — |
| Rwanda | e-Visa | — |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | e-Visa | — |
| Saint Lucia | e-Visa | — |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | e-Visa | — |
| Samoa | e-Visa | — |
| San Marino | e-Visa | — |
| Sao Tome and Principe | e-Visa | — |
| Saudi Arabia | e-Visa | — |
| Senegal | e-Visa | — |
| Serbia | e-Visa | — |
| Seychelles | e-Visa | — |
| Sierra Leone | e-Visa | — |
| Singapore | e-Visa | — |
| Slovakia | e-Visa | — |
| Slovenia | e-Visa | — |
| Solomon Islands | e-Visa | — |
| Somalia | e-Visa | — |
| South Africa | e-Visa | — |
| South Korea | e-Visa | — |
| South Sudan | e-Visa | — |
| Spain | e-Visa | — |
| Sri Lanka | e-Visa | — |
| Sudan | e-Visa | — |
| Suriname | e-Visa | — |
| Sweden | e-Visa | — |
| Switzerland | e-Visa | — |
| Syria | e-Visa | — |
| Taiwan | e-Visa | — |
| Tajikistan | e-Visa | — |
| Tanzania | e-Visa | — |
| Thailand | e-Visa | — |
| Timor-Leste | e-Visa | — |
| Togo | e-Visa | — |
| Tonga | e-Visa | — |
| Trinidad and Tobago | e-Visa | — |
| Tunisia | e-Visa | — |
| Turkey | e-Visa | — |
| Turkmenistan | e-Visa | — |
| Tuvalu | e-Visa | — |
| Uganda | e-Visa | — |
| Ukraine | e-Visa | — |
| United Arab Emirates | e-Visa | — |
| United Kingdom | e-Visa | — |
| United States | e-Visa | — |
| Uruguay | e-Visa | — |
| Uzbekistan | e-Visa | — |
| Vanuatu | e-Visa | — |
| Vatican | e-Visa | — |
| Venezuela | e-Visa | — |
| Vietnam | e-Visa | — |
| Yemen | e-Visa | — |
| Zambia | e-Visa | — |
| Zimbabwe | e-Visa | — |
Bhutan rules for every passport
Vaccinations, customs limits and penalties are the same for every traveller. Grounds for refusal depend on how you enter.
Vaccinations
- Yellow fever: a certificate is required from travellers arriving from a country with risk of transmission and from those who have transited through an airport in one of them.
Customs limits
- Cash
- Up to 30,000 ngultrum may be brought in or taken out. Foreign currency worth 10,000 US dollars or more must be declared and cleared by the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan. Indian rupees are widely accepted.
- Tobacco
- A small amount of tobacco for personal use may be brought in, on payment of taxes and duties, and you must be able to show proof of payment if the authorities ask during your visit. Taking antiques out of the country is illegal.
Grounds for refusal
Apply to: Visa-free
- A passport with less than six months' validity after departure or with no blank pages.
- Not having paid the Sustainable Development Fee.
- Arriving from a yellow fever risk country without the certificate.
Apply to: e-Visa
- Arriving without a visa approved in advance.
- A passport with less than six months' validity after departure or with no blank pages.
- Not having paid the Sustainable Development Fee.
- Arriving from a yellow fever risk country without the certificate.
Travel insurance
Each destination decides whether to require insurance, and some check it at the border. If yours does, make sure the policy covers the whole trip.
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Do you need a different visa for Thimphu, Paro, or Punakha?
No. Bhutan sets the requirements, so entering through Thimphu asks for the same as entering through Paro or Punakha. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travellers to Bhutan
Bhutan has no properties on the World Heritage List. It is an eastern Himalayan kingdom that has deliberately limited tourism, and the Sustainable Development Fee is part of that policy. Trips are built around the dzongs, fortress-monasteries that still serve as religious and administrative centres, such as Punakha where two rivers meet, and Taktsang monastery, the Tiger's Nest, clinging to a cliff above the Paro valley. Thimphu, the capital, has no traffic lights. Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs regards it as generally safe, with some petty theft in Thimphu and Paro, and warns that monsoon landslides disrupt traffic and that, being in an earthquake zone with few emergency resources, some areas can be cut off.
Sources for this section: data.unesco.org (World Heritage List: no properties inscribed in Bhutan); Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel advice for Bhutan. Accessed 25 September 2026.
Things to see and do in Bhutan
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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Where can Bhutan passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.