At Tribhuvan you declare everything, then choose one of two channels. Every rule below is from the Nepal Tourism Board’s customs page.
Declare, then pick a channel
“All baggage must be declared and cleared through the customs on arrival at the entry point.”
- Green Channel: “Passengers arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) without any dutiable goods can proceed through the Green Channel for quick clearance without a baggage check.”
- Red Channel: with dutiable articles, “you have to pass through the Red Channel for detailed customs clearance.”
Use Green if you carry only personal effects, the tobacco or liquor allowance and electronics you will take home. Use Red for anything else, or if unsure, so an exception is declared rather than discovered.
What comes in free
“Personal effects are permitted free entry.” The page adds no conditions.
The duty-free allowance: “visitors are allowed to bring to Nepal free of duty: cigarettes (200 sticks) or cigars (50 sticks), distilled liquor (one 1.15 liter bottle), and film (15 rolls).” The 15 rolls of film is the page’s figure, reported as published.
These come in duty-free if you take them home again: “binoculars, movie or video camera, still camera, laptop computer, and portable music system.” The page does not say what happens if you leave without them.
Taking antiques out
“The export of antiques requires special certification from the Department of Archeology, National Archive Building, Ram Shah Path, Kathmandu.”
Some objects cannot leave at all: “It is illegal to export objects over 100 years old, such as sacred images, paintings, manuscripts that are valued for culture and religious reasons.” If something looks old, ask about the certificate before you buy it.
Keep your exchange receipts
The board’s foreign currency page, checked 18 September 2026, covers cards, encashment receipts and where to change money. Keep the receipts: you need them to change leftover Nepali rupees back into hard currency before you leave, and only 10 percent of the total amount may be converted by the bank. Change too much on arrival and the rest stays in rupees. (Nepal Tourism Board, Foreign Currency and Credit Cards)
Gaps in the tourism board’s pages
Neither page gives a penalty for failing to declare dutiable goods, a limit on foreign cash, or the overall duty-free value limit several neighbouring customs services publish. Both are tourism board summaries, not Department of Customs rules, so ask Nepal Customs about anything outside the lists above.
The 1.15 litre bottle is an oddly precise figure. Each customs service picks its own unit, so the regional comparison has to be read line by line instead of totalled.