Everest Base Camp Permits 2026 — TIMS Is Gone, Here's What You Actually Need

If you Google "EBC permits" you'll find a hundred trekking-agency pages still listing the TIMS card as a requirement. They're three years out of date. The TIMS requirement for the Khumbu region was scrapped in 2023, and the permit landscape now is simpler than it's been in a decade.

Here's what you actually need in 2026.

The two permits for EBC

That's it. There are two. Both are paid in cash, on arrival, at checkpoints along the route. You don't need to pre-arrange them. You don't need a TIMS card.

1. Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit — NPR 3,000 (~$22)

Paid at the Monjo checkpoint, about 4 hours into the first day's walk from Lukla. They take cash in Nepali rupees (NPR), Indian rupees (INR), or US dollars at posted rates. Bring exact change in NPR if you can — exchange rates at the checkpoint are slightly worse than in Kathmandu.

Keep the receipt. You'll be asked to show it at random checkpoints further up the trail.

2. Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Permit — NPR 2,000 (~$15)

Paid at Lukla before you start walking, or sometimes collected at Monjo if you missed it. This is a local-government fee that replaces the old TIMS card. It funds local infrastructure (the trails, the toilets, the bridges you walk over).

Same payment options. Keep the receipt.

Total cost: NPR 5,000 (~$37)

That's all. If anyone is quoting you more for "permits", they're either rolling in agency markup or selling you a permit you don't need.

What about TIMS?

The Trekkers' Information Management System card used to be NPR 2,000 for the Khumbu region. It was a database registration meant for search-and-rescue coordination. In 2023, the system was overhauled and the TIMS requirement was removed for Sagarmatha National Park specifically. The municipal permit (above) functions as the local registration now.

If your agency invoice still has "TIMS card" as a line item, ask them about it. The honest answer is they're charging you for nothing.

What about other treks?

The TIMS situation varies by region. The summary as of 2026:

| Region | TIMS required? | Local permit instead? | |---|---|---| | Sagarmatha / EBC | No | Yes (NPR 2,000) | | Annapurna (ACAP) | No | ACAP entry NPR 3,000 | | Manaslu (Restricted) | No | Restricted Area Permit + MCAP | | Langtang | No | Langtang NP entry NPR 3,000 | | Upper Mustang | No | Restricted Area Permit ($500/10 days) |

For the Annapurna Circuit, you'll pay ACAP at Besisahar or Pokhara. For Langtang, the Langtang National Park entry replaces TIMS. The pattern across all three regions: the trekker pays a regional fee directly, no centralized TIMS.

What's the 2024–2026 enforcement story?

Multiple trekkers in 2024 and 2025 reported that the SNP checkpoint at Monjo is the primary enforcement point — they will not let you past without the entry receipt. The Khumbu municipal permit is checked at Lukla on arrival and sometimes at Namche. Both checkpoints will hold you up if you can't produce the receipt.

There is no permit checked at the start of the trek (the airstrip itself). The illusion that "I'll just fly in and figure it out" works because the first 4 hours of walking happen before anyone asks.

Where you actually need pre-booking

Permits are walk-up. The things you should pre-book:

• Lukla flights: book at least 2 weeks before peak season (Oct–Nov, Apr–May)
• A guide if you're hiring one (see our 2026 guide-rule explainer)
• First-night Kathmandu hotel so you're not negotiating from a tired body
• Travel insurance with helicopter evacuation — never pre-book the trek without this

What to bring in cash

NPR 5,000 for permits, plus the equivalent of $400–500 for on-trail spending (rooms, food, tea, hot showers, wifi, the helicopter-evac-margin you hope you never use). ATMs in Lukla and Namche work most of the time but charge NPR 500+ per withdrawal and limit you to NPR 35,000 per transaction. Get your trail cash in Kathmandu before flying.

Pre-trek checklist

• NPR 5,000 cash on hand for permits
• Receipt-handling: don't put them in the same pocket as your trail mix
• Skip any agency quoting TIMS
• Photocopy your passport — sometimes asked at Monjo
• Two passport photos — historically used for TIMS, occasionally still requested

The permit story is the easiest part of EBC. Don't overthink it. The hard part starts at Namche.