Foreigner trekkers are now required to get their Trekking Information Management System (TIMS) card before trekking in any area of Nepal. Earlier the TIMS card was only mandatory for trekking in Everest, Langtang and Annapurna regions.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN), the following fees apply:
Group Trekkers: blue TIMS card Rs 1000 per person
Free Individual Trekkers: green TIMS card Rs 2000 per person
Mountaineers with climbing permits issued by Department of Tourism (DoT) and Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA): yellow TIMS card Rs 2000 per person
Group trekkers from SAARC countries: TIMS card Rs 300
Free Individual Trekkers from SAARC countries: TIMS card Rs 600
Foreigners working with government agencies or diplomatic missions: TIMS card Rs 500. They must also submit their detailed itinerary and an official request letter from their employers.
Of the total revenue collected from TIMS, NTB, TAAN, and joint fund of NTB and TAAN will get 30 percent each, while remaining 10 percent will go to Worker's Welfare Fund. It will be used for rescue and treatment of workers.
TAAN is planning to set up check posts on different trails and will levy 100 percent penalty on trekkers who fail to produce a TIMS card.
The changes will come into effect once the MoU is signed, the last week of March, 2015.
