Nepal Residential Visa (Retiree)
Nepal wants USD 20,000 saved and USD 20,000 a year coming in. In return a foreigner aged 60 or over, or retired, gets a year at a time.
This is Nepal’s retirement visa. It exists. What it does not do is settle you: it is granted one year at a time, and there is no permanent residence to graduate into.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Foreigners aged 60 or over, or retired, living in Nepal without carrying on business |
| Route family | Retirement |
| Validity | 1 year per issuance |
| Stay per entry | 1 year |
| Threshold | USD 20,000 bank balance plus documented income of USD 20,000 per year, 2026 |
| Renewal | Annual, with a fresh expenditure statement of USD 20,000 and renewed health and character documents |
| Settlement | None |
| PR clock | None. No permanent residence category exists |
| Citizenship clock | 15 years for naturalisation, discretionary and not designed for this route |
| Family | Partial. A spouse can be endorsed but must meet the same financial test |
| Local employment | No |
| Tax headline | Residents are taxed on Nepal-source income. Foreign pension treatment is unclear and needs local advice |
| Processing | Next day after Home Ministry approval for a new visa; same day for renewals |
Application flow
- Confirm you are 60 or over, or can document retirement status.
- Deposit USD 20,000 in a Nepali bank, or obtain an embassy-verified income certificate showing USD 20,000 a year. The counter often asks for both.
- Obtain a health certificate from Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Certificates from other hospitals are refused.
- Obtain a No Objection letter from your embassy. Some charge and some will not issue one.
- Submit to the Department of Immigration for Home Ministry approval, then collect the visa, normally the next day.
- Renew before expiry with a new expenditure statement, medical certificate and character documents.
Good fit
A single retiree with a USD 20,000 pension who wants to live in Kathmandu or Pokhara and accepts annual renewal forever. It is the only route here needing no employer, company or Nepali spouse.
Poor fit
Anyone who wants certainty of stay, or who expects the visa to become permanent. Couples relying on one income, because the spouse must satisfy the same USD 20,000 test independently. And anyone who cannot produce a Nepali bank balance or an embassy-certified income letter.
Watchpoints
- The fee is published inconsistently. The visa information page lists USD 700 for a new visa and USD 1,200 for renewal; the fee schedule lists USD 1,200 a year. Budget USD 1,200 and treat USD 700 as unconfirmed.
- Both halves of the money test are checked at renewal. The expenditure statement is not a formality, and spending the balance down fails the next renewal.
- The medical certificate must come from Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. No other hospital is accepted.
- The embassy No Objection letter is a hard gate. A few embassies will not issue one, which closes the route regardless of your finances.
- A spouse is endorsed, not covered. The same USD 20,000 savings and income test applies to them, so a couple needs double.
- Naturalisation is not a destination. Fifteen years makes you eligible to apply, discretionarily, and Nepal bars dual nationality, so it means renouncing your current citizenship.
- This is not a work visa. Any employment, including a business, needs a separate category.
Sources
- Department of Immigration, visa information, checked 2026-10-22
- Department of Immigration, visa fees and documents, checked 2026-10-22
- Immigration Act 2049 (1992) and Immigration Rules 2051 (1994), checked 2026-10-22