Everything you need to know about getting a passport in Nepal

Looking for the right information on how to get your Nepali passport in Nepal or abroad?

or do you need to renew your old passport?

This blog guide has been developed just for you!
In this guide, you’ll find all the necessary information and resources on getting your passport.

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We will talk about the types, cost, process and photo size and move to the frequently asked questions at last.

Feel free to leave a comment if you couldn’t find the right information you were looking for.

Nepal Government’s Department of Passport is responsible for issuing passports in Nepal.

Types of Nepali passport

Currently, there are four (4) types of passports issued in Nepal.

The four types of Nepali passports are described below.

Ordinary passport

The general type of passport issued for Nepali citizens on request is an ordinary passport. It is identified by the green outer colour.

Official passport

Nepal’s official passport is blue in colour.

Diplomatic passport

Issued to the Nepali diplomats, the diplomatic passport is a red coloured Nepali passport.

Travel document

A special document that facilitates a Nepali citizen to travel.

Cost to get a new or renew Nepali passport

This post is divided into two major sections: cost in Nepal and in abroad.

The cost of getting a passport in Nepal is in Nepalese Rupees while the cost for obtaining a Nepali passport in the Nepali consulate abroad is mentioned in United States dollars. This means you have to pay the local currency equivalent of the USD currency.

There are different fees to get a Nepali passport in Nepal. It depends on whether you are obtaining a new passport renewing an old passport if it is a passport for minors and so on. All these details are mentioned hereunder.

Cost of passport in Nepal

Regular application at District

The fee for issuing an ordinary passport from District Administration Office in Nepal is Rs. 5,000. This is the most basic type of passport service in Nepal. It takes around a month to obtain a new passport with a regular application in Nepal.

Urgent application

You can get your passport issued to you quicker when applied via the fast-track process. For this, the charges are higher depending on the delivery time.

The fastest time one can receive a Nepali passport in Nepal is within the same day of application. The fee to get your passport on the same day is Rs. 15,000.

Likewise, for 2 days processing time the fee is Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 10,000 for 3 days delivery time.

All urgent applications are to be made in the Department of Passport’s Office, Kathmandu after receiving the recommendation letter from your district’s District Administration Office.

Cost to re-issue new Nepali passport because of errors

Since your passport is a very important document, a simple error or mistake in your passport may create unseen circumstances in the future.

If you notice any mistakes or errors in your personal details in your newly issued passport then it can be corrected. It depends if the error is made while processing the passport by the Department of Passport or while applying by the applicant.

Official error

If the personal details are mistaken while processing by the administration then they can be corrected for free without any charge. But what you have to be careful here is it should be done within a year.

Error from applican’t side while applying

• when appplying at District Administration Office

If the errors were made when submitting the application by the applicant or if you had made the errors then you can get it corrected by paying a charge of Rs. 5,000 for regular processing time.

• urgent application

If you need your passport to be corrected urgently then it can be corrected by paying Rs. 10,000 to receive within the same day, Rs. 7,000 for 2 days and for 3 days’ time it is Rs. 5.000. Remember all urgent applications are processed in Kathmandu only.

special circumstances

Except in calamities like fire, earthquake, flood, when a passport is damaged, torn or when damaged by any reasons or lost you can get a new passport by paying Rs. 5000 in addition to the regular charges as mentioned above.

Cost to get a Nepali passport for minors in Nepal

For children below 10 years, you can get a minor passport in Nepal. While most of the processes remain the same, there are certain differences in the fees depending on the type of application and place of application.

Regular application

You can apply for your child’s passport in District Administration Office by paying Rs. 2,500. The processing time varies from two weeks to about a month. It is best to ask the officials at the office for the estimated time.

Urgent application

Like an adult’s urgent passport application, a minor’s passport process can also be speeded up. For this, you have to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Passport at Kathmandu, and pay fees according to the processing time.

The fastest you can obtain a minor’s passport is within the same day of application. To obtain on the same day of application, you’ll be charged Rs. 10,000 by the department.

For 2 days and 3 days processing time the fees are Rs. 7,000 and Rs. 5,000 respectively.

Error correction

If you notice any errors in your child’s passport, they can be corrected accordingly.

• applicant’s error

If the mistake was made from the applicant’s side while applying for the minor’s passport, it can be corrected by paying the above fees for urgent processing. Rs. 7500 for same-day processing, Rs. 4,500 for 2 days and Rs. 2,500 for 3 days.

• New minor passport because of Department’s error within 1 year
  The Department of Passport won’t charge any fees if the errors were generated while processing.

New minor passport lost, damaged and torn

To issue a new minor passport when the old one has been damaged, lost, or torn one can pay fees of Rs. 15,000 for same-day processing, Rs. 12,000 for 2 days and Rs. 10,000 for 3 days.

Travel documents

A regular travel document is issued at a charge of Rs. 4,000 and errors if made by the applicant, can be corrected by paying Rs. 4,000 charge.

Cost to get a Nepali passport abroad

There are different fees for obtaining a Nepali passport in Nepali consulates outside of Nepal. Urgent applications aren’t available outside of Nepal hence all applications are regular applications.

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new/ renew passport

You can get a new passport or renew your old passport in the following listed countries and regions by paying the required local currency equivalent of the fees mentioned here.

The rates may vary depending on the consulate and currency conversion. Please consult your nearest consulate for there.

Lost, damaged or torn passport

If you need to obtain a new passport to replace your lost, damaged, or torn passport then you have to pay the double fees of the above-mentioned rates. I have tried to list the double rate below, the rates may vary depending on the consulate and currency conversion. Please consult your nearest consulate for the exact fees.

For minors (less than 10 years)

For children below 10 years, the fees for issuing a new Nepali passport in foreign countries are half of the regular fees as mentioned above.

Travel document

Documents required to get a ordinary passport in Nepal

If you are thinking of applying to obtain a new passport in Nepal or if you are renewing your old Nepali passport, these are the different documents needed for a passport in Nepal.

• original copy of Nepali citizenship certificate and one copy
• in case of minor (less than 16 years of age), minor certificate from District Administration Office (DAO)
• if you are obtaining passport in urgent from Passport Department, Kathmandu then you have to submit citizenship verification document or minor identity verification document obtained from your District Administration Office (DA0)
• original and copy of passport if obtained previously
• You can print the application form submitted via online pre-enrollement process or obtain barcode from nepalpasssport.gov.np
• incase of minor, disabled, sick and aged applicants you can still submit a handwritten application manually

Things to remember

1. if you have a hand written passport obtained from Passport Department, Kathmandu and seeking to obtain a new MRP passport, you still have to submit the recommendation lettter from your district’s administration office
2. you don’t need a letter from your district’s admin office if you are applying for a Nepali passport in foreign countries. But if you want to renew the Nepali passport obtained abroad in Nepal then you have to obtain a recommendation letter from district adminstration office.

Nepali passport photo size and requirements

The requirement for Nepal’s passport is mentioned below. It contains the size, colour and details about what can be included in the photo. The passport photo requirements are set by ICAO.

Process of getting your Nepali passport

In Nepal, you can obtain your passport in two ways: one from your District Administration Office which is the regular process and if you are in short of time then you can go for the fast track process.

Both of these processes are briefed below:

Regular process

In the regular process of a passport application in Nepal, you need to submit the documents including the application form, photo and citizenship certificate at your district’s administration office.

The cost for a regular application is Rs. 5000 and your passport will be ready to collect in 15-45 days of time.

Fast track process

If you are in need of getting your Nepali passport urgently in Nepal then you can go through the fast track process of passport application. With this process, you can get your passport in Nepal as fast as within the same day of application.

If you’ve got any queries feel free to leave them in the comment section and we will respond to you as soon as possible.

We’ll start by comparing the general process of passport application and the fast track process.

Documents required to obtain passport in Nepal urgently

Following documents are required to obtain your Nepali passport urgently in Nepal:

1. Nepali citizenship certificate (original and and one copy)
2. citizenship verification document or minor identity verification obtained from your District Administration Office
3. printed copy or barcode of application form via online pre-enrollement process

More details at What documents are needed for a passport in Nepal

Nepali passport photo size and requirements

Fact track Nepali passport application process

First, you have to obtain a token from the token counter and get your documents reviewed. The officer at the token counter will direct you where to proceed next.

With all the necessary documents attached, the applicant should be present in person at the Passport Department, Kathmandu, Nepal to submit the application.

You can present the barcode obtained or use the Nepal Passport app; after filling the online application form along with the other documents while submitting your application.

Your application and documents will be reviewed before accepting and asked to pay the necessary fees and submit the receipt of the bank deposit.

Cost of obtaining Nepali passport in urgent

How much does it cost to get a Nepali Passport?

While the ordinary application process costs you only Rs 5000, the fast track process costs a little higher.

If you want to obtain your passport within the same day of your application, you’ll have to Rs. 15,000. Likewise to obtain in 2 business days and 3 business days you’ll have to pay Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 10,000 respectively.

And in the case of minors, the charges are slightly lower. For same-day processing, it is Rs 10,000, Rs 7000 for 2 days and Rs 5000 for 3 days.

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions