Nepal suspends visa-on-arrival services for 3 countries

Kathmandu: Nepal on Monday temporarily suspended its visa on arrival services for nationals of three more countries -- Spain, France, and Germany -- effective from Tuesday, as part of the measures to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

In a statement on Monday, Nepal's Immigration Department said that the nationals of the aforementioned countries wanting to visit the Himalayan nation can obtain visas beforehand from the Nepali missions abroad.

"Those applicants and also the nationals transiting from these countries bound to arrive Nepal are required to submit a recently issued health certificate stating that they are not infected by COVID-19 along with their visa applications," added the statement.

Earlier, the country had suspended the said services for the coronavirus-hit countries of China, Iran, Italy, South Korea, and Japan.

"Nationals from aforementioned eight nationalities are strongly recommended to use the Tribhuwan International Airport, Kathmandu, the only one entry-exit point that will be remaining open for arrival and departure in Nepal. The rest of the land POE (Point of Entry and Exit) in Nepal are temporarily suspended till the date of further notice," said the statement.

Concerning those who got visas to Nepal earlier, the Government of Nepal now has made it mandatory that the in-bound nationals from those enlisted countries must procure health certificate showing them having tested negative for coronavirus, along with the travel documents.

The health certificates should have been procured within seven days prior to their date of arrival in Nepal.