China Nepal
China 
NepalLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
China and Nepal share a land border you can cross by car. Keep your passport, national driving licence and International Driving Permit together, and check opening hours and any toll or vignette requirements before you travel.
Driving rules in Nepal
- Drive on the left.
- Steep, narrow mountain roads.
- Zero-tolerance alcohol policy.
- Carry passport, IDP and home licence.
What to see when you arrive in Nepal
- Mount Everest and the Khumbu region
- the temples of Kathmandu's Durbar Square
- the Annapurna trekking circuit
- the lakeside town of Pokhara
- the stupa of Boudhanath
Once you're driving in Nepal
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
Nepal is not a party to the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna conventions, so it has no treaty obligation to accept foreign licences; in practice the Department of Transport Management expects foreigners to carry their home licence plus an International Driving Permit, and an IDP is effectively required from arrival. Acceptance is discretionary by police and rental firms, so an IDP (obtained in your home country before travel) is strongly advised, especially if your licence is not in English.
Tolls & road charges
There are no electronic toll tags; tolls are minor cash booths on a few stretches such as the Nagdhunga and Kanti Lokpath sections and the Kathmandu-Tarai/Madhesh fast-track when fully open, typically a few hundred rupees per car. Most ordinary highways including the Prithvi Highway are toll-free.
Parking in the cities
City parking in Kathmandu is largely informal paid lots and attended kerbside spaces where a collector issues a paper ticket for roughly NPR 20-50 per hour; there are very few meters or apps. Illegally parked vehicles in core areas of Kathmandu and Lalitpur can be clamped or towed by the metropolitan traffic police.
Fines & camera enforcement
Traffic police issue on-the-spot fines, often payable in cash, for speeding, no seatbelt and mobile-phone use, with drink-driving (zero-tolerance MaPaSe checks) drawing heavy fines and possible licence action. Rental firms pass any later-issued fines and damage to the renter, usually against the security deposit.
If you have an accident
Dial 100 for police (or 102 for ambulance); in any injury or serious-damage crash do not move the vehicle and wait for traffic police, as crowds can gather quickly. Report immediately and exchange details, and notify the rental company at once since informal on-the-spot cash settlements are common but risky for foreigners.
Driving in the capital
Kathmandu's Ring Road and core junctions are chronically congested with motorcycles weaving on all sides; authorities have repeatedly debated an odd-even number-plate rationing scheme during fuel crises, so check whether any plate restriction is active before driving in. The narrow lanes of Thamel and the old city are best avoided by car entirely.
Sources: internationaldrivingpermit.org · kathmandupost.com · english.ratopati.com · en.wikipedia.org