KATHMANDU: The Department of Transport Management has started issuing driving licenses within 24 hours of revenue payment. The service has been launched for new applicants who passed the trial test, as well as for renewals.
Director Keshav Khatiwada said the system was introduced on a trial basis from Wednesday and will begin regular operation from Monday.
According to him, 2,933 applicants paid license fees on Wednesday, while 3,155 applicants paid on Thursday. Licenses for Wednesday applicants have already been printed and sent to the respective offices.
He said applicants will receive their licenses from the same transport office where they submitted the application.
Currently, 42 transport offices across Nepal are providing license-related services. These offices will upload daily records of applicants who have paid revenue, except on public holidays. The data will reach the department’s central system.
The department will compile all records by 5 pm and send them to the printing center by 6 pm each day.
Earlier, physical data had to be sent to the printing center in Banepa. That process has now been removed. The department has introduced a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to transfer data digitally.
Based on the received data, the printing center will print licenses overnight and deliver them to the department the next day. The department will then dispatch them to concerned offices across the country through postal service.
Khatiwada said most applicants will receive their licenses the day after payment. In some remote areas, delivery may take up to two days. Discussions are also underway with the postal department to ensure same-day delivery nationwide.
He added that home delivery of licenses is also being planned as part of the government’s administrative reform agenda approved by the Cabinet led by Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
The department is also preparing to allow license applications directly through the Nagarik App in the near future.
Backlog to be cleared by mid-July
Khatiwada said all applicants waiting for licenses since May 2022 will receive them by mid-July 2026.
The total backlog stood at 2.9 million licenses. Out of that, 1.2 million licenses are expected to be printed by April 25. Around 500,000 have already been printed and distributed.
The remaining 1.7 million licenses will be printed by mid-July after a new agreement with the security printing center.
He said no applicant will have to carry payment receipts instead of a license from August onwards, and the long-standing problem will finally end.
The Ministry of Finance has already released Rs 375 million budget for printing the backlog licenses.
