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100 Years of Monarchy - a kingdom celebrates

Quick Contact

Bhutan Scenic Tours
Chodex Travel House
PO Box 1241
Paro Valley
Kingdom Of Bhutan
The Eastern Himalayas

T : +975 8 271634
F : +975 8 271838
E: chodex@druknet.bt

Bhutan - land of the thunder dragon

Bhutan Filming Regulation

A. Title and Commencement

These rules shall be called the BHUTAN FILMING REGULATIONS 1995 and shall come into force with effect from 1st July 1995.

B. Definitions

In this document, unless the context otherwise requires:

Regulations shall mean the Bhutan Filming Regulations, 1995.
DOT shall mean Department of Tourism.
Permit shall mean the Filming Permit issued by DOT.
MTI shall mean the Ministry of Trade and Industry
Team shall mean the filming team applying for the Permit.
Local Agency means tour operator such as Bhutan Scenic Tours handling arrangements for the filming team or local private or government agency involved in the making of the film.

C. Implementing Agncy

DOT shall be the sole government authority to issue permits for filming in the Kingdom of Bhutan on the basis of approvals granted by the MTI and shall be responsible for implementing and enforcing these regulations.

D. Applicability

1. These Regulations shall apply to all filming activities undertaken within the Kingdom of Bhutan by foreign film and television companies. In particular and within the present context, the following categories of filming activities shall be governed by theses regulations:

i) Films/documentaries proposed by multilateral and other foreign agencies represented in Bhutan in connection with project or developmental activities.

ii) Films, documentaries by foreign film/television companies for educational, promotional or commercial purposes.

2. The filming royalty as stipulated under these Regulations shall not apply to feature/cinematographic films. Royalty for such category of films will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Further, DOT may propose such other terms and conditions, as it may consider necessary in each individual case.

E. Application

1. Application for filming permit shall be submitted in the prescribed form to DOT at least 30 days in advance along with the following documentation:

i) A write-up explaining the background, the objectives, the theme/message of the film, the purpose for which the film will be used. Where possible, a copy of the synopsis of the film must be furnished.

ii) A detailed itinerary showing the specific locations and objects/activities that will be filmed.

iii) Composition of the Team (names and designations) and list of filming equipment, accessories, consumables etc required to be imported into Bhutan by the team.

iv) A letter of recommendation from the agency sponsoring the film.

2. The application form can be obtained from DOT.

3. the application form must be completed in all respects and signed by the applicant and all the supporting documents specified under i), ii), iii) and iv) above must be furnished.

4. All filming applications must be submitted to DOT through the local agency.

5. The team must have official approval for filming from DOT prior to arriving in Bhutan in order to ensure smooth clearance of their filming equipment through Customs.

6. DOT may require the team to provide such other details or information, as it considers necessary for obtaining government approval.

7. DOT will not process applications, which are incomplete, or where the team has failed to provide additional information sought by DOT.

F. Royalty For Filming

1. All proposals submitted by foreign film/television companies for filming shall be subject to payment of royalty at the following rates:

Duration of the final Amount
Edited version (US dollars)

i. First 30 minutes or
Part thereof 10,000

ii. Next 30 minutes or
Part thereof 6,000

iii. Every additional 30
Minutes or part thereof 3,000

2. Filming of project and developmental activities proposed by foreign agencies represented in Bhutan for bonafide official or project use may be granted exemption from payment of royalty and security deposit (ref. G. 1 below) by the MTI provided a declaration/certificate to this effect is submitted to DOT by the head of foreign/local organization. All other provisions of the regulations shall apply.

4. The royalty becomes payable to DOT upon approval of the filming application. DOT will issue the permit to the Team only on receipt of the royalty amount in full.

G. Security Deposit

1. In addition to the royalty, a sum of US$ 5,000 (or its equivalent in Ngultrums at the prevailing exchange rate) must be deposited by the team with DOT as security at the time of paying the royalty. It will be refunded to the team after completion of the film to the satisfaction of DOT/MTI and on receipt of 3 (three) copies of the final version of the film for records. The security deposit may be paid in the form of T/C or bank draft drawn in favour of DOT on Bank of Bhutan or Bhutan National Bank Thimphu.

2. The amount of security deposit will be subject to revisions without notice.

H. Other Terms and Conditions

1. Members of the team will be given tourist visa and will be required to pay the full daily tourist tariff as applicable.

2. Filming team engaged by foreign agencies represented in Bhutan for filming project activities may be granted exemption by DOT from paying the tourist rates provided specific (written) approval of the MTI is obtained.

3. Visa for the team will be processed only upon receipt of formal approval of MTI on the filming application.

4. The filming team shall not deviate from the subject and locations of filming originally proposed in the application. Any change or deviation shall require prior permission from the DOT.

5. Filming permits issued by DOT do not entitle the members of the team to any right of access to restricted areas or establishments, nor does it entitle them to any privileges with regard to space or special arrangements in festival premises. The filming team must ensure that their activities do not in any way cause undue disturbance or inconvenience to members of the audience in the festival grounds. The team shall strictly abide by the code of conduct and dress and rules of the festival as stipulated by the local authorities.

6. DOT reserves the right to revoke a permit issued without assigning any reason. In such cases the royalty paid and the security deposit made shall be refunded to the Team.

7. If the team abandons its plan of filming after obtaining the permit or decides to discontinue filming for any reasons, the royalty paid shall not be refundable. The security deposit, however, shall be refunded provided DOT is satisfied with the reasons/circumstances put forward by the team as the cause(s) leading to discontinuation of the filming programme.

8. This permit is not transferable to another applicant.

9. After completion of the film (on video tapes/discs), DOT may require the team to screen selected sequences of the film before their departure. The team shall bring all equipment necessary for this purpose.

10. In case of films done on 16mm or 35mm cameras, team shall furnish to DOT a VHS version (PAL, NTSC or SECAM) of the film for preview by DOT prior to broadcasting or release.

11. DOT reserves the right to require the team to edit or remove any particular scene in the film which, in Dot’s judgement, is factually wrong or does not reflect the correct image.

12. Screening/broadcasting of the film before obtaining TAB's clearance shall not be allowed.

13. Three copies of the final edited version of the film shall be furnished by the team to DOT for its records and for submission to the National Depository.

14. The national T.V. service being operated by the Bhutan Broadcasting Service will have automatic screening/broadcasting rights to all films produced on Bhutan through the DOT.

15. Violation of these regulations shall be subject to any or all of the punitive actions specified below:

- Cancellation of the permit and confiscation of the completed film.

- A penalty of US $ 5,000, and

- The company and the members of the team shall be barred from applying for filming in future.

15. The local agency involved in handling arrangement for the team or sponsoring the film will be responsible for ensuring full compliance to these regulations by the members of the team.

I. Interpretation

In case of any dispute arising out of the interpretation of the provisions of this regulation, the interpretation given by TAB and decisions given by TAB/MTI on issues not covered under this regulation shall be final and binding on all concerned.

Application for filming Permit

I/we the undersigned, have read and understood the Bhutan Filming Regulations 1995 and we accept the terms and conditions outlined therein. Within the framework of the said regulations, we hereby apply for a Permit to do a (specify type of film)_______________________________________________________
in Bhutan. Particulars of the film project are as follows:

Tour Company / Handling Agency in Bhutan : Bhutan Scenic Tours
Name of the team leader:_____________________________________________
Name of sponsor/production Company:__________________________________
Nationality:_______________________________________________________
Title of the proposed film: ____________________________________________
Medium used (Please tick): Betacam_____16mm_____Others (Pl. specify)__________________________________________________________
Name of TV company or broadcasting network through which the film will be broadcast: ________________________________________________________
Tentative date and time of broadcast:____________________________________
Duration of the film: _________________________________________________ Dates of visit of the team: From_________________ to_____________________

As stipulated in the regulations, we hereby submit the following:
a. A write-up stating the background (purpose), the objectives, the theme of the film and type of audience the film is intended for.
b. Synopsis/treatment of the proposed film
c. Detailed itinerary showing specific locations and objects/activities that will be filmed.
d. Names and passport particulars of the members of the crew with travel itinerary.
e. List of equipments, accessories and consumables required to be imported into Bhutan.
f. Remarks (if any)

Signature
Name
Address
Phone & Fax #

Disclaimer:
Reproduction and transmission in any form and retrieval storage of graphics,text and photographs without the permission of Bhutan Scenic Tours is a punishable offence by law and is restricted. The Bhutan Scenic Tours logo and name are registered trademarks and property of the management of Bhutan Scenic Tours.