Nepal launches e-passport service

Nepal launched e-passport services on Wednesday with a 102-year-old academician and cultural expert becoming the first person to get the chip-based identification document.Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka inaugurated the first e-passport personalisation centre at Tripureshwor in Kathmandu.At the function, the minister handed over the first Nepali e-passport to litterateur Satya Mohan Joshi.Nepal launched machine-readable passports in 2010, replacing the handwritten travel documents.

Nepal launched e-passport services on Wednesday with a 102-year-old academician and cultural expert becoming the first person to get the chip-based identification document.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka inaugurated the first e-passport personalisation centre at Tripureshwor in Kathmandu.

At the function, the minister handed over the first Nepali e-passport to litterateur Satya Mohan Joshi.

Nepal launched machine-readable passports in 2010, replacing the handwritten travel documents. The handwritten passports were completely phased in 2015.

Applicants for fresh passports can apply for the e-passports from November 18 onwards. However, the machine-readable passports will remain valid till 2031.

The e-passports will ensure enhanced security with installed chips consisting of biometric data, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

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