Tibet permit for free ?

The permit itself is not free. Dont count on the chinese authorities giving anything for free.

Nope........its not free and will never be free!! (until they axe the whole process) The permit itself actually doesn't cost very much but you are paying for the agency to do the admin, running around and getting the damn thing for you. (The agency has to recieve your emails, print out your passport info page image and your Chinese visa page image....send the whole lot off to the TTB with the applictation........wait for the TTB to process the application (and check you aren't friends of any Free Tibet organisations) then issue the whole thing with a fancy red stamp........then the agency has to collect the permit and courier it to the agency in mainland China to deliver it to you so you can get on your flight.

Unfortunately this is the way it is and no-one will work for free to do this all for you!!

Group rule thing has never changed. You are offically a group when you apply for a Tibet entry permit. But the "group" can be one person!!

If you want info on the "group" permit thing from Kathmandu just use the search function. There are heaps of previous posts about this.

CJ

Chris couldn't have said it more right. No one is going to do all the administration work for a permit for free.

The above info sounds correct to me. I am in Beijing and having Far East Int Hostel travel agent get me a permit. Total charge Y900, 550 for the permit 350 for my "tour guide" to pick me up at the airport. Hopefully he will show as I spoke today to a Geman girl who 2 wks ago flew from Nepal to Beijing with a transfer of flights in Lhasa. Army/cops gave her a huge hassel because she could'nt produce a ticket (her's was an e-ticket) and she had no permit. While there she witnessed them rufuse entry to an Italian girl who supposedly had a permit and had a tour guide there trying to pick her up. Well, interesting experienses anyway, so it depends on your karma or darma afterall!!! Leo's Hostel said they could get me a permit in 4-5 days for Y600 but I may melt from the heat here while waiting so paid the price for a supposedly one day turnaround ( I'll believe it when I see it) but will the permit pass muster in Lhasa??? It is helpfull to already have an electronic copy of your Visa and passport for your agent. My experience is most vendors are out to take you for a little ride, beware the pedicabs their way smarter than this nieve Alaskan.
P.S. I waded through the West Beijing train terminal just to have the english speacking tick agent tell me she never gets Lhasa tickets, she said "try a tour agency".

May the Blessings be.

Thanks for sharing your ideas about the permit. I am going to Tibet with a friend in Sep. I've also heard about the news of TTB(Tibet Tourism Bureau) Permit and called TTB to confirm it. It is true that it is free of charge now (if you get it by yourself instead of having an agent get it for you). You can even get it after your train arrive in Lhasa (if you fly, you have to get the permit before you get on the plane). They told me it is easy to get it in the railway station.

I can understand that the permit and the tour bring many foreign visitors much trouble. It is also not fair. But there are new regulations now as far as I know.