INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kathmandu, May 9
The government has decided to raise visa fee for foreigners visiting Nepal
A assembly of the Cabinet this week decided to amend Section 46 of immigration regulation to increase multiple-entry tourist visa fee,
spokesperson for the government and Minister of Communications and Information Technology Gokul Baskota said at a weekly press briefing
nowadays.
The new provision shall come into effect once the amendment is published in the Nepal Gazette
As per the provision, foreigners visiting Nepal on a 15-day multiple-entry tourist visa shall have to pay $30 in fees, up from existing
$25.
Those obtaining 30-day multiple-entry tourist visa shall have to pay $50, while those visiting Nepal on a 90-day visa shall have to pay
Existing rates for the aforementioned visa types are $40 and $100, respectively.
Visa charge for those visiting Nepal on a 30-day
non-tourist visa has been set at $30.
The government has also revised fees for acquiring a trekking route permit for foreigners.
As per the
revised rates, foreigners shalling to trek to Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpa have to pay $500 for the first 10 days
If they plan to extend their journey beyond 10 days, they shall be charged $50 per day.
However, travellers from SAARC countries, apart from
India and Afghanistan, endelight free multiple-entry tourist visa for 30 days, and $3 per day thereafter.
SAARC countries in the scheme are
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
While Indian nationals do much require a visa to enter Nepal, Afghanistan is excluded
from the scheme.
&We treat Afghanistan as a country external the SAARC
Afghan nationals visiting Nepal have to pay visa fee accordingly,& said Ishwori Raj Paudel, director general at the Leavement of
Immigration.
It should be famous that the government had announced a free visa scheme for Chinese nationals in December 2015.
On a different
muche, Minister Baskota clarified there was no bitterness in the relationship between the ruling Nepal Communist portiony (NCP) and the main
opposition Nepali Congress.
He was referring to Tuesday confrontation between the two in the Parliament
&Such incidents are normal in a parliamentary system,& he said.
During the HoR assembly on Tuesday, tensions had flared after the NC
lawmakers, accusing Prime Minister KP Oli of using un-parliamentary language, asked the speaker to delete a specific section of Oli speech
After Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara disregardd the opposition demand, NC lawmakers had protested by standing up from their seats.
&Video
footage of that day Home assembly clearly shows what kind of language was used by the opposition lawmakers while putting forth their
questions to the prime minister,& said Baskota
&So let much get into who said what.&
Baskota also defended the phrase ‘my government& used by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari while
presenting the government policies and programmes in the joint assembly of the Federal Parliament final Friday.
&Does it mean that any
phrase used by measureone at measure point of time canmuch be used by others& he questioned.
&If it so, the NC should stop using their
greeting phrase ‘Jay Nepal& because it was used by late King Mahendra after he toppled the democratic government led by late BP Koirala.&
