A Nepali passport is a legal document that certifies that Nepali citizens are legally citizens of Nepal when travelling internationally. It is issued by the Passport Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal. This department issues four different types of Nepali passports. The department that issued MRP passports before 2021 AD now only issues e-passports. The passport department issues passports according to the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Nepali passports are distributed and issued from all district administration offices (77) and area administration offices (17) under this passport department. And, if we look at the data till December 2022, the electronic passports of Nepal are being issued from 38 Nepali Missions located abroad. If you are outside Nepal and want an e-passport instead of an MRP, you can get it by filling out a form at the designated Nepali embassy. Its main feature is to make it easy for Nepali citizens to travel internationally.

Passport Rank of Nepal

According to the Henry Global Passport Rank report of December 2022, Nepal's passport ranks 106th among the most powerful in the world. Which belongs to the world's weakest passport quota. Similarly, according to the passport index report of December 2022, Nepal's passport ranks 86th in the world's powerful passport rank.

According to the Henley Passport Index 2024, the Nepali Passport is listed as the 7th weakest Passport in the world. Nepali passport is ranked at 98th out of 104 countries in the world.

Updated: Nepalese passport is in 103th Position on Henley Passport Index as of March, 2024. Nepalese passport get arrival visa only for 40 countries in the world.

Nepali passport is valid up to 10 years after it is issued. However, according to the new rules, in case of age less than 10 years, only 5 years is valid.

E-Passport

An electronic passport is the modern version of MRP. In addition to the features of the MRP, this e-passport has chips and antennas. Fingerprints, personal details, and photos of the passport holder are stored in the same chips in a safe manner so that others cannot add or subtract them. Since this type of system has a lot of reliability, E-Passport is used in almost all countries of the world. This is the passport of the most sophisticated system.

E-passport distribution has been started in Nepal from November 17, 2021. Satya Mohan Joshi (a centenarian) was the first person in Nepal to get an e-passport.

Fee details and Processing time (Days)

Making an ordinary Nepali passport costs Rs 5000 for 34 pages and Rs 10000 for 66 pages. But if the same passport has to be made immediately, the fee for 34 pages is Rs.12, 000 and for 66 pages is Rs.20, 000. Similarly, foreign missions will incur different fees. If it is lost, torn and less than 10 years old, there is a provision to charge different charges.

It takes up to 4-6 weeks to make a passport from the district administration office through the normal process. If you need to make a passport immediately from the passport department (ministry of foreign affairs), it will take 3-5 office days.

According to the Nepal Passport Department, passports are prepared within 1 week in Kathmandu Valley and in districts around the capital, Mahendra Highway and districts with air service within fifteen days.

Read Also: Mobile Device Management System in Nepal

Different types and color of Nepalese Passport

The color of the Ordinary e-passport cover is chocolate brown. "Nepal" is written on the upper part of his grave and "passport" on the lower part. The cover of the Nepalese passport is also marked with the Emblem of Nepal. The symbol of chips is also printed on the cover of the Nepali e-passport. The color of the cover of the diplomatic e-passport issued by the passport department is crimson-red, the color of the cover of the official e-passport is navy-blue, and the peacekeepers' e-passports are tiger-orange in color. Nepali passport is available in 34 pages and 66 pages depending on the page.

The cover colour of the MRP ordinary passport is green, an official passport is blue, a diplomatic passport is red, and a travel passport is black.

Content of e-passport

  • Type
  • Surname
  • Given Names
  • Date of Birth
  • Passport Number
  • Gender
  • Nationality
  • Date of Issue
  • Date of Expiry
  • Citizenship/ National Identity Number
  • Place of Birth
  • Issuing Authority
  • Holder's Signature

Required Document for e-passport in Nepal

You have to bring the documents given to you when you attend the Live Enrollment Center at the Passport Department along with the online pre-enrollment Form. Different documents are required for different age limits. For example: in the case of minors and Nepali citizens above 16 years of age.

The following document are required for making new Nepali e-Password. Here, the list of documents required for renewal of e-password of Nepal are included.

About E-Passport in Nepal / Pic: nepalpassport.gov.np

1) In the case of a Minor, when making a passport for the first time

  • Real Minor Identity Card
  • District verification letter with photograph of minor ID card bearer
  • Full citizenship certificate of parents
  • Marriage registration certificate of parents

2) For Minor Passport Renewal

  • Real Minor Identity Card
  • District verification letter with photograph of minor ID card bearer ( District certificate is not required in case of old passport made from Nepal)
  • Old Password of Minor
  • Full citizenship certificate of parents
  • Marriage registration certificate of parents

( In case of minors under 10 years old, an e-passport valid for 5 years will be issued. In case of minors aged 10-16 years, the period will be 10 years.)

3) For Nepalese citizens above 16 years of age to make passport for the first time

  • Nepali Citizenship Certificate
  • Certificate of National Identity Card number

4) For Renewal of Nepalese e-passport

  • Certificates of Nepalese Citizenship
  • Certificates of National Identity Card Number

5) For Replacement of Lost/Stolen passport

  • Nepali Citizenship Certificate (front and back Page)
  • Frontpage (photo page and page 3) and back page (page 31) of the current passport
  • A police report with the details of the lost passport

6) For replacement of damaged passport

  • Nepali Citizenship Certificate (front and back Page)
  • Frontpage (photo page and page 3) and back page (page 31) of the current passport

Additional Info:

  • Divorce certificate if husband's surname is to be removed
  • If it is necessary to change the surname in the new passport in place of the current passport, a letter from the district administration or area administration office
  • Marriage registration certificate if a married woman wants to keep her husband's surname and get a passport

Generally, (After Fill up Online Form)

  • Citizenship
  • National Identity Number  
  • Date booking for biometrics should be done by filling out the online form
  • And others (if Required)

How to apply?

You can apply for a passport directly at the passport department, district administration, designated area administration and designated foreign missions. And, it can also be given online. Special attention should be paid to everything while applying. Otherwise, the application may be rejected.

You can book the time to take your biometric photo for E-Passport through the online form. And, you can apply by filling in all the details. After completing all the necessary steps, you will receive an SMS for the next step.

For Online E-Passport Apply

  • Step 1; Pre- Enrollment (application must apply online: https://emrtds.nepalpassport.gov.np/ )
  • Step 2; Bio Metrics (In the office of your choice)
  • Step 3; Processing (In Normal Process 4 to 5 weeks, and in emergency process/ Fast Track 3 to 5 days)
  • Step 4; Ready (SMS received in your mobile number)
  • Step 5; Collection

An online application can also be done through a mobile app.

Where to Apply for e-Passport in Nepal?

Various agencies in Nepal are working on Nepali passports. If you need a passport soon, it can be obtained from the Central Passport Department, Tripureshwar, Kathmandu. Passports can be obtained from all 77 district administration offices of Nepal. Similarly, it can be taken from Nepalese embassies in different countries. Similarly, Nepali passports can be made and renewed from 17 regional administration offices of Nepal and 38 Nepali missions located abroad.

The following are the institutions/places/administrations, where you can make and renew your Nepalese passport.

FAQs

Following are the frequently asked questions regarding e-passport in Nepal:

Q: How long does it take to get an e-Passport of Nepal from the Department?

A: After enrolling, it usually takes 2 to 3 working days. However, if your citizenship details, National Identity Card, old passport, and so on are not verified, or if your photograph doesn't meet ICAO criteria, we'll need to investigate further. Unfortunately, even with emergency service, passports may not be available on time due to software upgrades or other technical reasons. Therefore, we kindly ask applicants to book tickets or make travel arrangements only after receiving their passports.

Q: From Where can we apply for regular e-passport Services?

A: The regular service for ePassports is available from all the District Administration Offices in Nepal and all Nepali Diplomatic Missions abroad.

Q: How long does it take to get an e Passport after doing live enrollment in the districts?

A: Passports will be ready in all three districts of Kathmandu Valley within a week. In areas outside Kathmandu, including those along the Mahendra Highway and districts with air facilities, passports will be available within 15 days. Once the passport is received at the district administration offices, an SMS will be sent to the applicant's mobile instructing them to collect the passport.

Q: What to do if a message of rejection of the application is received?

A: If your passport application is rejected, contact counter no. 11 'A' at the Department of Passports. If you understand the reason for rejection, you can go directly to room no. 112 at the enrollment centre for biometrics. The rejected pre-enrollment form remains valid for the next 15 days. If it takes longer than 15 days, you'll need to fill out a new pre-enrollment form, get it verified at the local verification unit, and then visit room no. 112 of the Department of Passport.

Q: My Citizenship is longer than 14 digits. How am I supposed to fill it in the pre-enrollment form?

A: While filling in the citizenship number, applicants are required to fill in the number from the right side in case the citizenship number is longer than 14 digits. For eg; if your citizenship number is 072-312-13792/432796, please fill in 31213792432796. Note that the current system does not allow special characters like hyphen(-) or slash(/), and hence is not required.