TIMS Card

Nepal as a trekking destination and its growing charm, a provision of the Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) has been implemented to ensure safety and security of the trekkers. This system control illegal trekking operations. As a trekker enters a protected area in Nepal, you will be asked to provide some information about the dates of your trip, the itinerary, and a contact number etc. These data will be put in the visitors’ database, where they can be accessed for park management purposes or in case of accidents or natural calamities, in order to inform the concerned institutions about the trekkers inside the park at anytime. The TIMS cards should be collected by both Free Individual Trekkers (FITs) and trekkers taking the service of government authorized trekking agencies.

The past experiences have exposed that difficulties were seen while carrying out rescue operations during times of accidents and natural calamities. Due to the lack of proper record system of trekkers, rescue and search missions used to face difficulties in spot of the missing trekkers. Based on the data collected through TIMS cards, however, it will be possible to know the position of a trekker in case a rescue operation is needed. The provision of Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) came into effect on January 1, 2008. Since then, the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) and Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) started recording trekkers’ details and began issuing TIMS Card to trekkers.

NTB and TAAN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 18, 2010 to implement the TIMS system in a new format from April 1, 2010. NTB and TAAN have introduced separate TIMS Cards for FITs and organized groups. FITs need to have Green TIMS cards by paying Nepali currency equivalent to US $20 per person, while those travelling in groups need to have Blue TIMS cards by paying Nepali currency equivalent to US $10 per person. Trekkers taking the service of trekking agencies can pay fee for TIMS card in US dollars.