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The TIMS card, region by region: what's actually required to trek Nepal in 2026

Nepal's TIMS card is no longer a one-size-fits-all rule. In 2026 it's gone in Everest, barely enforced in Annapurna, and still required (now digital) in Langtang — here's the real map.

LR By Laxman Rawal · Jun 15, 2026 · 3 min read · Updated Jun 15, 2026

A high trekking trail in the Nepal Himalaya

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For years, the answer to "do I need a TIMS card?" in Nepal was a simple yes. In 2026 it is genuinely "it depends on where you are going." The Trekkers' Information Management System card — long a near-universal requirement — is being unwound region by region, replaced in some areas by local entry fees and in others by a digital version. Here is what is actually being asked of trekkers right now, and where the picture is still in transition.

Key facts

TIMS has been discontinued in the Everest/Khumbu region
It is no longer actively enforced at most Annapurna checkpoints
It remains required in Langtang, now as a digital e-TIMS
Enforcement is in transition and varies by checkpoint

Region by region

In the Everest region, the TIMS card has been fully scrapped. In its place, the local Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality charges its own entry fee, roughly NPR 2,000–3,000, collected locally. On the Annapurna trails — the Circuit, Base Camp and Poon Hill — checkpoints in 2026 are focused on verifying the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP), and the TIMS card is no longer actively checked at most of them. In Langtang, by contrast, TIMS is still required, but the old paper card has been replaced by a digital e-TIMS system.

TIMS status by region, 2026
Region	TIMS status	What you need
Everest / Khumbu	Discontinued	Local entry fee (NPR 2,000–3,000)
Annapurna	Not actively enforced	ACAP permit
Langtang	Required	Digital e-TIMS + park permit
Manaslu / far west	Required	Restricted-area permit + TIMS

An honest caveat

This is a moving target, and we will say so plainly: sources and checkpoints do not all agree yet. Some operators report TIMS is no longer compulsory anywhere; others confirm it is still actively collected on Langtang and restricted-area routes. Enforcement practice is genuinely in transition through 2026 and can vary from one checkpoint to the next. The conservation-area permits — ACAP for Annapurna, the national park fees for Everest and Langtang — are not affected by any of this and remain firmly required.

What hasn't changed

Two things are worth underlining because they cause the most confusion. First, dropping the TIMS card does not make a region "permit-free" — you still pay the conservation or municipal entry fee, which in most cases costs more than TIMS ever did. Second, the restricted areas (Manaslu, Upper Mustang, Upper Dolpo, Kanchenjunga, Nar-Phu and others) keep their own special permit regime, and a licensed guide through a registered agency remains legally mandatory there.

What this means for you

Do not try to second-guess the TIMS situation from a forum thread — it changes by region and by month. The reliable move is to let your operator pull the exact permits your specific route needs, on current rules, before you fly. We track these changes checkpoint by checkpoint so you arrive with the right paperwork and no surprises at the gate.

The direction of travel is clear: Nepal is decentralising trekking fees toward the regions that actually host trekkers. That is arguably fairer — more of your money stays in the valleys you walk through — but it does mean the old single-card simplicity is gone for good.

Source: The Everest Holiday; Shikhar Adventure; Explore in Nepal.

Cover photo: travelwayoflife via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Source: The Everest Holiday

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