Moving To Nepal As An Expat

Hi Tom
You'll definitely find the things you need i.e wifi, running water and food supply in Pokhara. It's a great place for expats to explore, be it for long term or short.. All kinds of tourists come here for various purpose..Im sure you'll find your space here.
Good luck.
Pass

Sounds like a great journey, I have a question which is about visa's, how will get a long term visa? Or is the 150 days per year under the tourist visa going to be OK?

Hi!
To answer your question, if you want to reside in Nepal "long term" (meaning more than 150 days), there are only two options, and it can only be one that you can qualify for, or it is the other. And let's be clear, there is nothing in between.
1. You can apply for a Business Visa, if your intention is to work or start a business in that country.
2. Or you can apply for a Residential Visa, which is extremely well documented here (Read in these columns all the criteria and requirements  of "Residential Visa") - basically this second type of Visa is strictly for non-working persons/no activity.

Reading between the lines, I am just guessing that you would be more interested in 2.    and not 1.
Now to practicalities. You can inquire from reputable and experienced Lawyers, but I think you will find that this type of Visa No, 2 has only been granted to a surprisingly very small number of fortunate foreigners. Check it out, but I was told as recently as last year,- and this from a source deemed to be reliable (a consular official)  that the total number of Residential Visas in circulation did not exceed 20 for the whole country. After the application has gone through Immigration, it has to be approved by the Home Ministry.
For what it is worth, I can tell you that a french friend of mine who has been going to Nepal for a good number of years, and has ties there, tried to obtain one in the recent past and after 18 months, finally gave up.  On paper, the process looks totally straightforward, but make no mistake, it is NOT that easy to obtain a Residential/long term Visa in Nepal, based on everything I know.
One last point:  even assuming you are fortunate enough to obtain this type of Visa, I think you will also find that whereas a 10 year validity period is mentioned in the texts, one has to renew it every year, and pay an annual fee of 700 dollars (at least this was the p.a. fee as of 2013 - could be more now in 2017..? this I don't know - you'd have to check.)
No matter, over 10 years, please bear in mind that the total cost is a minimum of 7000 dollars to be given the privilege to reside in Nepal full time and ONLY if you continue, without interruption, to meet all their requirements...which are always subject to change, let's face it. If you hire a lawyer to help you, those legal fees would be on top. Like everywhere on this planet, lawyers do not work for nothing! Just make sure you select him very carefully indeed. Here again, I speak from experience.

One way to enjoy Nepal each year without getting a long term visa is to come in Nov. and stay until March each year. You could rent a flat and furnish it, then rent it throughout the middle of the year to tourists via an online booking service. You could get an apartment for $2-300 a month and rent it for $50 a night if furnished with cookware, etc.  Then if you did that in another country, like India's Sikkim area that doesn't get too hot you could create a lovely route for yourself and never get tired of your life. You would need three countries.

This would work well for people who work online or don't need an additional income. During the first year you can come in August and stay until march and then come back in November.

On this very topic of "Moving to Nepal as An Expat" I think all of us who sincerely love that country and have therefore chosen to live there - some of us for a good number of years - want to steer you in the right direction, meaning giving you the benefit of our experience.
But let me give you my take on this as an older person. The truth is that as the years went by, I found winter weather harder and harder to take, increasingly difficult (and expensive too) to heat and keep warm, without central heating. I know they have central heating at the Hyatt and all the big hotels, but all I know is none of my friends' homes had it - not one - and we had to rely in Kathmandu on either gas or electric heaters just to keep warm. Soon, at my age anyway, I began to really dread the months of December, January, February and March (depending) and in the last 3-5 years, swore I would never spend another winter of sometimes bitter cold in an unheated/improperly heated place in Kathmandu. (Between you and me...it is EXACTLY what  I have done!)
And far from being the only one, it is for that same reason that so many of my foreign friends would leave the capital often by Christmas at the latest, and not return until early or late spring, like March or better still April.
Obviously if you are working in Nepal or have to be present there 12/12 months, it is a different story.  But if you have a choice, why not choose good and warmer weather beginning in spring, followed by summer and autumn months to fully enjoy Nepal?
P. S. In central Thamel, on coldest days of the year, there is one hotel I know of with a fireplace.....yes, with a big fireplace...in their dining room ...and for you to sit by and enjoy !! For all I know, it could be the only one in Kathmandu...but how very nice....Don't tell anyone: It is called the Mandap Hotel.  It's a secret, OK?

Regarding winter weather, i live in Pokhara and i heard Kathmandu is colder. I knew it would get cold and brought out a set of light weight one piece long underwear. I think you can buy them here but not in my size. Winter can be a bit rough for an older person. My standard inside the apartment wear was: 2 pairs of socks and my yak socks over those, underwear/long underware/sweatpants, 2 short sleeve t-shirts and a long sleeved tshirt, knit cap and soft glove liners and my wool coat over all that. It got down to 52 in my apt. I used to refer to it as "The Crypt"😂😂😂. When you go to bed with hat and gloves on, you know it's cold. BUT...the days are absolutely brilliant and beautiful! By 1030 its tshirt and shorts weather and perfect for long hikes anywear. This was my first winter here and it won't be my last. I think if i lived in KTM, i would have really hated it because i find KTM depressing as it is without having to deal with the cold.

We use room heaters and it's much more bearable. I'm in Changunarayan at the edge of the Ktm Valley. A room heater works pretty well, but the other thing is if you live with Nepali in the house. They open all the doors and windows so even if you have a room heater there is no insulation, so it sucks all the heat out. They have no concept of closing a door.

I finally just rented an entire house so I could control the doors. Of course, the design with the stairwell going right up the middle doesn't help, either. It's actually fine with a room heater that costs about $10 a month to use. We also have electric blankets and a lovely rooftop terrace.

I put a spring door closer on the front door. It helps.

I thought Pokhara gets colder than Kathmandu Valley.

Madagascar-  $10 is pretty cheap! I didnt know that. Good lord, if I opened all the windows THAT would have been really bad. Considering there is no snow and it's a fairly short cold season, I found it bearable but, next year, I think I will rent a heater:)

Cheers

Mulder,

I have a newly built guest house at the edge of the KTM Valley. We provide a room heater or electric blanket at no charge. You can get an electric heater for around $25 just about anywhere but always insist on Indian--anything but Chinese. Not a political statement, but one for your safety. I had 2 Chinese electric cords catch on fire for no good reason. Also, make sure it has a timer for an auto shut off. I just bought a Baltra heater and when I got home I saw that there isn't a timer on it. Never go to sleep with a room heater on in these little, developing countries.