Bhutan

Bhutan · Asia · updated 03.08.2026

Bhutan is the most closed case for long-term relocation in this guide. Grounds for staying are limited to a narrow list: a tourist visa through a licensed tour operator with a mandatory daily Sustainable Development Fee (US$100 per day plus a one-off US$40 visa fee for most foreigners; a separate "entry permit"/visa-on-arrival arrangement with a reduced fee applies to citizens of India, Bangladesh and the Maldives), work permits tied rigidly to a specific employer and position (up to one year for skilled workers, up to three years for highly skilled workers), and student and business visas. There is no separate permanent resident status between a temporary permit and citizenship. Naturalisation is governed by the Bhutan Citizenship Act 1985: 15 years of residence for those with a Bhutanese parent or for civil servants, 20 years in all other cases, plus an exam in the Dzongkha language and knowledge of the country's culture; the government expressly retains the right to reject an application without giving reasons. Dual citizenship is not permitted — acquiring another citizenship automatically terminates Bhutanese citizenship. Marriage to a Bhutanese citizen gives the foreign spouse a residence status (Special Residence Permit or Immigration Card depending on the date of marriage) but does not speed up naturalisation. Land and real estate are reserved by the Land Act of Bhutan 2007 for citizens, the institution of the monarchy, the state and recognised Bhutanese organisations — foreigners, including spouses of Bhutanese citizens, are not on this list and may only rent housing. The country lies in a zone of high seismic hazard in the Himalayas.

Some descriptions for this country are still Russian only: 89% translated. Numbers, prices and timelines are complete.

Entry

Entry rules depend on citizenship. Choose a passport to see the requirement for that one.

Work and visas

Visa speed: For non-immigrant status applications that do not fall into a specific category, the law sets processing within 15 working days of submitting a complete package (Immigration Act 2007, s. 24); the tourist visa, according to bhutan.travel, is processed faster — within 5 working days
Changing employer: No: the permit is rigidly tied to the employer and position stated in it ("not intend to take employment except as specified in his employment visa/permit", Immigration Act 2007, s. 39(d)) — changing employer requires a new permit.

Visa types: The Ordinary/tourist visa — for tourists other than from India/Bangladesh/the Maldives, arranged online through a licensed Bhutanese tour operator; a maximum of 30 days on entry (Immigration Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan, 2007, ss. 76, 79, 84) · Entry permit for citizens of India — in place of a visa, filed online in advance or on arrival (mfa.gov.bt/visa-to-enter-bhutan) · Visa on arrival for citizens of Bangladesh and the Maldives (mfa.gov.bt/visa-to-enter-bhutan) · Employment Visa for highly skilled specialists and figures in science, business or sport ("extraordinary ability") — up to 3 years (Immigration Act 2007, s. 25) · Employment Visa for skilled and technical workers — up to 1 year, after approval by the Department of Labour (Immigration Act 2007, ss. 26, 39) · Student visa — for the duration of study, up to a maximum of 5 years, for those enrolled at an institution recognised by the government (Immigration Act 2007, ss. 36, 87) · Business visa — for setting up and running a business, requires government approval of the investment (Immigration Act 2007, ss. 43, 89)

A key fact about the country is the mandatory Sustainable Development Fee (SDF): for foreign tourists other than from India/Bangladesh/the Maldives, the rate is US$100 per person per day plus a one-off US$40 visa fee (bhutan.travel/visa, accessed 3 August 2026); the rate was raised to US$200 in 2022 and lowered back by the government in 2023 (bhutan.travel/journal/editorial/bhutan-s-sustainable-development-fee). Citizens of India, Bangladesh and the Maldives are subject to a substantially reduced SDF rate under a separate "entry permit"/visa-on-arrival arrangement, but the exact current rate in rupees is not confirmed by any official source available during collection (immi.gov.bt, the e-filing portal, does not serve static content without JS; bhutan.travel's historical PDF tariffs are not archived). The Employment Visa is rigidly tied to the employer and position stated in the permit: "not intend to take employment except as specified in his employment visa/permit" (Immigration Act 2007, s. 39(d)); changing employer requires a new permit. The Act's presumption is the reverse of the usual one. Everyone seeking entry is PRESUMED AN IMMIGRANT until they satisfy the consular or immigration officer, at the time of application, that they are entitled to non-immigrant status (s. 23). Immigrants fall into five classes, and all five are cards: the Special Residence Permit, the Immigration Card, the Green Card, the Refugee Card and the Trader Card (s. 19). An ordinary employment or business visa confers no immigrant status at all, and no employment visa may be issued to an immigrant until the consular officer has received a determination from the relevant organisation (s. 20). The date 10 June 1985 splits the spouses of citizens in two, and the difference between the halves is large. Those who married BEFORE that day, and their children, hold the Special Residence Permit: the right to reside in the Kingdom and free movement within it. Those who married AFTER, and their children, hold the Immigration Card: stay permits "on a periodical basis as may be decided by the Government", compulsory registration at the police station on every change of address, and a route permit to travel outside the designated areas. That is the date the Citizenship Act 1985 took effect. There is no extension by term in the Act. The only extension of a visa it knows is granted ON GROUNDS OF ILLNESS, as an exceptional case, for no more than fifteen days at a time (s. 90) — and not at all to someone who has not registered with the police (s. 91). Registration is a thing apart from the visa: every foreigner except a tourist must register at the nearest police station within ten days and again on every change of address, and without it neither visa nor stay permit will be extended (ss. 45–47). There is a processing standard, and an unusually honest one: the Department must review and act upon a non-immigrant's application within FIFTEEN DAYS of the date a complete application is filed (s. 24). The Department of Tourism promises to review a tourist application within five working days. The immigrant card grounds have no standard at all — and no published procedure for obtaining them either. Not found in the Act or on the agencies' pages: any charge other than the tourist one — the Act names no money at all, and the immigration department's portal immi.gov.bt is a Next.js application without server-side rendering and serves no tariff; the procedure for obtaining the Special Residence Permit, the Immigration Card, the Green Card, the Refugee Card and the Trader Card — the Act states their terms of stay but not how they are obtained; the Sustainable Development Fee rate for nationals of India, Bangladesh and the Maldives; any rules for recognition as a refugee for anyone who is not Tibetan.

Long-term visas and residence permits

Employment visa for persons of extraordinary ability

Talent

term 36 mofamily allowedprocessing 15 days

Fee: The 2007 Act sets no charges at all — not one sum in its hundred-odd sections. The only published tariff in the country applies to tourists: a one-off non-refundable application fee of US$40 and a Sustainable Development Fee of US$100 per person per day. The immigration department's portal immi.gov.bt, where applications are filed, is a Next.js application without server-side rendering: it cannot be read automatically, and we saw no tariff on it.

official source · read 2026-08-27