Permits
Nathula Pass permit: documents, fees, closed days and timings
Nathula is the Indo-China border pass at 14,140 ft on the old Silk Route, and the single most requested day trip from Gangtok. It is also where most first-time plans fail: wrong ID, wrong weekday, or too late at the checkpost. Here is exactly how the permit works and how to plan the day.
The rules in one minute
- Closed Mondays and Tuesdays to tourists; open Wednesday to Sunday, weather and security permitting.
- Indian citizens only. Foreign passports, OCI and PIO cardholders cannot enter.
- Permit filed by a registered operator, 24 hours ahead (48 in peak months). There is no counter at the pass.
- Original Voter ID, Passport or Driving Licence, two passport photos and two photocopies per person. Not Aadhaar or PAN.
- Cross the 3rd Mile checkpost by 10:00 AM and be out of the area by 5:00 PM.
- Sikkim-registered tourist SUV only; private and out-of-state cars stop in Gangtok.
How the permit is issued, step by step
- Before you travel: send clear photos of each traveller's ID to your operator so the details can be checked. Children need an original birth certificate or passport.
- Arrival day in Gangtok, before 3 PM: hand over two photocopies of the ID and two passport photos per person. The operator files the Protected Area Permit with the Tourism Department and the police for the next day.
- Morning of the trip: your driver collects the stamped permit and the vehicle permit. You carry the original IDs; officers at 3rd Mile and at the pass check faces against the list.
Because the permit is issued for a specific date and vehicle, a change of day means a fresh application. If Nathula closes on your date, the Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir part of the permit usually still works.
What it costs
The permit itself is a small part of the day. A Sikkim-registered SUV for the Tsomgo, Baba Mandir and Nathula loop costs about ₹7,000–₹10,500 per vehicle. On top of that come the Nathula vehicle permit, roughly ₹2,000–₹3,000, and ₹200–₹500 per person in permit and entry fees. For a group of six in one SUV that works out to about ₹2,000–₹2,500 each. Our budget calculator adds ₹2,500 for the permit and ₹3,000 per vehicle as the Nathula supplement, and the cab rate card lists every route.
The day itself
Leave Gangtok at 7:00–7:30 AM. The road climbs 56 km in about two and a half to three hours. The first stop is Tsomgo Lake at 12,400 ft, best in the soft morning light, with yak rides and the ropeway. Next comes Baba Mandir, the shrine to the soldier Harbhajan Singh, at about 13,200 ft. Then the switchbacks to the pass at 14,140 ft, where you climb the steps to the border fence and look across to the Chinese post. You spend 30 to 45 minutes at the top; photography of military installations is not allowed. Most groups are back in Gangtok by 4 PM.
The weather at the top changes in minutes. Carry a down jacket even in May, gloves and a woollen cap from November to April, sunglasses and lip balm in every month. Snow boots can be hired at the Tsomgo stalls.
What one permit covers, and what happens if the pass closes
The East Sikkim permit is issued for a route, not just for the pass. It covers Tsomgo Lake, Baba Mandir and Nathula on the same day. If the army closes the pass that morning because of snow, a landslide or a security alert, the Tsomgo and Baba Mandir part usually still runs, so the day is not lost. Your driver hears about closures at the 3rd Mile checkpost before you do; trust the call and turn the day into the Tsomgo loop. If seeing the pass matters more than anything else, keep a second morning free and ask your operator to refile for the next open day.
If you only have a Monday or Tuesday, do Tsomgo and Baba Mandir instead. Your permit is then the cheaper Tsomgo route with no Nathula supplement. In the afternoon you can add Gangtok's viewpoints, Hanuman Tok and Ganesh Tok, which sit on the same side of town.
A short history of the pass
Nathula, "the listening pass", was one of the main gateways of the old trade route between Tibet and the plains of Bengal. Mule trains carried wool, salt and borax south and cloth, grain and metal goods north through Gangtok. The pass closed after the 1962 war between India and China and saw clashes in 1967 that the army still commemorates. Border trade between the two countries reopened here in 2006, and the pass is also one of the routes used by the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage. Today the two armies' posts face each other across a few metres of fence, and the visitors' area on the Indian side has a war memorial.
Practical tips for the day
- Eat light and early. A heavy breakfast and winding roads are a bad mix at altitude; carry biscuits, water and motion-sickness tablets.
- Move slowly at the top. The steps to the border viewing area are short but steep at 14,140 ft. Walk, do not run, and come down if you feel a pounding headache.
- Cash only. Yak rides, boot hire and tea stalls at Tsomgo take cash; there is no ATM beyond Gangtok on this road.
- No drones and no photos of soldiers or installations. Officers do check phones.
Fitting Nathula into your plan
- Never put Nathula on your first day. Spend a night in Gangtok at 5,500 ft first, and file the permit on arrival day.
- Count the weekdays. If you land on a Sunday, day 2 is a Monday and the pass is shut. Put Gangtok sightseeing on day 2 and Nathula on day 3. Our planner makes this swap automatically when you set your arrival day.
- Keep a spare day in winter and spring. Snow on the road can close the pass on the morning itself.
- Monsoon (July–September) brings landslides on the Nathula road; plan it for October to May.
The Nathula Pass guide has photos and the history of the pass. Our 4-day East Sikkim package is built around it, and the permits and ID guide covers every other permit zone.
Nathula Pass permit: FAQs
On which days is Nathula Pass closed?
Nathula is closed to tourists on Mondays and Tuesdays and open Wednesday to Sunday. It also shuts without notice after heavy snow, landslides or for security reasons, so keep a spare day in Gangtok.
Is Aadhaar accepted for the Nathula permit?
No. The Protected Area Permit for Nathula is filed against an original Voter ID, Passport or Driving Licence. Aadhaar and PAN cards are refused. Children need an original birth certificate or passport.
How many days in advance should I apply?
Your operator files the permit 24 hours ahead, or 48 hours in May and October when demand peaks. In practice you hand over documents on arrival day in Gangtok, before 3 PM, and travel the next morning.
How much does the Nathula permit cost?
Expect a vehicle permit of roughly ₹2,000–₹3,000 plus ₹200–₹500 per person, on top of the SUV hire for the Tsomgo, Baba Mandir and Nathula loop (₹7,000–₹10,500 per vehicle). Our planner budgets ₹2,500 for the permit and ₹3,000 per vehicle as the Nathula supplement.
Can foreigners or OCI cardholders visit Nathula?
No. Nathula is closed to all foreign passports, including OCI and PIO cardholders. Foreign travellers can visit Tsomgo Lake in a group of two or more instead.
Can I drive my own car to Nathula?
No. Only Sikkim-registered commercial tourist vehicles with a permit-holding driver are allowed past the 3rd Mile checkpost. Leave your own or rented car at the Gangtok hotel.
Is Nathula safe for children and seniors?
At 14,140 ft the air holds roughly 40% less oxygen than at sea level. It is not advised for infants, for anyone with heart, lung or blood-pressure conditions, or in pregnancy. Sleep a night in Gangtok first and keep the visit short.