TAAN membership: how to verify a Nepal trekking agency before you contract

What TAAN is and what it does

The Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) is the trade body for Nepal's trekking companies. Its own introduction describes it as an umbrella association of trekking agencies, set up in 1979 by a small group of operators, and lists about 1,729 general members, 7 associate members and 155 general members of its regional association in Pokhara (figures checked on 2 November 2026). It is a membership association, not a government regulator.

TAAN's stated objectives include promoting mountain tourism, protecting its members' interests, setting standards for the facilities member agencies give their staff, including porters, and advising the government on rules for mountain tourism. It also has a long link with the Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS): the scheme came into effect on 1 January 2008 as a joint programme of the Nepal Tourism Board and TAAN, according to TAAN's TIMS page. Our TIMS card explainer covers how the card works today.

For an overseas agent, TAAN matters for one practical reason: it is the easiest public check that a Kathmandu company is an established trekking agency rather than an individual or a reseller with a website. It is a useful check, but only one of several, and this guide explains where it stops.

What membership proves and what it does not

TAAN's membership page lists the documents an agency must submit to become a general member. They include the licence to operate a trekking business issued by the Department of Tourism, the company's certificate of incorporation from the Office of the Company Registrar, a business registration certificate, PAN or VAT registration, a Nepal Rastra Bank licence for foreign exchange transactions, and the shareholders' citizenship certificates. The executive committee approves membership after reviewing the documents.

That tells you what a membership listing can and cannot show.

A TAAN listing suggests	A TAAN listing does not show
The company submitted a trekking licence and company documents when it joined	That the licence is still valid today
The company is a registered business in Nepal	The quality of its guides, equipment or service
It has a public profile with registration and VAT numbers	Its financial strength or insurance arrangements
It is part of the trade body that speaks for trekking agencies	That the company on the website is the same legal entity you are contracting with

The last point catches agents out more often than any other. Many Nepali companies trade under a brand that differs from their registered name, and some hold the TAAN membership under a related company. That is not wrong in itself, but your contract, invoices and bank details should match a registered entity you have checked.

How to check a member agency

The TAAN website, taan.org.np, has a Members Directory with three lists: general members, associate members and regional association members. On 2 November 2026 the lists could be browsed by company name, with A to Z filters on the general and regional lists, and each member has a profile page.

1. Get the registered name. Ask the agency for its full registered company name, not only its brand, together with its company registration number and PAN or VAT number.
2. Find the profile. Open the Members Directory on taan.org.np and browse to the company under its registered name.
3. Compare the details. A member profile can show the registration number, VAT number, address, telephone, email and a key person. Check that these match the documents and invoices the agency sends you.
4. Ask for the licence. Request a copy of the current agency licence and check the name and the validity or renewal date on it.
5. Confirm directly if in doubt. TAAN's secretariat in Kathmandu can be contacted through the details on its website.

Two practical notes. Agencies based in Pokhara may appear on the regional association list rather than the general list, so check both before concluding a company is not a member. And a missing listing is a question, not a verdict: the company may trade under a different registered name, or its membership may have lapsed. Ask, then decide.

Other registrations worth checking: DoT licence, NMA

TAAN is one layer. A complete check looks at the legal licence, the company documents and, for climbing, the mountaineering association.

Document or listing	Issued or kept by	What it tells you
Agency licence (travel and/or trekking)	Government of Nepal; Department of Tourism or, since federalism, often a provincial or local authority	The company may legally operate the activity. Under the Tourism Act 1978 an unlicensed agency can be closed and fined
Certificate of incorporation	Office of the Company Registrar	The legal entity exists
PAN or VAT certificate	Inland Revenue Department	The company is registered for tax; the number should appear on invoices
TAAN general membership	TAAN	Trade body membership; documents reviewed on joining
NMA membership	Nepal Mountaineering Association	Relevant for peak climbing; the NMA issues permits for a list of 27 peaks

The licensing picture is in transition. The Kathmandu Post reported in July 2026 that, since Nepal moved to a federal system, registration of travel and trekking companies has largely been devolved to provincial and local governments, while only the Department of Tourism licenses adventure sports operations. In practice, ask for whichever licence the company holds and check that it covers the activity you are buying: trekking, touring, climbing or adventure sports such as rafting.

For peak climbing, the NMA's service charge table lists 27 peaks, most at USD 350 per foreign climber in spring and USD 175 in autumn (NMA, checked 2 November 2026). Other open peaks, including all expedition peaks, are permitted by the Department of Tourism. Our guide to mountaineering in Nepal explains both systems.

TAAN, TIMS and the guide rule

TAAN membership and the licensed guide rule are often mentioned together, so it helps to separate them. Under the Nepal Tourism Board's revised TIMS provision, effective 31 March 2023, trekkers in 14 listed regions must be accompanied by a licensed trekking guide and carry a TIMS card issued through a trekking agency; in the Everest region the local municipality applies its own Trek Card system. The TIMS fee is NPR 2,000 per trekker, or NPR 1,000 for SAARC nationals, payable online (Nepal Tourism Board, checked 2 November 2026).

The rule therefore depends on a registered trekking agency and a licensed guide, which is why the agency checks above matter. Restricted areas follow their own rules: since a Department of Immigration decision on 22 March 2026, single trekkers can obtain restricted-area permits, but still only through a registered trekking agency and with a licensed guide. Our Nepal trekking permits guide and the permits and visas page list what applies where.

Red flags in agency claims

Most Nepali agencies are honest and capable. These are the signs that justify a closer look before you contract.

• Names that do not match. The brand, the TAAN profile, the licence and the bank account all show different names, with no written explanation.
• Logo walls without numbers. Association logos on a website but no registration, VAT or licence numbers when you ask.
• "We arrange the permits" through someone else. Permits and guides come from a third company, which puts your clients one step further from the people solving problems.
• Guides who are not licensed. Vague answers about guide licences on routes where the licensed guide rule applies.
• Payment to personal accounts. Requests to pay a private individual rather than the company's business account.
• Prices that ignore the fixed costs. A quote that cannot cover permits, guide wages and porter welfare on the route is cutting something.

None of these proves a problem on its own. Together they are a reason to slow down. Our checklist on how to choose a Nepal tour operator covers the wider due diligence, and our explainer on what a DMC in Nepal does sets out which kind of partner you need.

For travel agents: how to package it

Due diligence is part of the product. Build it into how you sell Nepal.

• What to include. Keep a short supplier file for each Nepal partner: registered name, licence copy and renewal date, TAAN profile link, NMA membership for climbing, VAT number and the signed agreement. Review it every year.
• Buffers. Ask partners for renewed licences before the main seasons, and allow time for permit processing around public holidays, when government offices close.
• Who it suits. Every agency selling trekking, and especially those selling to schools, groups or clients new to altitude, where duty-of-care questions come first.
• Upsells. Clients who see you have checked the ground partner are more open to longer and more remote programmes, such as restricted areas or a trekking peak, which need the strongest partner.
• Associate membership. TAAN's membership page says associate membership is open to foreign organisations, at USD 100 a year, without voting rights. Some overseas operators join to stay close to the trade in Nepal.

Expert DMC Nepal is a TAAN member and a member of the NMA, and is licensed by the Government of Nepal for travel, tour, trekking and mountaineering. To start, see our partner page.