Quote:
Originally Posted by hillram Great Travalogue and some very nice pics.
Did the visit to Bhutan require a visa? |
Obtaining Permits in Bhutan – never in advance, only on arrival at border
You need 2 levels of permits to enter Bhutan in your own car. You can apply only after arrival, no advance permits for Indians.
First is the Entry Permit (equivalent to visa) for each person.
You can download the entry permit form from the internet.
If you carry your passport, go to the Immigration Office in Phuntsoling (the first Bhutan town) at 9 am Bhutan Time (IST 830 am), works on Mon-Sat, except Bhutan holidays. Produce the filled up form, along with your passport, 2 photos, copies of passport. Indicate that you want to travel to Thimphu and Paro (only these 2 places are permitted from this Office). You will be given your Entry Permit in 30-60 minutes. I had planned in such a manner that I arrived on a working day, else you may get stuck awaiting the offices to reopen after the weekend/ holidays.
In case you are not carrying your passport, first visit the Indian Consulate at Jaigaon, show them proof of your Indianness (driving license, ration card, etc, for each member in your team), and take their verification certificate to the Bhutan immigration office and do the same thing indicated above. Indian Consulate opens at 830 am Bhutan time, half an hour ahead of the Bhutan Immigration Office. Be at the Immigration Office at 9 am sharp to process your application ASAP before the crowd starts.
If you are driving your own vehicle (car or bike), you have to next obtain a Route Permit.
After getting your Entry Permit (take 5 photocopies), drive ahead to the Phuntsoling Bus Stand (300-500 metres), where the Road Safety & Transport Authority (RSTA) office is situated in the second floor of the bus stand building.
Produce your vehicle documents (RC Book, Driving Licence, PUC) in original and copies, along with original and copies of the Entry Permits. You will have to run around a couple of sections (Licensing, Registration, Cash), pay some nominal fees, and you should obtain the Route Permit for your car in 30-60 minutes. This office is also open during office hours.
Once you have obtained your Entry Permit and Route Permit, generously take photocopies of each and proceed to Thimphu. You will be asked to stop at 3 checkposts on the way to show your permits. Remember - all your documents should be in original and there is no corruption in any of the offices.
At Phuntosoling, you can get permits only for Thimphu and Paro, for all other places, you have to visit the Immigration Office at Thimphu. In case you wish to go beyond Thimphu and Paro, like to Central and East Bhutan (like I did), you have to re-do the entire process in Thimphu - where you will be given an extension of the original Entry Permits and similarly for the Route Permits. The Immigration Office in Thinphu is located in the the Norzim Lam (main road in Thimphu), and the RSTA also in the bus stand. I took permits for the following places in Central and East Bhutan, which covers the entire East_west route, with exit through Samdrup Jhonkar, the border in Assam, 100 kms north of Guwahati - Punaka, Wangdue, Trongsa, Jakar, Mongar, Trashigang.
At each Check Post, they have computers where they check them online! No harassment anywhere.