What permits do you need for Everest Base Camp?
The 2026 rules, the two Khumbu permits, and the guide question
TL;DR. Everest Base Camp needs two permits and no TIMS card: the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit (NPR 3,000, ≈ USD 23) and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit (NPR 2,000, ≈ USD 15–20), which replaced TIMS in the Khumbu. The important part is the guide rule: Nepal’s 2023 mandatory-guide requirement is administered through TIMS — but Everest runs on its own local permit, not TIMS, so the mandate isn’t enforced here. You can still legally trek EBC independently in 2026, unlike restricted areas such as Manaslu or Upper Mustang. Rules change; this is dated 2026 — confirm on the day.
We haven’t walked to Everest Base Camp as authors — our measured record comes from Nashriq’s November 2025 GPS track and Kak Yaa’s account. This permits page is sourced, not measured by us; we flag what’s settled and what’s worth re-confirming rather than pretending it’s all clean.
Quick answers
The two permits (this part is settled)
Everest Base Camp is unusual in a helpful way: there are exactly two permits, and — unlike Annapurna — no TIMS card. Both are checked at staffed checkpoints on the way up, so treat them as certain costs, not optional extras.
| Permit | Fee (2026) | Where you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Sagarmatha National Park entry permit | NPR 3,000 (≈ USD 23) | Kathmandu (Nepal Tourism Board) or the Monjo park entrance |
| Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit | NPR 2,000 (≈ USD 15–20) | Collected locally (typically Lukla) |
That’s roughly USD 40 in permit fees for a foreign trekker. The Sagarmatha permit funds the national park; the Khumbu municipality permit funds local development in the valley you’re walking through.
The TIMS card doesn’t apply here. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit replaced the TIMS card in the Everest region — you do not buy TIMS for EBC. This matters for more than your budget: it’s the reason the national guide rule doesn’t bite in the Khumbu, which is the next section.
(USD conversions are approximate and move with the exchange rate — the NPR figures are the ones that are fixed. Fees are sourced and current to 2026; re-confirm at the permit office.)
The guide rule — the key Everest fact (read this carefully)
This is the part most worth getting right, because it’s what makes Everest different from most of Nepal’s marquee treks, and it’s the one most commonly stated wrongly online.
What the national rule says. In 2023, Nepal introduced a rule that solo, independent foreign trekkers must hire a licensed guide — a mandate administered through the TIMS system. On the face of it, that reads like the end of independent trekking in Nepal.
Why it doesn’t bite on Everest. The Everest / Khumbu region runs on the local rural municipality’s own permit system — not TIMS. Because the guide mandate is enforced through TIMS, and the Khumbu doesn’t use TIMS, the guide requirement is not enforced there. So in 2026 you can still legally trek to Everest Base Camp independently, without a guide.
How this differs from the restricted areas. This is the honest contrast that makes the point clear. Restricted areas such as Manaslu and Upper Mustang genuinely do require a licensed guide — plus special restricted-area permits — and there is no independent option. Everest is not one of those. Getting this distinction wrong is exactly how “you can’t trek anywhere in Nepal without a guide anymore” ends up in print.
Our honest position (2026): the accurate statement is that EBC can still be walked independently, because the Khumbu opted out of the TIMS-administered guide rule and runs its own permit. But Nepal’s rules change often and are enforced unevenly, so if trekking independently matters to your plan, confirm the current position before you travel. The cross-cutting detail lives in our permits & the guide rule guide.
You can go without a guide — but should you?
Legally optional isn’t the same as unwise. On Everest, a guide or porter is not required, but is recommended — and the reason is altitude, not navigation.
- Altitude and safety. EBC crosses 5,000 m and tops out at Base Camp (5,282 m, measured), with the optional pre-dawn climb of Kala Patthar reaching about 5,320 m on its shoulder — a viewpoint, not a summit. A good guide reads your acclimatisation and makes the ascend-or-descend call when you’re too foggy to make it well yourself. Read our altitude guide before you go, guide or not.
- Hire through a licensed agency. If you do take support, book through a licensed agency so the guide is properly licensed and the porter is insured — that protects both you and them.
- What it costs. Expect roughly USD 25–35/day for a guide and USD 20–25/day for a porter. That sits inside the full trip budget on our EBC cost breakdown.
A note on the difference between a licensed guide and an experienced leader: they are not the same thing. Kak Yaa, whose testimony runs through our EBC hub, is an experienced hiker who supports Malaysian groups on this trek (remotely — she was not on the trip we recorded) — but she is not a licensed Nepali guide. On the trips she supports, the operator, Ohana, contracts the licensed guide locally. If you’re planning to “go with an experienced friend,” be clear which of those two you’re actually getting.
Where and how to get them
- Sagarmatha National Park permit: buy in Kathmandu at the Nepal Tourism Board, or on the trail at the Monjo park entrance.
- Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit: collected locally, typically at Lukla once you land.
- Carry: both permits and your passport. They’re checked at Monjo and other checkpoints along the way, so keep them accessible, not buried in your duffel.
- No TIMS: don’t waste time buying a TIMS card in Kathmandu for Everest — it isn’t used here.
What it adds up to
For a foreign trekker in 2026, the certain permit cost for EBC is about USD 40: NPR 3,000 for Sagarmatha National Park plus NPR 2,000 for the Khumbu municipality. Add a guide (≈ USD 25–35/day) or porter (≈ USD 20–25/day) only if you choose to hire — and on Everest, unlike the restricted areas, that genuinely is a choice. Full trip budgeting lives on the EBC cost breakdown.
Sources & notes
- Two permits, no TIMS (Sagarmatha National Park + Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality): corroborated across 2025–2026 Nepal trekking operators; the Khumbu municipality permit replaced TIMS in the Everest region.
- Permit fees (NPR 3,000 national park / NPR 2,000 Khumbu municipality) and issuance points (Kathmandu, Monjo, Lukla): sourced from 2025–2026 operator reporting. Any USD figures are approximate and move with the exchange rate — pay in NPR and treat dollar equivalents as a guide only.
- Guide rule: Nepal’s 2023 mandatory-guide requirement is administered through TIMS; the Everest / Khumbu region runs its own local permit (not TIMS), so the mandate is not enforced there and independent EBC trekking remains permitted — unlike restricted areas (Manaslu, Upper Mustang) that require a licensed guide and special permits. See our permits & the guide rule guide.
- Licensed guide vs experienced leader; Ohana contracts guides locally: context from the trip our EBC data draws on; our source, Kak Yaa, is an experienced hiker, not a licensed guide.
- Status: sourced and current to 2026, not measured by us. Nepal’s permit and guide rules change often and are enforced unevenly — re-confirm at the permit office / on arrival in Lukla. First-hand checkpoint detail to be added after the author’s first-hand Nepal trek.
Educational planning content, not legal or medical advice — permit and guide rules change; verify before you travel. Some links are affiliate links; we only recommend what we’d use ourselves, at no extra cost to you. © 2026 keitreks · The numbers are measured. The trail is next.
Related: EBC trek hub · EBC cost · Permits & the guide rule · Altitude · Annapurna vs Everest Base Camp