Bhutan for International Visitors: SDF and Visa

Visas are applied for online through Bhutan's Department of Immigration, before you travel. You can apply yourself, or your Bhutanese tour operator can file it with your itinerary and hotel bookings, which is what most visitors do. You pay the visa fee and the SDF for all your nights as part of the application. When it is approved, you receive an approval letter by email.

Print the letter and carry it with your passport. Airlines flying to Paro may ask for it at check-in, and immigration officers at Paro airport or Phuentsholing check it on arrival. Your passport should have at least six months of validity and a couple of blank pages. Allow a few working days for approval, and more in October and spring when demand is high. Check current status before you travel.

Paro is Bhutan's international airport, at about 2,200 m in a narrow valley. Scheduled flights are run by two Bhutanese airlines: the national carrier Drukair and Bhutan Airlines. From India they fly from Delhi and Kolkata, and Drukair runs a small number of weekly flights from Bagdogra on an ATR, about 45 minutes. Other Indian cities are served seasonally, and both airlines also fly from regional hubs. Routes and frequencies change by season, so check current status before you travel.

The final approach into Paro is flown visually between the ridges,. From the airport, Thimphu is about 50 km and a little over an hour by road. Your guide meets you in the arrivals hall; under the current rules even this drive needs a licensed guide.

Many travellers combine Bhutan with Darjeeling, Sikkim or the Dooars and enter by road at Phuentsholing. Fly to Bagdogra, or take a train to NJP, then drive about 155–170 km, four to five hours, to Jaigaon on the Indian side of the border. From there you walk through the gate to the Phuentsholing terminal.

You will need a valid Indian visa for the India part of the trip, and if you plan to return to India after Bhutan, make sure your visa allows another entry. Foreign nationals also complete Indian exit formalities at Jaigaon before crossing; your operator will know where the office is that week. The road route saves a flight and lets you see the change from the plains at about 300 m to Thimphu at about 2,320 m in one day. Check current status before you travel.

Every international visitor must be accompanied by a certified, licensed guide. A Department of Tourism notification dated 8 April 2026 restated the Tourism Rules and Regulations 2024: guides are required on all tours beyond the first designated checkpoint, including the drive from Paro airport to Thimphu and visits to monuments. For treks, a licensed trekking guide is mandatory.

In practice, this means you book through a licensed Bhutanese operator, who supplies the guide and a Bhutan-registered vehicle with driver. A guide costs about Nu 2,000–3,000 a day and a car with driver about Nu 4,500–6,500 a day, indicative 2026; the Ngultrum is pegged 1:1 to the Indian rupee. Many guides speak excellent English, and some speak other languages; ask in advance if you need one.

On a six-night trip for two adults, the SDF alone is US$1,200 and visas add US$80. Hotels, guide and vehicle come on top. The SDF is fixed, so the savings are in how you plan the rest. These are the levers we pull for our international guests.

• Travel before 31 August 2027 while the US$100 SDF incentive applies, if your dates are flexible.
• Count nights carefully: the SDF is charged per night, so an early-morning arrival and a late departure give you more days for the same fee.
• Choose certified 3-star hotels at about Nu 3,000–5,500 a room night with breakfast; tourists must stay in certified hotels or registered homestays.
• Share the guide and vehicle with friends; the daily rate is the same for two or six guests.
• Travel in March, early April or November rather than October, when rates are at their highest.
• Combine Bhutan with Darjeeling or Sikkim by road through Phuentsholing to avoid a return flight to Paro.

This is the route we suggest for a first visit by air. It keeps drives short, puts the Taktsang hike near the end when you are used to the altitude, and leaves Paro close to the airport for the flight out.

• Night 1, Thimphu: land at Paro, drive about 50 km to Thimphu, evening walk around Clock Tower Square.
• Night 2, Thimphu: Buddha Dordenma, the Memorial Chorten built in 1974 for the Third King, and Tashichho Dzong.
• Night 3, Punakha: over Dochula and its 108 chortens to Punakha Dzong, built in 1637–38 by the Zhabdrung.
• Night 4, Punakha: the walk across the rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang, and a slower afternoon in the valley at about 1,250 m, where it is noticeably warmer than Thimphu. With two extra nights, add Phobjikha for the black-necked cranes from November to February.
• Night 5, Paro: drive back west, Rinpung Dzong and the National Museum.
• Night 6, Paro: the Taktsang hike, 4–6 hours round trip, with about 500 m of climbing from the car park.
• Day 7: fly out of Paro, or drive about 150 km and 5 hours to Phuentsholing to continue into India.

For a couple on a six-night trip of Thimphu, Punakha and Paro, with 3-star hotels, a private car and a guide, budget roughly US$1,280 for SDF and visas, plus about Nu 70,000–1,20,000 for hotels, guide, vehicle, meals and entry fees for both of you, indicative 2026. Entry fees alone are significant: Paro Taktsang is Nu 1,000 and most dzongs are Nu 500 per adult.

Move up to boutique or 4-star hotels at Nu 7,000–15,000 a room night, or to premium lodges such as COMO Uma in Paro or Gangtey Lodge in Phobjikha, and the hotel line becomes the largest part of the bill. A group of four or six sharing one vehicle and guide brings the per-person cost down noticeably.