Nepal offers visa-on-arrival in three tiers, 15, 30 and 90 days, at Tribhuvan International Airport and a handful of land crossings from India. A dummy ticket, also called an onward ticket, is a real PNR booked for visa or border-check purposes without paying for the flight, and it comes up more in Nepal than most trip reports mention. Here are the questions I keep getting asked before people fly to Kathmandu.

Do I actually need an onward ticket for Nepal's visa on arrival?

Not always, but often enough that skipping it is a gamble. Some immigration shifts at Tribhuvan wave people through without asking. Others ask every single arrival. Since you can't predict which shift you'll land on, having a real onward ticket ready costs you almost nothing and saves you the awkward conversation. Your visa tier matters here too. A 15-day visa reads as a short, self-contained trip, while a 90-day one tends to draw more follow-up questions about your actual exit plan.

What if I'm trekking for months and don't know my exact exit date?

This is the question I get most from people heading into the Annapurna or Everest regions. Book an onward ticket dated near the end of your longest possible visa tier, then change it later once your route firms up. Most PNRs stay editable for weeks. You're not locking yourself in, you're just giving the desk officer something concrete to look at.

Digital nomads working remotely out of Pokhara or Kathmandu for months face the same question in a different shape. Extend your visa properly through the immigration department rather than treating a quick visa run to India as a casual reset, and bring an onward ticket to wherever your next stop is whenever you extend. It keeps your travel history looking planned instead of improvised, which matters more the longer you stay.

Can I use a bus ticket to the Indian border instead of a flight?

You can, and for an overland exit it's a reasonable substitute. But a flight PNR sits in a global reservation system an officer can verify in seconds, while a bus ticket usually can't be checked the same way. If you're flying in and planning to bus out, a flight-based onward ticket for your actual departure is still the safer bet.

Does Kathmandu airport check, or is it just the land borders?

Both, inconsistently, and the check can start before you even land. Airlines are on the hook for flying home a passenger who gets refused entry, so gate staff on connecting flights through Doha, Istanbul or Abu Dhabi will sometimes ask for onward proof before you board toward Kathmandu at all. That's carrier liability, separate from whatever Nepali immigration decides once you land. Clear the gate agent and you've cleared the first hurdle, not the only one.

Tribhuvan International Airport itself asks often enough that I wouldn't skip preparing for it. Land posts like Kakarbhitta in the east and Belahiya near Sunauli in the west issue the same visa tiers but staffing and mood vary by post and by season. Nepalgunj and Dhangadhi see far fewer tourists, and in my experience that means more curiosity from whoever's on shift, not less.

What happens if the officer isn't satisfied with what I show them?

Worst case, you get pulled to a secondary desk for more questions, or asked to book something on the spot with whatever wifi is available. Best to avoid that entirely. A dummy ticket, held in a real PNR under your name, answers the question before it's even fully asked.

Some travellers try a refundable-fare ticket instead of a dedicated dummy ticket, and it works the same way at the counter since it's still a real PNR. The tradeoff is cost. Refundable fares run well above the price of a purpose-built dummy ticket, so unless you're already planning to fly that exact route, it's the more expensive way to the same proof.

Do trekking permits count as proof of onward travel?

No, and this trips people up. Area permits for Annapurna or Sagarmatha cover trail access, not your departure plan. An officer checking your permit isn't checking your exit ticket, and an officer checking your exit ticket won't accept a permit in its place. Keep them as two separate items in your bag.

Question Short answer
Is an onward ticket legally required? Not codified as mandatory everywhere, but officers can ask and refuse entry without it
Does a screenshot work? No, it needs to be a real, checkable PNR
Does a bus ticket work for a land exit? Workable, but weaker proof than a flight PNR
Do trekking permits substitute for it? No, they're unrelated documents

At My Dummy Ticket, we book these to match your actual visa tier rather than handing everyone the same generic date. If you want the wider context on why this keeps happening at borders everywhere, our FAQ on how border officers check an onward ticket walks through the reasoning beyond just Nepal, and our piece on how long a dummy ticket actually lasts is useful if you're trying to time a booking around a flexible trek.

For the official line, check the US State Department's Nepal country page and the UK's Nepal travel advice for current entry requirements.

If you'd rather not build the PNR yourself, book a real onward ticket in two minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Is it risky to use a dummy ticket for Nepal's visa on arrival?

Not if it's a genuine, verifiable reservation. The risk comes from using something that isn't real, like a screenshot or an unconfirmed fare search, not from the concept of a dummy ticket itself.

Will Nepali immigration know the ticket wasn't fully paid for?

They can, and it doesn't matter. What matters is whether the PNR exists and is verifiable, not whether you paid the full published fare for it.

Can I book my onward ticket for a different city than where I flew in?

Yes. An open-jaw arrangement, flying into Kathmandu and out from a different onward destination, is completely normal and satisfies the same requirement.

Do I need a new onward ticket if I extend my Nepal visa?

Update your onward proof so the date matches your new departure window, since an officer on your way out may ask again.