Are citizens of anywhere other than mainland China eligible to unfettered travel in Tibet?
Many of us are surely aware that it is not possible to travel as an independent traveller in the true sense in Tibet.
You can go but you must go in an official tour group. You can go in a group of one person, but you still need full itineraries and you need to pay for a guide for the entire time. There's all kinds of rules that make it not independent travel.
But I know from Chinese friends that they have no such problems and can wander all around Tibet with a backpack and no plan if they wish.
I also know from Taiwanese friends that this does not apply to them.
But has China granted any special permissions to citizens of any countries to travel freely in Tibet?
(For comparison, most of us can't travel independently to Bhutan, but Bhutan has granted Indian citizens free access.)
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Can you travel freely in Tibet?
Tibet is now open to foreign tourists after its closure of over a year due to COVID-19 precautions. China expats with a Tibet Permit can now easily visit Tibet without any limitation or quarantine.Can US citizens travel to Tibet?
You need a Tibet Entry Permit to enter Tibet. All non-China-passport holders need a Tibet Entry Permit to visit Tibet, and the only way to enter Tibet is to travel in groups. No individual travelers are allowed to travel to Tibet at the moment. All tours must be booked in advance by a Chinese travel agency, like us.How do I get a Tibet Travel Permit?
Tibet is a part of China, thus no extra Visa is needed for traveling there. Tibet Travel Permits must be handled by a travel agency in China and independent applications are not accepted. The application procedure is very simple: the only required documents are travelers' passports and China visa copies.Can Hong Kong residents travel to Tibet?
Note: Unlike international tourists, HK residents do not need Tibet Visa (or Tibet Travel Permit) to enter Tibet. Since there is no direct flight or train connecting HK to Lhasa, the first step is to travel to mainland China from HK and later use domestic flight or train to Lhasa, capital city of Tibet.Journalist's Trip to Tibet Shows China's Control
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