KATHMANDU: The Bagmati Province Government is preparing to print driving licenses itself. The provincial government has already procured five printers to avoid further delays to service-seekers.
Birendra Dev Bharati, secretary of the province’s Ministry of Labor, Employment and Transport, said the printers were procured for Rs 50 million. “Although we had invited tenders for the supply of smart cards as well, the procurement process for the cards was unsuccessful,” Bharati told MeroAuto. “We will issue a fresh tender for the supply of smart cards by mid-August.”
Bharati said they decided to handle the printing job themselves, as service-seekers have long been complaining about the delay in receiving their driving licenses.
The provincial government has allocated Rs 67.5 million for license printing in the fiscal year 2025/26 which began on Thursday. Although the number of smart cards to be procured has not been finalized, Bharati said the government would purchase as many as the budget allows. “Each smart card is estimated to cost between Rs 130 and Rs 150. We will procure as many as we can within the budget,” he added.
Other provincial governments have also been making necessary preparations to print driving licences themselves to avoid further delays for service-seekers.
The provincial government had earmarked Rs 120 billion for the purchase of printers and smart cards in 2024/25.
With the new printers, the provincial government will have the capacity to print up to 750 licenses per hour. “Each printer can print 150 licenses every hour. This means five printers can print a total of 750 units per hour,” Khagendra Paudel, the spokesperson for the ministry, said. “We will start printing as soon as the smart cards arrive.”
According to the Department of Transport Management of the federal government, over 3 million individuals are awaiting their driving licenses. Some of them have been waiting for over three years.
The federal government authorized provincial governments to print driving licenses on their own in January last year. Following this decision, the provincial governments have been making necessary preparations to print driving licenses themselves.
Gandaki Province Government has earmarked Rs 100 million for the purpose, while Koshi Province Government has set aside Rs 70 million to print QR code-enabled licenses. Likewise, Karnali Province has announced plans to begin smart license printing and distribution this year. The Madhesh Province Government has also said that it will print licenses within the province.
