KATHMANDU: The government has proposed to reduce penalties for late renewal of driving license.
At present, drivers currently are charged up to 500% of the renewal fee for delayed renewals. The draft Motor Vehicles and Transport Bill, 2025, seeks to cap the maximum penalty at 300%.
At present, one does not need to pay any penalty if a license is renewed within 90 days of its expiry. A 100% penalty will apply for renewals done within one year of expiry. These provisions have been kept unchanged in the new Bill.
However, penalties for longer delays have been reduced. The penalty for renewals within two years of expiry will be cut from 200% to 150%; while penalty for renewals done within three years of expiry will be lowered from 300% to 200%. Similarly, penalty for renewals done within four years of expiry will go down to 250% from 400%; and within five years to 300% from 500%.
The draft Motor Vehicles and Transport Bill, 2025, also proposes to double the validity of driver’s licenses to 10 years. Driving licenses currently come with a validity of five years.
Renewal fees, however, have been left unchanged. Currently, the renewal fee is Rs 3,000 for heavy vehicles, Rs 2,500 for medium vehicles, Rs 2,000 for light vehicles and Rs 1,500 for two-wheelers. Drivers holding a license to operate multiple vehicle types are required to pay the highest applicable fee while renewing their license. For example, a driver licensed to operate both two-wheelers and light vehicles are required to pay the renewal fee applicable for light vehicles.
