Manaslu Circuit Permits Explained: RAP, MCAP, ACAP and TIMS

The Manaslu Circuit needs four separate pieces of paper: a restricted-area permit (RAP) from the Department of Immigration, a Manaslu Conservation Area permit (MCAP), an Annapurna Conservation Area permit (ACAP) and a TIMS card. Three different bodies are behind them and the fees are in two currencies. This page is the one place where I set out which permit is which, who issues it, what it costs, where it is checked, how long it takes and what your guide does about it. I wrote it from the official pages and from our own paperwork, and I have marked the places where I could not confirm something.

If you only want the cost of the whole trek, read our Manaslu cost guide. If you want to know whether you can go alone, read our solo trekking guide. This page is about the permits themselves.

Which permits does the Manaslu Circuit need?

Four, and all four are needed. The restricted-area permit does not replace the other three.

Permit	Issued by	Cost for a foreign trekker	Who applies
Restricted-area permit (RAP), Manaslu	Department of Immigration	USD 100 for the first week, then USD 15 a day (September to November). USD 75 for the first week, then USD 10 a day (December to August)	A registered trekking agency, with a licensed guide
Manaslu Conservation Area permit (MCAP)	National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), listed on the Nepal Tourism Board fee page	NPR 3,000 per person per entry	Agency or the trekker, through the NTNC online system
Annapurna Conservation Area permit (ACAP)	National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC)	NPR 3,000 per person per entry	Agency or the trekker, through the NTNC online system
TIMS card	Nepal Tourism Board and the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN)	NPR 2,000	A registered trekking agency

Children under 10 are listed as free on the two conservation-area permits. Citizens of SAARC countries pay NPR 1,000 for each conservation-area permit and for TIMS. Everything in this table comes from the Department of Immigration fee page and the Nepal Tourism Board pages, which I read on 4 October 2026. On our 12-day Manaslu Circuit trek all four are included in the price on every tier, so you do not pay any of them separately.

What does the restricted-area permit cost, and how are the days counted?

The RAP is the expensive one, and it is charged by the day, not by the length of your holiday. The Department of Immigration lists the covered area as Chumnubri rural municipality, wards 1 to 4. The agency portal we file through asks for a start date, a number of days and a route, and the Manaslu route runs from Jagat through Philim, Deng, Ghap, Namru, Lho, Samdo and Samagaun to Bhimtang. The portal sets a minimum of seven days, so a short trip still pays the first-week fee.

On our 12-day itinerary you sleep inside that zone from Jagat on day 2 to Bhimtang on day 10. That is nine days, which is one week plus two extra days. The arithmetic is below. It is not a quote, because the price of your trek already includes it.

Days counted	September to November	December to August
7 (the minimum)	USD 100	USD 75
9 (our 12-day itinerary)	USD 130 (100 + 2 x 15)	USD 95 (75 + 2 x 10)
10	USD 145	USD 105
12	USD 175	USD 125

One point catches people out. The higher rate applies from September to November only. Spring, from March to May, is in the lower December to August band, so a spring trekker pays the lower figure. The agency portal tables also say that a trek which crosses from November into December is charged month by month at each month's rate. I have not seen an official worked example of exactly where the split falls, so if your dates straddle the boundary, ask us to confirm the figure when we file.

Add the other three permits and the total for our nine-day count is USD 130 plus NPR 8,000 in the autumn band, or USD 95 plus NPR 8,000 outside it. I have left the rupees as rupees. I could not find an official exchange rate to use, and any conversion I printed would just be my guess.

What are the MCAP and the ACAP, and why do you need both?

They are two different protected areas, each with its own entry fee, and the circuit passes through both. The Manaslu Conservation Area covers 1,663 square kilometres, according to the NTNC project page, and NTNC says it runs the area. The Annapurna Conservation Area is the one that the Annapurna Circuit uses, and NTNC says it has no regular government funding for it and keeps the entry fees to reinvest in the region and its communities.

The route starts on the Budhi Gandaki side, inside the Manaslu Conservation Area. The last days of our itinerary run from Bhimtang down to Dharapani and then to Besisahar by road, which is why the package includes an ACAP too. I could not find a published map of the exact ACAP boundary on the NTNC pages, so I am relying on our own itinerary and on how we have always priced the trek. If you want to see the line on a map, ask us and we will show you.

The two fees are charged per person per entry. NTNC says the money pays for conservation work and community projects inside the area.

Why do I need a TIMS card as well, and does the RAP replace it?

It does not replace it. I say this plainly because I still see operator pages that tell trekkers they do not need TIMS for Manaslu. Both official sources say otherwise. The Nepal Tourism Board page headed "Trekking Guide and TIMS Card Mandatory on Most Trekking Routes in the Himalaya" lists the Manaslu Circuit, the Manaslu and Tsum Valley trek, the Tsum Valley trek and the Nar Phu trek by name, under a revised provision dated 31 March 2023. TAAN, which runs TIMS jointly with the Tourism Board and has done since 1 January 2008, says the card applies "in all trekking areas of the country including restricted areas".

In plain terms: a licensed guide and an agency-issued TIMS card are required on most trekking routes under the Nepal Tourism Board rule from 31 March 2023. The Everest (Khumbu) region does not enforce it locally, but we always trek with a licensed guide.

The card is more than a ticket. TAAN says the database holds passport details, nationality, contact details and itinerary, and is used in emergencies to find out who is in an area. The agency form records the trekkers, the guides and the route, so our own staff are on the record as well. That is why we take TIMS on every trek, restricted area or not. It is the one permit that exists purely for your safety.

Who issues each permit, and can I buy them myself?

For the RAP, no. It is applied for by a registered trekking agency, a licensed guide has to be named on the application, and the Department of Immigration does not issue one to an individual walking in with a passport. TIMS is also an agency-issued card under the Tourism Board rule.

The conservation-area permits are different on paper. NTNC's own pages describe an online system with one route for trekking agencies and another for individuals. In practice that does not get you onto this trail, because you cannot do the trek without the RAP and the guide, and both come through an agency. We buy the MCAP and ACAP together with the rest, so you do not have to think about it.

The rule behind the guide requirement is not hidden. It comes from the Department of Immigration notice of 8 Chaitra 2082 (22 March 2026), which I have a copy of. It removed the two-person minimum, so a single trekker can now hold a RAP. The conditions are an application through a registered agency, a licensed guide who accompanies the trekker, and the agency taking responsibility for rescue if something goes wrong.

Where are the permits checked on the trail?

Some of this I can source, and some I cannot. NTNC says there are tourist information centres and check posts at Jagat and Samagaun in the Manaslu Conservation Area. Our itinerary reaches Jagat at the end of day 2 and Samagaun on day 6, so those are two places where your paperwork will be looked at. I could not find a published list of every point where the RAP, the TIMS card and the ACAP are checked, and I am not going to guess at one.

What I can tell you is how it works for our guests. Your guide carries the permit paperwork and shows it at each check. You carry your passport. If a post asks for something unexpected, the guide deals with it.

How long does it take, and what do I need to send?

Our rule is a minimum of 48 hours, counted in government working days. The application is made online now, but a government office still processes it, so Nepali weekends and public holidays do not count. I would never quote it as "two days". You will see "two to four weeks" on some pages, which is far longer than the real minimum. In practice the delay is almost always a document problem, not the office, so send us clean documents early.

What we ask for, based on the checklist of the agency portal as I read it in September 2026:

• A scan of your passport photo page, with all four corners in the picture, no glare and not expired.
• A recent photo with both ears visible, with no filter and no selfie crop.
• Your visa number, or the visa application submission ID if you have not arrived yet.
• A copy of your travel insurance.
• Your start date and the itinerary.

The portal says an application with unclear documents is rejected, and a rejected application has to be redone. So the best thing you can do is send a clean scan the first time. Dashain and Tihar fall in the autumn peak and the public holidays do not count towards the 48 hours, so do not leave it to the last week in that season.

What does the guide do about permits, and why one guide for seven trekkers?

The guide's licence number goes onto the RAP application next to your passport details. The Department of Immigration notice caps a restricted-area group at seven trekkers for each licensed guide, so a group of eight needs a second licensed guide on the permit. A porter does not count, and I would not count an assistant who is not licensed. If a group departure puts a big party behind one guide, ask to see how the permit was filed.

During the trek the guide is also the person who keeps you inside the rules. In a restricted area you do not walk apart from your guide, and you do not climb or wander off alone. The rule exists because the agency is answerable for you. The guide carries the paperwork, runs the oximeter checks and has the authority to turn the group round if someone is not acclimatising.

A note on rescue. The notice puts responsibility for a rescue on the agency. We arrange it. The helicopter bill, though, is paid by your own travel insurance, which is mandatory. Buy a policy at home that covers emergency helicopter evacuation at the altitude of the pass, and read the altitude limit on the certificate before you pay.

What changes if I trek solo, or if my dates cross the season boundary?

If you trek solo, the permits are the same four. You are still charged the same RAP fee for the same number of days, because the fee is per person. What changes is the cost of the guide, who is now carrying the whole cost for one person. On our Standard tier a solo trekker does not get a porter, because there is one porter for every two trekkers, so the guide carries up to 10 kilograms of your bag. On Luxury a solo trekker still gets a dedicated porter. Budget has no porter on any booking. That is separate from the permit, but it is the thing solo trekkers ask about next.

If your dates cross from November into December, the permit portal charges each month at its own rate, as I said above. If you are choosing between a late-November and an early-December start, ask us which side your nine days fall on.

What goes wrong with Manaslu permits, and who should not choose this route?

The mistakes I see most are these. A trekker books a cheap quote that leaves out TIMS or ACAP, then finds out it was never included. A group is put behind one guide. A late scan or a bad photo holds up the application. Or a trekker relies on a page that has not been updated since the rules changed. The Wikipedia page for the circuit, for example, still gives a lower off-season fee of USD 70, an MCAP of USD 30 and a minimum of two trekkers, none of which matches the Department of Immigration page I read on 4 October 2026. Always check the fee against the government page, not against a blog, including this one.

This is not the route for you if you want to decide your dates the week before, if you want to walk with no guide, or if you want an independent trek with a day-to-day plan of your own. A restricted area asks for a plan, an agency and a guide, and the price reflects it. If you want something with fewer permits, the Annapurna Circuit or Everest Base Camp are the better fit. Our complete permits guide covers those, and our restricted-area permit overview sets Manaslu beside the other restricted areas. For the route itself, our distance guide has the day-by-day figures.

What is included in our Manaslu Circuit price?

Our 12-day Manaslu Circuit trek starts at USD 799 for Budget, USD 1,599 for Standard and USD 2,099 for Luxury per person, with a 10 per cent deposit. The permits above, the RAP, MCAP, ACAP and TIMS, are in the price on every tier, along with the licensed guide and the ground transport. Budget has no porter and no meals on the trail. Standard has all meals and one porter for every two trekkers. Luxury has a dedicated porter for each trekker. Kathmandu hotels are not included in any trek tier, and international flights, your visa and your insurance are yours to arrange. Payment is in US dollars, cash in Kathmandu or by card (card payments carry a 3.5 per cent charge), and we cannot take Nepali rupees from foreign guests.

Our sources and what I could not confirm

Restricted-area fees, covered wards and the season bands: Department of Immigration, trekking route and permit fee page, read 4 October 2026. Park and conservation-area entry fees: Nepal Tourism Board, park entry fees page, read 4 October 2026. TIMS fee, the 31 March 2023 revised provision and the list of routes: Nepal Tourism Board, TIMS card page, read 4 October 2026. TIMS history, purpose and its coverage of restricted areas: TAAN, About TIMS, read 4 October 2026. Manaslu Conservation Area area, check posts at Jagat and Samagaun and the online application: NTNC, Manaslu Conservation Area Project page, read 4 October 2026. Annapurna Conservation Area entry fees and the online channels: NTNC, Annapurna Conservation Area Project page, read 4 October 2026. Outdated fee and group-size lines: Wikipedia, Manaslu Circuit, read 4 October 2026. Conservation area size: Wikipedia, Manaslu Conservation Area, read 4 October 2026. The 22 March 2026 solo decision and the limit of seven trekkers per guide: Department of Immigration notice dated 8 Chaitra 2082, which I read in September. The 12-day itinerary, the nights inside the zone, the inclusions and the prices: our live package row, read 4 October 2026. The 48-hour working-day minimum and the document checklist come from our own filing experience and our agency portal.

Things I could not confirm: the exact point at which the route enters the Annapurna Conservation Area, every place where each permit is checked, the way the permit office counts days in a split-season trek, and a rupee-to-dollar rate I could rely on. I have said so where it matters, and I have not filled the gaps with guesses.

The short version

You need a restricted-area permit, a Manaslu Conservation Area permit, an Annapurna Conservation Area permit and a TIMS card, and an agency and a licensed guide have to be behind them. The RAP is charged by the day, on our itinerary nine days, which is USD 130 from September to November and USD 95 from December to August. The other three cost NPR 8,000 together. Allow at least 48 working hours and send clean documents. If you want to talk through dates, or whether a quote you have received covers all four, message me on WhatsApp on +977 9810351300.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of guides. TAAN Member #1586.