Are you planning to travel abroad or study or work in a foreign land ? If Yes, a passport is what you need in the first and foremost place. A passport is an official government-issued document that proves who you are and where you’re from. Also it’s not just a document ,it’s a gateway to the world. So, this article serves as a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a passport in Nepal.

Before moving into the procedure let us know more about passports in Nepal. Firstly, a Nepalese passport is issued from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal. Department of Passport (DoP) which falls under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for issuing Nepali passports on application to all eligible Nepali citizens. Secondly, the passports are valid for 10 years from the date of issue. However, the validity is 5 years for minors under 10 years of age. Likewise, e-passports are issued in Nepal which means that the passports are digital and biometric. Lastly ,talking about the types there are four different types of passports issued in Nepal. They are:

• Ordinary Passports (34 pages and 66 pages) – Chocolate Brown cover
• Diplomatic Passports – Crimson red cover
• Official Passports – Navy Blue
• Peace-keepers passport – Tiger orange

Step-wise Process on how to apply for Passport in Nepal

1. Gather required documents for passport
2. Fill up the online pre-enrollment application form
3. Visit the appointment location at the selected date and time
4. Payment Details

Gather required documents for applying passport in Nepal

Before you initiate the passport application process make sure you have all the necessary documents in order. Also, the standard documents required for applying Nepali passport includes:

If you are applying for passport in Nepal for the first time you will require :

For adults :

• Nepali citizenship Certificate ( front and back page)
• Validated National Identity Number

For Minor’s :

• Minor Citizenship Certificate
• Marriage Registration Certificate of parents
• Citizenship Certificate of parents (Front and Back page)
• District Verification letter containing applicant’s photo

For Renewal or Replacement

For adults:

• Nepali Citizenship Certificate (front and back page)
• Validated National Identity Number
• Front Page and back page of current passport

For minors:

• Minor Citizenship Certificate
• Citizenship Certificate of parents (Front and Back page)
• Front Page and back page of current passport

Fill up the online pre-enrollment Application Form

Step 1: In the first place, visit the department of Passports web portal https://nepalpassport.gov.np/
Step 2:Then, click on “Apply for Passports” Under Let’s explore e-services and this will open the pre-enrollment home page

Step 3: After that click on apply for passport button and choose your application type.

Step 4: Read the “Before Pre-enrollment” instructions and choose a passport type – Ordinary 34 pages or Ordinary 66 pages. Likewise, for other passport types, click on “Other Passport Types” and choose appropriate type.

Step 5: Agree “Data privacy consent” to proceed further and select the appointment details. Note that you can take appointment on either of the following two offices:

• Department of Passport: Located at Tripureshwor, Kathmandu
• District Administration Office: Located at respective districts

Then check for available dates and choose appropriate date.

Step 6: After booking appointment, fill up all the required information such as Demographic details, Citizenship information (no need to enter hyphen(-) or slash(/) in case of citizenship number) and contact details. Similarly, note that National Identity Number is mandatory for applicants.

Step 7: Further, upload the required documents. In addition, make sure that the document size is less than 300kb and in .jpeg or .png format.

Step 8: Finally, review the application summary and edit the details if necessary. Then, click on save button and copy the reference number (Reference number can be used to check application status).

Step 9: Now, download application file and print downloaded form.

Visit the Appointment Location

Go for enrollment at the designated office on the appointed date and time. Likewise, don’t forget to take the following :

• Printed bar-coded e-Passport application form.
• Required Documents

Payment details

For this purpose, one needs to pay Rs. 5000 if passport is taken from his/her home district. While, on the other hand it will cost Rs 12,000 to obtain passport from Department of Passport Office.

Furthermore, it will cost Rs 17,000 from DoP and Rs 10,000 from the concerned district in the case of lost or damaged passports.

The passport will be ready within 2-3 days if applied from Department of Passport office. You will be notified via SMS or e-mail.

So, this is the step-by-step process on how to apply for passport in Nepal.