Nepal Nears Final Stage of Transition to Advanced Electronic Passport System

Kathmandu. The Department of Passports is in the final stages of transitioning from Machine Readable Passports (MRP) to a completely new and sophisticated system for Electronic Passports (e-Passport). The Director General of the Department, Tirtha Raj Aryal, informed that the department has completed final preparations to implement the new, fully advanced, and secure e-Passport system, bidding farewell to the MRP era.

Speaking at a press conference organized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, Director General Aryal stated that the new and refined software and hardware system for passport distribution will become operational starting from the month of Jestha. According to him, the necessary machines and software for the new system have already been installed.

“Various stages of testing for the new system are underway. The Factory Acceptance Test was completed two months ago. Currently, the User Acceptance Test and Site Acceptance Test are being conducted,” said Director General Aryal, adding, “As per the new agreement, 4,800 sample passports have been received, and an additional 500,000 passports are in the process of being supplied.”

Passport Statistics to Date

Since the implementation of the Electronic Passport (e-Passport) system, the Department of Passports has distributed over 17.1 million passports.

Director General Aryal stated that since the start of the digitized system until now (up to the end of Falgun), the department has issued a total of 17,133,508 passports.

Of these, 5,516,395 were Electronic Passports (e-Passports). Furthermore, 5,280,879 were issued solely by the Department, 9,177,690 by District Administration Offices, and 2,674,939 by diplomatic missions abroad.

The Factory Acceptance Test for the new system was completed abroad two months ago. Currently, the Site Acceptance Test and User Acceptance Test are being conducted in Nepal. According to the Director General, the software and machines have been installed, and the technical team is verifying their accuracy.

In the first eight months of the current fiscal year, up to the end of Falgun, 745,022 passports were issued. Director General Aryal informed that of these, 210,702 were issued by the Department, 384,070 by District Administration Offices, and 150,250 by diplomatic missions abroad.

Currently, the Department has 397,993 passports in stock. Of these, 375,725 are ordinary passports (34 pages). Director General Aryal informed that this stock is estimated to meet the demand until the month of Jestha. As per the new agreement, 500,000 passports are soon to be supplied, and 4,800 sample passports have already arrived at the department for testing.

The Factory Acceptance Test for the new system was completed abroad two months ago. Currently, the Site Acceptance Test and User Acceptance Test are being conducted in Nepal. According to the Director General, the software and machines have been installed, and the technical team is verifying their accuracy.

System Change and Potential Disruption

Director General Aryal stated that a transit point is necessary to shut down the old system and move to the new one. According to him, due to technical reasons and chip encoding, it is difficult to run both systems in parallel, so the system will be completely changed around the middle of Jestha.

He mentioned that there is a possibility that passport services might be slightly delayed or affected for one day to one week as the department needs to transfer data to move to the new system.

The new system will bring great relief to Nepalis residing abroad. The process of taking photos, providing biometrics, and submitting online applications through Nepali diplomatic missions will be further streamlined. This will eliminate the hassle of having to come to Nepal just to get a passport, and arrangements have been made to easily obtain a new passport from the mission even if the old one is lost.

The Department has announced that it will make alternative arrangements for emergency services (medical or other urgent situations). Department Director General Aryal urged citizens who need a passport within the next six months to apply now. He stated that applying now will ensure they receive their passports smoothly during the system transition period.

He said, “Applying now will help avoid the pressure and technical transition that might occur during the system change. After the new system is implemented, passport service will be simpler, faster, and more user-friendly.”

The Director General stated that biometrics and other processes for Nepalis abroad will be made easier through diplomatic missions, and services will be expanded.

Tender Process and 5-Year Plan

The government made a policy decision on Ashad 12, 2080, to procure the necessary passports for the next five years. Accordingly, the department called for an international tender on Mangsir 13, 2081.

After evaluation through various stages, agreements were signed with Idenmia Company, which quoted the lowest price, on Bhadra 12, 2082, for Package-2, and on Bhadra 14, 2082, for Package-1. Director General Aryal stated that this agreement ensures there will be no shortage of passports for the next five years.

Special Facilities for Nepalis Abroad

The new system will bring great relief to Nepalis residing abroad. The process of taking photos, providing biometrics, and submitting online applications through Nepali diplomatic missions will be further streamlined. This will eliminate the hassle of having to come to Nepal just to get a passport, and arrangements have been made to easily obtain a new passport from the mission even if the old one is lost.