Annapurna Permits 2026: ACAP, TIMS & the Guide Rule (Honest & Current)
TL;DR. For the Annapurna region in 2026 you must hold an ACAP permit — NPR 3,000 (≈ USD 23) for foreigners. A TIMS card is officially still listed for Annapurna but not enforced in practice (checkpoints check the ACAP only). The guide rule is the contested one: Nepal’s 2023 regulation lists Annapurna among guide-required routes and the Everest region — not Annapurna — is the area that formally opted out, yet the Annapurna region is still widely walked independently. This is the single rule most worth confirming at the permit office before you go.
Permit rules are exactly where older trek articles go stale. The figures below are sourced and dated June 2026; we flag what’s settled and what’s disputed rather than pretending it’s all clean.
Quick answers
The ACAP permit (this part is settled)
The Annapurna Conservation Area Permit is the one permit you genuinely cannot skip. It’s checked at staffed checkpoints along every Annapurna trail, and it funds conservation and local development in the area.
| Who | ACAP fee (2026) |
|---|---|
| Foreign nationals | NPR 3,000 (≈ USD 23) |
| SAARC nationals | NPR 1,000 (≈ USD 8) |
| Children under 10 | Free |
- Fees include tax. Paying through the online gateway adds a 2.9% charge.
- It’s single-entry for the conservation area — if you exit and re-enter you may need a new permit.
- One ACAP covers the whole region: the Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp, Poon Hill, and Mardi Himal all sit inside the same conservation area.
(USD/RM conversions are approximate and move with the exchange rate — the NPR figure is the one that’s fixed.)
TIMS: officially required, practically not (for Annapurna)
This is where it gets murky, and where most articles pick one side and state it as fact. Both of these are true at once in 2026:
- On paper: the Nepal Tourism Board still lists Annapurna routes (including the Circuit and Poon Hill–ABC) among those that require a TIMS card — NPR 2,000 for foreign trekkers, NPR 1,000 for SAARC — under the provisions that took effect 31 March 2023.
- On the trail: multiple 2025–2026 operator reports say TIMS is no longer enforced in the Annapurna region, and that checkpoints verify the ACAP only.
Honest take: budget the ACAP as the certain cost, treat TIMS as a maybe you confirm at the office on the day. Carry enough rupees to buy it if asked; don’t be surprised if you’re waved through without it.
The guide rule — the contested one (read this carefully)
This is the rule worth getting right, because it changes whether you can trek the Annapurna Circuit independently at all — and it’s the one most commonly stated wrongly online.
What the official rule says. Effective 31 March 2023, Nepal’s regulations require foreign trekkers on a defined list of routes to be accompanied by a licensed guide (and carry an agency-issued TIMS card). The Nepal Tourism Board’s own list includes Annapurna routes — the Annapurna Circuit and Poon Hill–ABC among them. On the official reading, Annapurna is not exempt.
The exemption that people confuse it with. The area that formally opted out of the guide requirement is the Everest region (the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality), which kept itself open to independent trekkers. That exemption is Everest’s, not Annapurna’s — and conflating the two is exactly how “you don’t need a guide in Annapurna” ends up in print.
What actually happens on the ground. In practice, the Annapurna region has continued to see a great deal of independent trekking, and enforcement of the guide requirement here has been inconsistent — which is why you’ll find reputable 2026 sources flatly stating both “you cannot trek Annapurna without a guide anymore” and “solo trekking in the Annapurna region is permitted.” They’re describing the gap between the regulation and its enforcement.
Our honest position (June 2026): the safe, accurate statement is that a licensed guide is officially required for the Annapurna region under the 2023 rule, that Annapurna is not the region that opted out, and that enforcement has been inconsistent. If trekking independently matters to your plan, confirm the current position directly with the NTB or ACAP office when you collect your permit — and budget for a guide (typically USD 25–35/day) as the fallback. We’ll replace this with a first-hand account of exactly what was asked for at the checkpoints after we walk the Circuit in November 2026. For the Annapurna Base Camp–specific breakdown — legal versus practical, and where a guide genuinely earns its keep — see Do you need a guide for ABC?
Where and how to get them
- Kathmandu: Nepal Tourism Board office (Bhrikutimandap).
- Pokhara: the ACAP / Nepal Tourism Board counter.
- Bring: your passport, a couple of passport photos, and cash in Nepali rupees (cards aren’t reliable; the online route adds a fee and can be patchy).
- Timing: arrange permits before you start — there is no issuance on the trail, and checkpoints turn back trekkers without an ACAP.
What it adds up to
For most foreign trekkers in 2026 the certain permit cost is just the ACAP: NPR 3,000. Add NPR 2,000 if you end up buying TIMS, and a guide at ~USD 25–35/day if you hire (or are required to take) one. Full trip budgeting — food, lodging, transport, guide/porter — is part of what we’re measuring on the Road to the Annapurna Circuit.
Sources & notes
- ACAP fee, TIMS fee, effective date, guide-route list: Nepal Tourism Board, TIMS Card guidance (ntb.gov.np) — official.
- ACAP NPR 3,000 / SAARC NPR 1,000 / under-10 free / 2.9% online fee / Kathmandu–Pokhara issuance / TIMS not enforced on Annapurna in practice: corroborated across 2025–2026 Nepal trekking operators (e.g. Nepal Hiking Team, Shikhar Adventure, Himalayan Masters).
- Guide-rule dispute: official NTB list (Annapurna included) vs operator reporting that the Annapurna region is still widely trekked independently; the formal opt-out belongs to the Everest/Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality.
- Status: sourced and current to June 2026, but Nepal’s permit and guide rules change often and are enforced unevenly — re-confirm at the permit office on the day. First-hand checkpoint detail to be added after the author’s November 2026 trek.
Educational planning content, not legal or medical advice — permit rules change; verify with the Nepal Tourism Board / ACAP 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: Road to the Annapurna Circuit · Altitude & acclimatisation · Cold-weather training