The e-Passport has been available in Nepal for some time. In November 2021, the government launched this cutting-edge passport service. Legendary late Satya Mohan Joshi was the first Nepalese to receive an e-Passport. The current MRP (Machine Readable Passport) is still valid as of the remaining date. But in accordance with the law, everybody applying for a new passport must obtain an e-Passport. So let's study in this article how to apply for an e-Passport in Nepal now.
What is an e-Passport?
An electronic Passport is simply referred to as a "e-Passport." It is equipped with an electronic chip that may save the data about the bearer that is printed on the passport page. So the chip also stores digital copies of the user's name, address, birthdate, and other personal data. It is also referred to as biometric passports since they can be scanned using specialized equipment. In addition, verification can be completed quickly in foreign airports. It will therefore save everyone time.
This passport was created by the Nepali government to increase security by adhering to international guidelines. Compared to MRP, which has greater counterfeiting problems, it is more safe. The government and the French business IDEMIA Identity and Security France SAS have a contract for this significant project.
Documents Required For Applying e-passport in Nepal
- National ID Card or National Identity Number (NIN)
- Citizenship
- Marriage/Divorce Certificate (Not Mandatory in case of Unmarried Individual)
How to Apply for An e-Passport In Nepal
- First, please go through this link https://emrtds.nepalpassport.gov.np/. Or you can also use the E-Passport Nepal app. This process is for the Pre-enrollment for an e-Passport.
- Then click on the ‘Apply For Passport’ option.
- Select ‘First Issaunce’, if you are applying for a new e-Passport.
- You can go through the terms and conditions. After that, you can choose between either an Ordinary passport of 34 or 66 pages and click on Proceed. Likewise, you can also apply for other types of passports such as Service, Diplomatic, Official, etc.
- Now, click on the ‘I Agree’ toggle.
- Then, it will lead towards, the ‘Book Your Appointment Page’. Hit the province, district, and appointment location. It should be nearest to your region of stay. Do note that, getting an appointment date is based upon a limited quota. Hence, you might have to wait for several days to get an appointment date.
- After getting an appointment date, you have to fill up the form with all the necessary demographic details and click on next (The fields with * are mandatory).
- Fill up more detail such as citizenship, NIN, contact, and others, and click Next.
- After that, it will take you to the ‘File Attachment’ section. Here, you need to upload a document such as your citizenship back and front, marriage certificate, or divorce certificate, academic certificate, etc. [The file size shouldn’t exceed 300 kb]
- Click on the ‘Next’ option and it will show the application summary. Do make corrections if needed and click on the ‘Save’ option.
- After saving, you will get a unique sequence as your Request Number. Save the number to your clipboard and click on Finish.
- Then, it will show the ‘Application Follow Up’ page with all the necessary details and info. You can download the application form in a pdf format.
- The downloaded form needs to be printed and taken on the day of the appointment will all other necessary documents.
- Biometrics and Payment for the e-Passport are done on the same day at the place of appointment. . And you might get your e-Passport within 20 days.
About the Service
When everything is going digital, having an e-Passport service is a most needed move for the country as hundreds of thousands of Nepalese citizens are traveling abroad for work, education, recreation purpose, etc. But the pre-enrollment service is facing backlash due to frequent server downs and issues. And the main concern is about waiting for an appointment date which may take weeks sometimes. Without an appointment date, the pre-enrollment process can’t move forward. Hence, the department needs to solve these issues swiftly.