Bring more money - it's official

[webmaster]

With immediate effect (14/01/2005 Friday 17:00 Hrs) the following FEES are to be paid at the time of departure (TO BE PAID AT NABIL BANK COUNTER AT THE AIRPORT DEPARTURE COUNTER) by all the FOREIGN NATIONALS TRAVELLING BY ALL INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS from NEPAL :

Within SAARC Countries PSF (Known as Airport Tax) Rs 700/-
VAT 13% Rs 91/-
TSF (Tourism Service Fee) Rs 500/-
VAT 13% Rs 65/-
Total :- Rs 1365/-

Outside SAARC Countries PSF (Known as Airport Tax) Rs 1000/-
VAT 13% Rs 130/-
TSF (Tourism Service Fee) Rs 500/-
VAT 13% Rs 65/-
Total :- Rs 1695/-

Incase of Domestic Sector PSF (Known as Airport Tax) Rs 150/-
13% Rs 19.50/-
Total :- Rs 169.50/-

Source :- Tribhuvan International Airport, Civil Aviation & Nepal Tourism Board
Note : 1 US$ = Rs 70.00

[Lars]

Outside SAARC Countries PSF (Known as Airport Tax) Rs 1000/-
Total :- Rs 1695/-

Source :- Tribhuvan International Airport, Civil Aviation & Nepal Tourism Board
Note : 1 US$ = Rs 70.00

So we must all add another $24 to our travelling purse, else we have
that kind of margin already of course.

I think it would be more interesting to know if you can pay that tax in
rupees or does it have to be green-backs?
I recall meeting outbound tourists at Tribhuvan who had brought
enough rupees for the airport tax, only to find out that the Nepali
Governement would not take their own currency.

Do you know the current situation here?

[yakshaver]

The 1000 rupees departure tax is required in rupees, I thought... Don't know about the other stuff.

[Sharon]

I always pay the departure tax in rupees. Well except the time I escaped the maoists to get to Kathmandu 3 hours before my flight, no bank machines were working and I paid in a combination of rupees, US dollars, Canadian and Bhat.

[James]

I paid with dollars in December. As you pay at the bank they will take either, although it seemed like an unfavorable exchange rate if you were paying in dollars.

[yakshaver]

I love this pragmatims of the Nepalis when they have to get money of you... The hell with the rules!

In the dark ages of the past I was flagged by a Hungarian traffic cop for not stopping at a STOP sign somewhere near Beckescsaba..., and he wanted me to pay the fine in forints on the spot... He did not care for DM or US dollars which I offered, and I had to drive to the township 45 minutes away with him in the car, to get some money out and pay him. Attempts to bribe him in DM or dollars, so that we don't have to waste time going to town and back failed. This annoying behaviour was very dissapointing, going very much against the local cutlure. I filed a complaint with the Hungarian Police against the traffic cop, complaining about the fact that he was unwilling to take a bribe, unlike most of his other coleagues. I am sure they fired him on the spot, or at least they disciplined him severely and demoted him. I Romania there would have never such a stupid issue.