Bhutan: visa and entry rules
What you need to get in, how long you may stay, and what an overstay costs
Bhutan's borders: every crossing point
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Airports 1
Bhutan's land border crossings, listed by neighbour:
With India: Phuentsholing — Jaigaon in the southwest, the main crossing; Gelephu in the centre; Samdrup Jongkhar in the east.
The border with China is closed. The dispute over where it runs is unresolved, and there are no crossings.
Phuentsholing is practically the only gateway for anyone travelling overland, and it is reached from West Bengal in India.
The main way in is Paro International Airport, one of the hardest airports in the world to land at: the runway is ringed by mountains, and only a handful of pilots are certified to fly into it.
There are few flights, and essentially two national airlines operate them.
Driving to Bhutan
Overland entry is only from India via Phuentsholing or the two eastern crossings.
Traffic drives on the left.
Travel around the country is organised by a tour operator — an independent route in your own car is not something the system provides for.
Ask customs directly how temporary vehicle import into Bhutan is handled. The procedure changes, and guidebooks do not keep up with it.
Mountain roads are all hairpins, and distances take several times longer than the kilometres suggest.
Travelling to Bhutan with a pet
You need an international veterinary certificate, endorsed by the state veterinary service of the country you are leaving.
The rabies vaccination must be valid on the date of entry.
An import permit is arranged in advance.
Gather the documents for bringing an animal into Bhutan well in advance. Check vaccination timings, the microchip requirement and quarantine rules with the veterinary service and with the airline — their lists may not match.
Overstaying your visa in Bhutan
A fine accrues for every day beyond your permitted stay and is paid on departure.
You will pay at the border, and that is where you will be told how much. There is no finding out the amount in Bhutan in advance, so do not book a tight connection and keep cash on you.
Extensions are arranged in advance, before the permitted period runs out.
A serious overstay means deportation and an entry ban.
An overstay also means unpaid daily fees, so the bill grows faster than usual.
What else to check before you go
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Entry rules change faster than anything else on this site, and they change without notice. We cross-check every page against several sources and state the date it was verified, but that does not replace the main step: before you travel, check an official source — the country’s consulate, its immigration service or its e-visa portal. Especially if more than a couple of months have passed since our check.