Chinese Visa & Tibet Permit

For the trips to Sichuan, Yunnan, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Gansu, only Chinese visa is required, while a Tibet permit is needed when traveling to Tibet. Chinese visa is the responsibility of the individual traveler, and 3rdpoletour.com will arrange for a permit allowing your entry into Tibet.

Chinese Visa

First of all, everyone needs a Chinese visa when traveling any part of China. Visas are the responsibility of the individual traveler. Contact your local embassy, or consulate for the most up-to-date visa requirements, or see your travel agent. As a general rule most countries expect that you will have at least 6 months' validity on your passport.

Tibet Permit

All nationalities require a permit to enter Tibet. 3rdpoletour.com will arrange for a permit allowing your entry into Tibet. However, we require you to provide a clear scanned colour copy of the front page of your passport (photo page) at the time of booking in order to do this. This hould be in JPEG format and we must receive this at least 60 days prior to travel. Please make sure that this copy is for the passport that you will be traveling on.

If you have to renew your passport please bring your old passport with you as well. Due to the political sensitivity of this region it is important to understand that there are sometimes unexpected difficulties in obtaining Tibetan permits which are out of Intrepid's control. Three times during 2011 and 2012, and without official announcement by the government authorities controlling permit issue, the region of Tibet has been closed to visitors, or permits denied. It is impossible to predict when or if these sudden changes will occur again in the future. Of course Intrepid and our local ground teams will do everything we can to obtain permits or warn our travellers if they will be affected by last minute closures.