Film Permits Nepal is an independent, privately owned production-support service based in Kathmandu. We are not a government office, we do not issue permits, and we cannot grant approval for any location, activity, or import. What we do is help international and domestic productions prepare, organise, and present the paperwork that a filming project in Nepal typically needs, so that when your material reaches the relevant authorities it is complete, consistent, and easy to assess.
This page explains how to request that support and what happens after you send us your details. A permit-support request is simply the first structured conversation about your production. It is not a commitment to a fee, it is not an application, and it does not lock you into anything. It gives us enough information to tell you honestly what your project is likely to involve, which document groups apply to you, and where the real dependencies and risks sit before you spend money or book travel.
Most productions come to us with a shooting idea and a rough schedule but limited clarity on the regulatory side. That is normal, and it is exactly what the initial review is designed to handle. You do not need to arrive with a finished document set. You need to be able to describe what you want to film, roughly where, roughly when, with what crew and equipment, and for what purpose. From there we map the preparation work.
The sections below set out what the review covers, the information worth gathering before you contact us, how we treat your documents and confidentiality, and how to send files securely. Read the confidentiality and upload sections before uploading anything sensitive. If you are unsure whether your project even needs formal support, send the request anyway and ask; an early, honest scoping conversation is usually the cheapest hour a production spends.
What a permit-support request actually is
A permit-support request is a structured enquiry, not an application and not a payment. When you submit one, you are asking us to look at your production and tell you what it is likely to involve on the regulatory and documentation side. Nothing you send in a request is forwarded to any authority. It stays with our team so we can assess scope and respond with useful guidance.
The purpose is to replace guesswork with a clear picture. Productions often arrive worried about the wrong things and unaware of the things that actually drive their timeline. A short, honest scoping exchange usually surfaces those real dependencies quickly: whether your locations sit inside areas that may need separate permission, whether your equipment list triggers additional records, whether your crew mix raises questions, and whether your dates leave enough room for preparation.
After we read your request, we respond with an initial assessment in plain language. That typically includes which document groups appear to apply to your project, which parts of your plan need clarification, what you can begin gathering immediately, and where the main uncertainties sit. Where a regulatory point depends on facts we do not yet have, or on current official sources, we say so rather than guessing. We will not quote you a government fee or a guaranteed processing time, because those are confirmed against official sources during the detailed review, not asserted from memory.
Think of the request as opening a file. It gives both sides a shared reference point. You get a realistic sense of the work ahead; we get enough to tell you whether your schedule is comfortable, tight, or unrealistic, and what would make it safer. From there you decide whether and how to proceed. There is no obligation to continue, and the initial scoping conversation is designed to be low-commitment on purpose.
- It is an enquiry and scoping step, not a submission to any authority
- Nothing you send is forwarded onward without your instruction
- You receive a plain-language assessment of document groups and dependencies
- There is no obligation to proceed after the initial review
What the review covers
The review looks at your production as a whole and breaks it into the questions that matter for preparation. We start with the basics: what kind of production it is, what you intend to film, and for what purpose. The purpose matters more than many producers expect, because a documentary, a commercial, a feature scene, a music video, and a news assignment can each be treated differently even when they visit the same location.
Next we look at where. Locations are the single biggest driver of complexity. A shoot confined to ordinary streets and privately arranged interiors is very different from one that touches heritage sites, religious spaces, protected or conservation areas, national parks, or areas that may be treated as restricted. Which authority or custodian applies depends on your exact locations and activities, and part of the review is identifying those overlaps early rather than discovering them late.
Then we look at how and with what. Crew size, crew nationalities, the equipment you plan to bring, whether any of it is imported and must be re-exported, whether you intend to fly a drone, and whether you need road control, sets, special effects, or large crowds. Each of these can add a document group or a separate permission track. We also look at when, because your dates set the boundary on how much preparation time exists and whether public holidays or seasonal closures affect your plan.
Finally we look at readiness: what you already have, what is missing, and what only you can provide. The output of the review is a scoped picture of your project, a view of which document categories apply, a list of clarifications we need, and an honest read on whether your timeline is comfortable. We deliberately keep regulatory specifics conditional. Where a fee, an authority, or a timing depends on current official confirmation, we flag it for verification rather than presenting it as settled fact.
- Production type and shooting purpose
- Locations and any protected, heritage, religious, or restricted overlaps
- Crew, equipment, drone plans, and imported gear
- Dates, preparation runway, and seasonal or holiday constraints
- What you already hold versus what is still missing
Information to prepare before you contact us
You do not need a complete document set to send a request, and you should not wait until everything is perfect. The goal is to give us enough to assess scope accurately. The more concrete your answers, the sharper our first response will be, but approximate answers are still useful and are expected at this stage.
Start with a short description of the production and its purpose. One paragraph is enough: who is producing it, what it is, and where it is intended to be seen or used. Add the production type as you would describe it yourself, such as documentary, feature, television or factual, commercial, music video, photography, news, or an institutional or NGO project. If it spans more than one category, say so.
List your intended locations as specifically as you can. City or district names are helpful, and named sites are better still, because they let us flag heritage, religious, protected-area, or restricted overlaps early. If some locations are still undecided, give the shortlist and mark them as provisional. Include your rough shooting window and the number of shooting days, even if the calendar is not locked.
Outline your crew: approximate size, key roles, and the nationalities involved, since crew mix can affect certain considerations. Outline your equipment at a category level: cameras, lighting, grip, audio, any specialised rigs, and whether you plan to bring a drone. Note which equipment is being imported and will need to leave the country again. Flag any activity that goes beyond simply pointing a camera, such as road closures, large crowds, animals, construction, stunts, or night work.
Finally, tell us what you have already prepared and what your hard deadlines are. If you have a fixed air date, a talent availability window, or a client delivery date, that context shapes our advice. You do not need to attach files to send a first request; a clear written summary is often enough to begin. If you do want to share documents, read the confidentiality and upload-security sections first.
- A short production summary and its intended purpose
- Production type, even if it spans categories
- Locations, marked provisional where undecided
- Rough dates and number of shooting days
- Crew size, roles, and nationalities
- Equipment categories, drone plans, and imported items
- Any activity beyond basic camera work
- Hard deadlines and what you already hold
Production categories we support
Different kinds of production carry different preparation profiles, and part of why the request asks for your production type is that it changes what we look for. The underlying workflow is similar across categories, but the emphasis, the sensitive points, and the document groups shift depending on what you are making and why.
Factual and documentary projects tend to raise questions around editorial purpose, contributors and interviews, consent, and sometimes sensitive subjects or locations. Research-led shooting with evolving locations needs a preparation approach that can absorb change. Feature films and scripted drama usually bring larger crews, script and creative materials, set construction, and often multiple locations that each need their own consideration. Television and factual formats can involve presenters, recurring schedules, and repeat visits that benefit from a reusable document base.
Commercials and advertising work bring client and agency layers, storyboards or treatments, talent releases, product and usage considerations, and frequently imported equipment. Music videos combine performance, crowds, public spaces, and sometimes heritage or religious backdrops that carry cultural protocol. Photography projects, from advertising and fashion to editorial, have their own line between commercial and editorial purpose that affects how a location may treat them.
News and journalism assignments sit apart, because accreditation and press considerations can interact with filming permissions, and because source protection, safety, and speed matter in ways that scripted work does not. NGO and institutional productions often involve beneficiaries, minors, health or humanitarian contexts, and consent and confidentiality obligations that go beyond the filming permission itself.
When you tell us your category, we apply the right lens. If your project genuinely blends categories, for example a branded documentary or an NGO film with commercial distribution, we treat it according to its real activities rather than its label. The point of naming the category is not to put you in a box; it is to make sure the review starts from the considerations most likely to matter for work like yours, so nothing important is missed early.
- Documentary and factual, with editorial and contributor considerations
- Feature and scripted drama, often multi-location with larger footprints
- Television, commercials, music videos, and photography
- News and journalism, where press and safety considerations apply
- NGO and institutional projects with consent and welfare obligations
How locations shape the paperwork
If there is one thing that determines how involved your preparation becomes, it is where you plan to point the camera. A production that stays on ordinary streets, in privately arranged interiors, and in generally accessible public space usually has a lighter and more predictable document profile. As soon as your locations touch categories that carry their own custodians or protections, the picture becomes layered.
Heritage sites, religious spaces, protected and conservation areas, national parks, and areas that may be treated as restricted can each involve a separate permission or a separate custodian in addition to any general filming permission. Which authority applies, and whether a separate approval is even required, depends on the exact site and on what you intend to do there. Filming discreetly with a small crew is not the same as bringing lighting, sound, drones, crowds, or construction, and the same location can be treated very differently depending on the activity.
This is why the review asks you to be specific about sites. A district name tells us the general area; a named location lets us flag likely overlaps and plan around them. Where a location may sit under more than one authority, we identify that early so it can be handled in parallel rather than discovered as a late surprise that threatens your schedule. We do not assert which office issues what as settled fact, because that depends on current arrangements and on your specifics; we map the likely tracks and confirm the details against official sources during preparation.
Private property adds another layer that is often underestimated: owner consent, access dates, and a written location agreement matter, and they are your responsibility to secure even when the surrounding permissions are in order. Public space brings its own coordination around municipality, traffic, pedestrians, crowds, and safety. The practical takeaway is simple. Give us your locations honestly and completely, including the ones you are unsure about, and let the review tell you which ones are routine and which ones deserve early, focused attention. Locations discovered late are the most common cause of avoidable schedule pressure.
- Ordinary streets and private interiors carry a lighter profile
- Heritage, religious, protected, park, and restricted sites can add separate tracks
- The activity, not just the place, changes how a location is treated
- Private property needs owner consent and a written agreement
- Naming sites early lets overlaps be handled in parallel
Crew, equipment, and drone considerations
Beyond location and purpose, three practical inputs shape your document set: who is on the crew, what equipment you bring, and whether you intend to fly a drone. Each can be straightforward or can open an additional track, and the review is designed to tell you which.
Crew details matter because size and composition affect both logistics and certain considerations that can depend on nationality. A compact crew moving lightly is treated differently from a large unit with heavy equipment and support vehicles. We ask for approximate numbers, key roles, and nationalities not to complicate things but because these facts can influence what a location expects and what records help. You do not need final crew lists at the request stage; an outline is enough to scope.
Equipment is the next driver. A phone-and-mirrorless setup is a different proposition from a full lighting and grip package. The most important distinction is often ownership and movement: equipment brought into the country and intended to leave again typically needs its own records, and values, serial numbers, and re-export intentions become relevant. Batteries and radio-frequency equipment can carry their own handling considerations. When imported gear is involved, a customs specialist may need to be part of the picture, and we flag that rather than implying we clear customs ourselves, because we do not.
Drones deserve their own mention because they consistently surprise productions. Flying a drone is a distinct activity with its own considerations that can involve the aircraft, the operator, registration questions, airspace and proximity to airports, and additional sensitivity over protected, heritage, or religious areas. Whether a particular flight is possible depends on many factors, and we never promise drone permission or airspace access. Where a drone is central to your vision, tell us early, because it is one of the elements most likely to need lead time, and because there are sometimes non-drone alternatives worth planning as a fallback.
The honest summary is that crew, equipment, and drone plans can each be simple or can each add work. The review exists to sort which is which for your specific production, so you can plan the elements that need lead time before they become urgent.
- Crew size, roles, and nationalities influence certain considerations
- Imported equipment needs records, values, and re-export intentions
- Batteries and radio equipment can carry extra handling points
- A customs specialist may be needed; we do not clear customs ourselves
- Drones are a distinct activity we never guarantee; flag them early
Timelines, dependencies, and planning runway
The most valuable thing an early review gives you is an honest read on time. Productions rarely get into trouble because a single step is slow; they get into trouble because steps depend on each other and the dependencies were not mapped. Document review depends on having documents. Certain permissions depend on the main preparation being in order. Additional permissions for special locations or activities can run on their own track. Drone and imported-equipment elements often need the most lead time of all.
We will not give you a guaranteed number of days for any official step, because timing depends on factors outside our control and on current conditions, and inventing a figure would not help you. What we can do is show you the sequence, the dependencies, and where the pinch points sit, so you can build a schedule with realistic buffers rather than optimistic assumptions. A plan that assumes everything happens quickly and in parallel is fragile; a plan that respects the order of operations is resilient.
Several things routinely compress a timeline more than producers expect. Late location decisions force late preparation. Missing or inconsistent documents send the whole set back for correction. Translation and signature requirements are discovered at the end instead of the start. Public holidays and seasonal closures land in the middle of a critical window. A drone or an imported-equipment need surfaces after the schedule is already locked. None of these are exotic; they are the ordinary ways good productions lose days.
The review flags all of this against your actual dates. If your window is comfortable, we say so. If it is tight, we tell you which elements to start immediately and which can wait. If it is unrealistic for what you want to do, we say that too, honestly, and we discuss what could change: adjusting scope, adjusting dates, or preparing a fallback. Bringing your dates and hard deadlines to the request, including any fixed air date or delivery date, lets us give you this read on the first pass rather than after several exchanges.
- Trouble comes from dependencies, not single slow steps
- We map sequence and pinch points instead of promising day counts
- Late locations, missing documents, and late translation compress schedules
- Holidays, seasonal closures, drones, and imports need early attention
- Bring hard deadlines so the first response can assess your runway
Confidentiality notice
We treat the material you send as confidential, and we handle it with that assumption from the first message. Productions often share sensitive information at the scoping stage: unreleased concepts, scripts and treatments, client names, contributor identities, budgets, travel plans, and personal documents belonging to crew. We understand that this material has value and that some of it carries obligations to third parties, and we do not treat it casually.
Information you send as part of a permit-support request is used to assess and support your production, and for no unrelated purpose. We do not sell it, we do not use it for marketing, and we do not share it with other clients. Where preparing your project genuinely requires involving a third party, such as a customs specialist for imported equipment or a local coordinator for a specific location, we discuss that with you rather than distributing your material silently, and we share only what is necessary for that specific purpose.
We ask you to help us protect your own material in return. Send sensitive documents through the secure method described in the upload-security section rather than as ordinary email attachments, because standard email is not a secure channel and is outside our control once it leaves your outbox. Avoid putting confidential details into the subject lines of messages or into shared links that are not access-controlled. If a document is especially sensitive, tell us, so we handle it with the appropriate care and restrict who sees it.
We also keep our own claims honest here. We describe how we intend to handle your material, and we do not overstate it. Any online transmission and storage carries some inherent risk, and no service can promise perfect security. What we can commit to is treating your information as confidential, limiting access to those who need it to support your project, and being transparent about where third parties are genuinely necessary. If you have specific confidentiality requirements from a client, a broadcaster, or a contributor agreement, share them early and we will work within them wherever we reasonably can.
- Your material is used only to assess and support your production
- We do not sell, market with, or share it between clients
- Third parties are involved only when necessary and only with what is needed
- Use the secure upload method rather than plain email for sensitive files
- We describe our handling honestly and do not claim perfect security
Upload-security instructions
How you send documents matters as much as what you send. The safest approach is to send only what is needed, through a controlled channel, and to avoid scattering sensitive files across insecure ones. These instructions apply whenever you share documents with us, whether at the request stage or later during preparation.
For a first request, you often do not need to attach anything. A clear written summary is usually enough to begin the review, and it lets us tell you which documents are actually worth gathering before you send a single file. This avoids the common mistake of sending a large, disorganised bundle that then has to be sorted, much of which turns out not to be needed yet. Wait for us to confirm what applies to your project, then send the relevant material.
When you do share files, use the secure upload method we provide rather than ordinary email attachments. Standard email is not encrypted end to end and is not a suitable channel for passports, personal documents, contracts, or unreleased creative material. If we send you an access-controlled link, treat it as private: do not forward it, do not post it in shared chat channels, and let us know if you believe it has been exposed. Where a link is time-limited or single-use, use it promptly.
Prepare files sensibly before uploading. Use clear, descriptive file names so documents can be identified without opening them, keep each document as a separate, legible file rather than a single giant scan, and remove anything genuinely irrelevant. If a document contains sensitive personal data that is not needed for the review, consider whether it needs to be shared at all. Never place confidential details, identification numbers, or passwords in the body of an email or in a file name.
Finally, keep your own copies. You should always retain originals of anything you send, both for your records and because you, not us, are the source of your production's documents. If you have any doubt about whether a channel is secure enough for a particular file, ask before sending. We would rather answer a question about handling than receive a sensitive document through an unsuitable route.
- A written summary is usually enough to start; attachments can wait
- Use the secure upload method, not plain email, for sensitive files
- Treat access-controlled links as private and use time-limited ones promptly
- Name files clearly and keep each document separate and legible
- Keep your own originals and ask before sending if a channel feels wrong
What happens after you submit
Once your request arrives, it becomes a working file rather than a form that disappears into a queue. A member of our team reads it, checks whether we have enough to give you a useful first response, and either replies with an initial assessment or comes back with a short, targeted set of clarifying questions. We try to make that first exchange substantive, so you get real value from it rather than a generic acknowledgement.
The initial assessment describes your production as we understand it, lists the document groups that appear to apply, identifies the parts of your plan that need clarification, and gives you an honest read on your timeline. Where something depends on current official sources or on facts we do not yet have, we say so plainly instead of guessing. This is deliberate. We would rather tell you that a specific fee or authority needs to be confirmed than give you a confident-sounding number that later proves wrong and disrupts your budget or schedule.
If the picture is straightforward, we may be able to tell you most of what you need in a single reply. If it is more complex, we lay out the sequence: what to confirm first, what you can begin gathering now, and what will follow once earlier steps are settled. Either way, you finish the exchange knowing what your project realistically involves and what the next concrete action is.
From there, whether and how to proceed is your decision. Some productions take the initial assessment and handle much of the preparation themselves, coming back only for specific points. Others ask us to support the full preparation and coordination. There is no obligation created by sending a request, and the scoping conversation is designed to stand on its own as something useful even if you go no further.
Throughout, we keep the same discipline: we prepare and organise, authorities decide, and we do not promise approvals, timing, drone permission, location access, or customs clearance. What we promise is a clear, honest, well-organised path through the preparation, so that when your material does reach the people who make decisions, it gives your production the best chance of a smooth assessment.
- Your request becomes a working file, not a queued form
- You receive an initial assessment or a short set of clarifying questions
- Uncertain regulatory points are flagged for verification, not guessed
- You leave the exchange knowing your real scope and next action
- Proceeding further is your choice; the scoping value stands on its own
What is and is not our role
It is worth being explicit about the boundary of what we do, because it protects you as much as it protects us. We are an independent private support service. We help you prepare, organise, and present documents, and we help you understand the process and its dependencies. We are not a government body, we do not issue permits, and we have no authority to grant approval for anything.
That boundary shapes every promise on this page. We do not guarantee that a permit will be granted, that a location will be accessible, that a drone flight will be allowed, that imported equipment will clear customs, or that any step will take a particular number of days. Those outcomes rest with the relevant authorities, custodians, and officials, and no honest support service can promise them on their behalf. Anyone who does promise guaranteed approval or a guaranteed timeline is not describing how this actually works.
What we can genuinely commit to is craft and diligence on the preparation side. We map which document groups apply to your production. We review your material for completeness, consistency, and clarity so it is easy to assess. We flag the dependencies and pinch points that affect your schedule. We identify where additional permissions or specialists, such as a customs professional for imported gear, are likely to be needed. We keep our regulatory statements conditional where they depend on current official sources, and we confirm specifics against those sources rather than asserting them from memory.
Some responsibilities remain yours by their nature. You are the source of your production's documents. You secure private property consent and location agreements. You provide accurate information about crew, equipment, and intentions. You make the commercial and creative decisions about scope, dates, and fallbacks. Our job is to make those responsibilities easier to meet by giving you a clear structure, honest advice, and well-organised paperwork.
Understanding this division from the start makes the whole engagement smoother. You know what to rely on us for, you know what stays in your hands, and you know that the guidance you receive is realistic rather than reassuring for its own sake. That honesty is the foundation of useful support.
- We prepare and organise; we do not issue permits or grant approval
- We never guarantee approval, timing, drone permission, access, or clearance
- We map document groups, dependencies, and where specialists are needed
- Regulatory specifics are confirmed against official sources, not asserted
- You remain the source of your documents and the decision-maker on scope
Common mistakes to avoid when requesting support
Certain avoidable mistakes surface again and again, and knowing them in advance makes your request more productive and your production less stressful. Most cost time rather than money, but on a tight schedule time is the more expensive currency.
The first mistake is contacting support too late. Productions sometimes treat paperwork as a formality to handle once the creative and logistical plan is locked, then discover that a location, a drone plan, or an imported-equipment need reshapes the whole timeline. The earlier you scope, the more options you have. An early request costs you almost nothing and can save you weeks of pressure later.
The second is vagueness about locations. Saying you want to film in Nepal generally, without naming districts or sites, prevents a meaningful assessment, because location is the main driver of complexity. Give your best current list, mark provisional entries, and include the sites you are unsure about rather than leaving them out. The uncertain ones are often the ones that matter most.
The third is under-describing activity. Two productions can visit the same location with completely different footprints. One quietly films with a small crew; the other brings lighting, sound, crowds, vehicles, or construction. If you describe only the location and not the activity, the assessment will miss things. Tell us what you actually plan to do, including anything beyond simply pointing a camera.
The fourth is treating drones and imported equipment as afterthoughts. Both routinely need the most lead time, and both are elements we never guarantee. If either is central to your vision, it belongs in the very first message, not in a follow-up after the schedule is set. The fifth is sending a disorganised document bundle before anyone has confirmed what is needed, which creates sorting work and shares sensitive files unnecessarily. Wait for the review, then send what applies, through the secure method.
The last is expecting guarantees. A support service that promises certain approval or an exact timeline is not being straight with you. Realistic, conditional guidance is more valuable than confident guesswork, because you can plan around it. Come with honest information and realistic expectations, and the request will do its job.
- Contacting support too late, after the plan is already locked
- Being vague about locations instead of naming and flagging sites
- Describing the place but not the actual filming activity
- Leaving drones and imported equipment for a later message
- Sending disorganised files before scope is confirmed
- Expecting guaranteed approvals or exact timelines
How the request fits the wider preparation workflow
The permit-support request is the front door to a longer, orderly process, and it helps to see where it sits. The workflow generally moves from initial review, to information gathering, to scope definition, to document preparation, to submission coordination, to handling any clarifications, to managing additional permissions, and finally to keeping records of decisions. Your request begins the first stage and shapes all the others.
During the initial review, we use your request to understand the production and identify the document groups and dependencies that apply. Information gathering follows, where we ask for the specific details and materials the review showed were relevant, sent securely and only where needed. Scope definition turns that into a clear, agreed picture of what the project involves and what support, if any, you want from us, so there are no surprises about responsibilities or boundaries.
Document preparation is the core work: reviewing what you have for completeness and consistency, identifying gaps, and helping present everything so it is easy to assess. Where translation, signatures, or specific formats are required, they are handled here rather than discovered at the end. Submission coordination is about getting a complete, coherent set into the right hands in the right order, respecting the dependencies mapped earlier. If questions come back, clarification handling manages them promptly so momentum is not lost.
Additional permissions run alongside where your project needs them, for example for special locations, activities, drones, or imported equipment, often on their own timelines. Throughout, we keep records of what has been prepared and any decisions received, so your production has a clean paper trail. If your plans change, and they often do, there is a defined way to handle scope changes without unpicking everything.
Seeing the whole shape helps you understand why the request asks what it does. Every question exists because it feeds a later stage. A precise request makes scope definition faster, which makes preparation smoother, which makes coordination cleaner. The work you put into a clear first message is repaid at every stage that follows. And at each stage the same principle holds: we prepare and organise, the authorities decide, and we keep our guidance honest and conditional wherever the facts depend on current official sources.
- The request opens the first stage and shapes every later one
- Information gathering and scope definition turn it into an agreed plan
- Preparation handles gaps, translation, and formatting before the end
- Additional permissions and imported-equipment tracks run alongside
- Decision records and a defined scope-change route keep the file clean