Applying for a Nepali passport
How do I get or renew a Nepali passport, and how long does it take?
Nepali passports are issued by the Department of Passports, with applications made through the Department and through District Administration Offices. The detail that governs your timing is validity rather than expiry: most study and work destinations require a passport valid well beyond the end of your intended stay, so a passport with a year left can be a problem even though it has not expired.
1 figure on this page has no source yet. It is marked in place, with what it would take to confirm it. Check the authority yourself before acting on it.
What passport application is
The passport is issued by the Department of Passports under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is the base document for every other application you will make — visa, NOC, bank remittance.
Applications are made through the Department and through District Administration Offices, with the route depending on where you are and which service you need.
Renewal is a fresh application rather than an extension. Planning for it as a quick administrative step is where most timing problems begin.
Who needs it
- Anyone applying for a student or work visa
- Every application is built on the passport, and most destinations require validity well beyond the end of the intended stay.
- Students whose passport expires within two years
- A passport that is technically valid can still fail a destination's validity requirement. The expiry date is not the test.
- Anyone whose name differs across documents
- The passport spelling becomes the reference for every later application, so a discrepancy is far cheaper to resolve now than after an offer is issued.
What it costs
There is normally more than one service level at different prices. Ask which one you are being quoted for — an expedited fee quoted as though it were the ordinary one is a common source of confusion.
| Item | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Passports feeVaries by service type — ordinary and expedited services are charged differently. | Government | NPR 12,000 for a 34-page passport (new or renewal) and NPR 20,000 for 66 pages on the Department's published schedule; children under 10 pay NPR 9,500/14,500, and lost or damaged replacements cost NPR 17,000/25,000Department of Passports (Nepal)(opens in a new tab) |
How long it takes
Work backwards from the earliest application that needs the passport — usually the university application, not the visa. Everything downstream inherits this date.
- Apply through the Department of PassportsApplications are made through the Department and through District Administration OfficesDepartment of Passports (Nepal)(opens in a new tab)
- Processing and issueDepends on the service level chosen and on demand at the timeOur recommendation, not a rule. Turnaround differs by service level and by season. Confirm the current position with the Department rather than planning against a figure someone else was quoted.Peak periods before major intakes are slower than the rest of the year.
Documents you need
- RequiredCitizenship certificateIssued by District Administration Office
- RequiredCompleted application formIssued by Department of Passports
- RequiredPassport-size photographs to the stated specification
- If applicablePrevious passportFor renewal.
- If applicableSupporting documents for a name or detail correctionWhere the record needs changing rather than reissuing.
Step by step
Check the validity requirement first
Find out how much validity your destination requires beyond the end of your stay. That answer, not the expiry date, tells you whether you need to renew.
Reconcile your name across documents
The passport spelling becomes the reference for the visa, the NOC and the bank. Fix a discrepancy now rather than after an offer is issued.
Choose the service level deliberately
There is normally an ordinary and an expedited option at different prices. Decide which you need rather than defaulting.
Apply through the Department of Passports
Applications are made through the Department and through District Administration Offices.
Collect it and record the details
Passport number, issue and expiry dates go into every later form. Keep a scan somewhere you can reach from abroad.
Mistakes that cost money
Treating the expiry date as the deadline
What it costs: You arrive at the visa stage with a valid passport that still fails the destination's validity requirement, and the renewal now sits on the critical path.
Instead: Check the required validity beyond your intended stay, and renew against that rather than against expiry.
Accepting a name spelling that differs from your certificates
What it costs: Every later document inherits the discrepancy — visa, NOC, bank remittance — and each one becomes a query.
Instead: Reconcile the spelling before the passport is issued, not after.
Leaving it until the visa application
What it costs: The passport is the base document for the university application too, so a late passport delays the whole sequence rather than just the visa.
Instead: Treat it as the first item in the timeline, not a later one.
Alternatives, and the trade-off
Renewing early
Better when: Whenever your remaining validity is close to what a destination requires. Renewing early costs a fee; renewing late costs an intake.
In favour
- A single national authority with a published presence
- More than one service level, so urgency can be paid for when genuinely needed
- A straightforward document set for most applicants
Against
- Validity requirements are set by the destination, not by the expiry date on the passport
- No committed turnaround published, and slower before major intakes
- Renewal is a full application, not an extension
- A name discrepancy propagates into every downstream document
Questions people ask
How much does a Nepali passport cost?
NPR 12,000 for a standard 34-page passport, new or renewal, and NPR 20,000 for the 66-page version, on the Department of Passports' published schedule. Children under 10 pay less (NPR 9,500/14,500); replacing a lost or damaged passport costs more (NPR 17,000/25,000); reissue for the office's own error is free.
Checked against the Department's published fee page on 8 August 2026. The Department notes fees vary by service speed as well — confirm which service you are being quoted before paying anyone.
Who issues Nepali passports?
The Department of Passports issues them, with applications made through the Department and through District Administration Offices depending on where you are.
It sits under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
How much validity do I need on my passport to study abroad?
Most destinations require validity well beyond the end of your intended stay rather than simply an unexpired passport, and the exact requirement is set by the destination.
Check your destination's published requirement — this is the single most common reason a technically valid passport still has to be renewed.
How long does a Nepali passport take?
It depends on the service level you choose and on demand at the time, and it is slower in the peak period before major intakes.
We do not publish a figure because the Department does not commit to one publicly. Confirm the current position with them.
Is renewal faster than a first application?
Renewal is a fresh application rather than an extension, so it should be planned as a full process rather than assumed to be quicker.
Bring the previous passport; it forms part of the application.
What if my name is spelled differently on my certificates?
Resolve it before the passport is issued, because the passport spelling becomes the reference every later application is checked against.
A discrepancy found at the visa stage is far more expensive to fix than one found now.
Sources
Last reviewed .
That Nepali passports are issued by the Department of Passports
That destination governments set their own passport validity requirements for student visas
Sources: Department of Home Affairs (Australia), UK Home Office — Student visa, Immigration New Zealand
The published fee schedule: NPR 12,000/20,000 (34/66 pages, new or renewal), NPR 9,500/14,500 under 10, NPR 17,000/25,000 lost or damaged, free for official errors
Observed processing turnaround at named offices
No source yet. A sample of recent applicants' actual issue times per office, dated.