Somewhere in the bureaucratic architecture of Nepal's trekking industry, between the national park permits and the mandatory guide requirement, there is a laminated card with your photograph on it that nobody will ask to see for the first three days of your trek and that everybody will ask to see for the rest of it. The TIMS card — Trekkers' Information Management System — is one of those administrative requirements that seems pointless until you understand why it exists, at which point it seems merely annoying rather than senseless.
TIMS is Nepal's trekker tracking system. It records who is trekking, where they are going, and when they entered a trekking area. The data feeds a database that serves two purposes: search and rescue coordination, and tourism statistics. If you go missing on the trail — and people do go missing, more often than the brochures suggest — TIMS is how the authorities know your planned route, your expected timeline, and where to start looking. If you complete your trek without incident — which the vast majority of trekkers do — your TIMS data becomes a statistic that informs permit pricing, trail maintenance budgets, and national tourism planning.
Neither purpose is glamorous. Both are genuine. The TIMS card is the unglamorous infrastructure that supports a trekking industry serving hundreds of thousands of visitors per year in some of the most remote terrain on earth.
What the TIMS Card Is
TIMS is a physical card — credit-card sized, laminated, with your passport photo, personal details, trekking route, entry and exit dates, and the name of your trekking company. It was introduced in 2008 by the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) in partnership with the Nepal Tourism Board to replace an earlier, less systematic registration process.
There are two types of TIMS cards, though the system has been simplified in recent years:
Group/Organized TIMS (Green Card): Issued to trekkers who are booked through a registered trekking agency. This is the standard card for anyone booking a package trek. Your trekking company arranges it as part of the booking process. Cost: approximately ten to twenty US dollars (the fee has changed over the years and may vary).
Individual TIMS (Blue Card): Previously issued to independent trekkers walking without a guide. Since the 2023 mandatory guide rule, this category has effectively become obsolete — all trekkers must now be with a registered company, so all TIMS cards are issued through agencies. Some offices may still reference the individual card, but in practice, your company handles the TIMS registration regardless.
The card is valid for the specific trek and dates listed on it. If you change your itinerary — extending your trek, adding a side trip, or switching routes — you technically need the card updated, though enforcement of this requirement varies. A TIMS card for EBC will be checked at Everest region checkpoints but would not be valid for the Annapurna region. Most trekkers do one route per card.
How to Get It
If you are booking through a trekking company — which, under the 2023 mandatory guide rule, you are — the company handles your TIMS card. You provide your passport details, two passport-sized photographs, and your trekking dates. The company submits the application, pays the fee, and collects the card. It is usually included in your trek package cost, though some budget packages list it as an additional fee — check your booking confirmation.
The TIMS card is issued from the Nepal Tourism Board office in Kathmandu (Pradarshani Marg, near Bhrikutimandap) or from TAAN offices. Processing takes a few hours on a normal day, longer during peak season when queues build. Your trekking company typically handles this on the day before your trek departure or on the first day while other logistics are being arranged.
You need to bring: your passport (original, not a copy), two passport-sized photographs (you can get these taken in Thamel for about one to two dollars), and cash for the fee if it is not included in your package.
Where It Gets Checked
TIMS checkpoints are stationed at entry points to trekking areas and at intervals along major trails. The checks are simple — a trek official examines your card, records your details in a ledger, and waves you through. The process takes thirty seconds to two minutes.
On the Everest Base Camp trail, expect TIMS checks at Monjo (the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park, where your park entry permit is also checked), and potentially at Jorsalle and Namche. On the Annapurna Circuit, checks occur at the ACAP checkpoint in Besisahar or Chamje, and at points along the trail. On the Langtang trail, the check is at the Langtang National Park entrance at Dhunche.
The consequences of not having a TIMS card vary by checkpoint and ranger. At the Sagarmatha National Park entrance, you will not be allowed to enter without both a TIMS card and a national park permit. At less formal checkpoints, you may be turned back or asked to return to the nearest registration point. In practice, the system is designed to catch unregistered trekkers before they get deep into the mountains rather than to punish minor administrative oversights.
TIMS vs. Other Permits
The TIMS card is not a trekking permit. It is a registration card. The permits you need are separate and depend on where you are trekking:
Sagarmatha National Park entry permit (Everest region): required in addition to TIMS. Approximately thirty-four dollars for SAARC nationals, sixty-eight dollars for others. Checked at Monjo together with your TIMS card.
ACAP permit (Annapurna Conservation Area): required for all Annapurna region treks including the Circuit, ABC, and Ghorepani-Poon Hill. Approximately thirty-four dollars. Issued alongside or separately from TIMS.
Langtang National Park entry permit: similar to Sagarmatha pricing. Required for Langtang Valley and Helambu treks.
Restricted area permits (Manaslu, Upper Mustang, Kanchenjunga, Dolpo, etc.): these are separate, more expensive, and have additional requirements including minimum group sizes. Your trekking company arranges these in advance as they require more processing time.
Think of it this way: TIMS is your registration with the national trekking system. Permits are your entry tickets to specific protected areas. You need both, but they serve different functions and are issued by different authorities.
Common Questions
Can I get a TIMS card outside Kathmandu? TIMS cards can also be issued at the TAAN office in Pokhara (useful for Annapurna region treks starting from Pokhara) and at some regional tourism offices. However, the most reliable and fastest processing is in Kathmandu.
What if I lose my TIMS card on the trek? Report the loss to your guide immediately. Your guide will carry copies of your permits, and the checkpoints can usually verify your registration through their records or by contacting the TIMS office. Getting a replacement card on the trail is not possible — it would need to be arranged in Kathmandu. A photocopy or photo of the card on your phone is a sensible backup.
Do I need a TIMS card for day hikes near Kathmandu? No. TIMS is required for treks within national parks and conservation areas, not for day hikes or short walks outside these boundaries. Hikes to Nagarkot, Dhulikhel, Champadevi, and the Kathmandu Valley rim do not require TIMS.
Do children need a TIMS card? Yes, all trekkers regardless of age need a TIMS card if they are entering a trekking area that requires it. The process is the same as for adults.
Is TIMS the same as TIMS card? Yes. "TIMS" and "TIMS card" are used interchangeably. The official name is the Trekkers' Information Management System card.
Has the TIMS system changed recently? The system has been updated and modified several times since its introduction in 2008. The most significant change was the effective elimination of the individual/independent TIMS card following the 2023 mandatory guide requirement. Some sources still reference the old two-category system, but in practice, all TIMS cards in 2026 are issued through registered agencies.
The Bigger Picture
TIMS is easy to dismiss as bureaucracy. A form to fill, a photo to provide, a fee to pay, a card to carry. It adds nothing to the mountain experience and subtracts twenty minutes of your pre-trek preparation.
But the system it supports matters. When a trekker goes missing on the Annapurna Circuit — and trekkers do go missing, swept away by avalanches, lost in storms, or simply failing to return from a day hike — the TIMS database tells rescue teams exactly which trail they were on, when they entered the area, and when they were expected to exit. This information narrows the search area and accelerates the response. In a country where mobile phone coverage is intermittent above 3,000 metres and satellite phones are carried by guides rather than trekkers, the low-tech paper trail of checkpoint registrations and TIMS data is sometimes the only record of where a person was last seen.
The tourism statistics that TIMS generates are equally consequential, even if less dramatic. The data determines how many rangers are stationed at checkpoints, how much budget is allocated to trail maintenance, and how permits are priced to balance access with conservation. Sagarmatha National Park's management plan — which determines everything from teahouse construction permits to waste management protocols — is built on visitor data that comes primarily from TIMS registrations.
Your TIMS card is boring. The system behind it is not. And the thirty seconds you spend at each checkpoint, showing your card to a ranger who records your name in a ledger, is the price of participation in a system that — imperfectly, slowly, and with the characteristic bureaucratic warmth of any government registration process — makes trekking in Nepal safer and more sustainable for everyone who follows you up the trail.
