Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu has decided to exempt Nepali citizens from Chinese visa fees effective from May 1.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, announced that Nepali citizens will no longer be charged a visa fee to visit China.
However, express fees and service fees are still charged. Similarly, visa applications accepted before May 1, 2024 will be charged according to previous standards, according to the Chinese Embassy.
The decision comes following an agreement reached during the visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayankaji Shrestha to China last March.
The Nepali tourism businesspersons had been demanding fee-less visas for Nepalis since a long time. With this new provision, Nepali nationals can also easily go to China and the traffic in both directions will have a positive effect on the tourism sector, said Maniraj Lamichhane, Director of Nepal Tourism Board.
According to statistics provided by the NTB, the arrival of Chinese tourists has been increasing in 2024. A total of 12,093 Chinese tourists came to Nepal in the month of March. The number was 9,180 in February and 1,436 in January.
In the year 2023, altogether 60,878 Chinese tourists had visited Nepal. Before the corona epidemic, the highest number of Chinese tourists visiting Nepal was in 2019 that stood at 169,543.
