How to Get a Driving Licence in Nepal: Step-by-Step Procedure

A driving licence in Nepal is issued by the Department of Transport Management (DoTM), an agency under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, through its network of Transport Management Offices and service centres across the country. Since December 2016 the system has been a hybrid one: you complete the application online, but you must still appear in person at your chosen office for biometric enrolment (fingerprints and photograph), the written exam and the practical trial. The final product is a machine-readable smart-card licence.

The process runs in a fixed sequence. First you register and submit the online form at the official portal applydlnew.dotm.gov.np and book an appointment. On your appointment day you verify your documents and give biometrics. You then sit the written likhit exam; if you pass, you sit the practical trial test. Only after passing both exams do you pay the licence-issuance fee and enter the queue for your smart card.

Each stage has its own fee and its own pass criteria, and you can apply for more than one vehicle category at the same time (for example a motorcycle and a car category together). Because DoTM periodically revises rules, fees and even age limits, always confirm the current requirements on the portal or at your local office before you start.

Nepal issues category-based licences, each covering a defined class of vehicle. The everyday categories most applicants use are Category A (motorcycles and motorbikes), Category K (scooters and mopeds), and Category B (light four-wheelers such as cars, jeeps and vans). Heavier categories cover mini-buses and trucks, larger buses and heavy trucks, and there are separate classes for tractors, power-tillers and other special vehicles. You may hold or apply for several categories at once.

Minimum age is the key eligibility gate. Historically the minimum has been 16 years for two-wheelers (Category A and K) and 18 years for light four-wheelers (Category B), while heavy-vehicle categories require the driver to be at least 21. Note that DoTM has repeatedly signalled its intention, under the draft Motor Vehicles and Transport Management Act, to raise the minimum age to 18 across the board and to extend licence validity; because such changes can take effect at any time, verify the current age rule for your category before applying.

Beyond age, you must be medically fit to drive, hold a Nepali citizenship certificate, and (for higher categories) sometimes hold an existing licence and driving experience for a set period. A basic medical self-declaration plus a blood-group and colour-blindness check is part of the standard application.

Prepare your paperwork before you open the online form, because you will upload scanned copies and then present the originals on your appointment day. The core requirement is your Nepali citizenship certificate, which fixes your legal name, date of birth and address on the licence. Details you enter online must match your citizenship exactly, or verification will fail at the office.

You will also need a recent passport-style photograph on a plain background, a specimen of your signature, and evidence of your blood group. Many applicants obtain a simple blood-group and colour-blindness test card from a clinic or lab beforehand. When uploading, keep image files small (commonly kept well under 200 KB) and legible; blurry citizenship scans are a frequent cause of rejection.

If you apply in person rather than online, the office issues a paper driving-licence form and a medical-test form for a nominal charge, and you affix a small revenue stamp. Either way, carry the originals of everything on your biometric day, along with the printed appointment confirmation.

Go to applydlnew.dotm.gov.np and choose Register to create an account. You will enter your full name, date of birth as per citizenship, mobile number and email, then verify a one-time password (OTP) sent to your phone. Once logged in, complete the application in sections: personal details (including blood group and guardian details), permanent and current address as per citizenship, and then accept the terms and select your vehicle category or categories.

Next you choose the province and the nearest DoTM office where you want to test, and then book an appointment date for biometrics and document verification. Appointments are quota-limited. In practice the quota tends to open for dates roughly a couple of weeks ahead, and slots are refreshed on a schedule (users commonly report refreshes in the early morning around 7 to 8 AM or after 5 PM), so popular offices fill quickly and you may need to try on successive days. A final OTP confirms your booking.

The portal itself is only open during set hours and days rather than around the clock, and it is unavailable on public holidays; the exact window is shown on the site, so check it before you begin. Print or save your confirmation, then arrive at the office on the appointed day for verification and biometric capture. After biometrics you are scheduled for the written exam, often the following day.

After biometrics you sit the written test, known as the likhit exam, usually the next day. It is a computer-based multiple-choice test covering traffic signs, road rules, driving mechanics, safe-driving practice and basic vehicle knowledge. The paper is drawn from a published question bank (widely circulated as a set of several hundred practice questions), so candidates can and should prepare in advance using official and mock question sets.

The exam has 20 questions and a 30-minute time limit. It is commonly scored out of 100 with each question worth 5 marks, and the pass threshold is 60 out of 100 (i.e. at least 12 correct answers). Results are typically published the same day, often in the afternoon. Exact marking conventions can vary slightly between offices and over time, so confirm the current pass mark locally.

The written test carries a fee of Rs 500. If you fail, you must re-sit; passing it is the gate to booking the practical trial. Because the questions are standardised, disciplined study of the DoTM question bank is the single most reliable way to clear this stage on the first attempt.

Passing the written exam lets you take the trial - the on-vehicle practical test on a marked course at the testing ground. You can generally use your own vehicle or a rented one of the correct category. The trial is scored, and the widely applied pass standard is 70 points out of 100. Beyond the score, certain errors cause instant disqualification regardless of your running total.

For motorcycles and scooters (Category A and K), the course typically includes the figure-8 loop, a narrow plank or balance beam, a U-turn, obeying a traffic signal, controlled speed over breakers, and a ramp or hill-start where you must stop between two lines and move off on an incline without rolling back. For cars (Category B), the course centres on the figure-8, a signalled section, reverse garage parking, and the ramp hill-start. Common instant-fail mistakes include a tyre fully crossing the figure-8 boundary, stalling repeatedly on the ramp, or rolling back too far on the incline.

The trial fee is Rs 500 per attempt. If you fail, you may retake it after a waiting period (commonly around 30 days); failing repeatedly can require restarting parts of the process, so practise the specific course tasks - especially the figure-8 and the ramp - before test day.

Budget for three separate charges: the written exam (Rs 500), the trial test (Rs 500 per attempt), and the licence-issuance fee once you pass both. The issuance fee depends on category - commonly around Rs 1,500 for two-wheeler categories (A/K) and higher for four-wheelers, with combined applications costing more. Because DoTM revises its fee schedule from time to time, treat these figures as indicative and confirm the exact amounts at your office or on the portal.

After you pass the trial and pay, you are issued a temporary paper slip that legally allows you to drive while your smart card is being printed. The smart card is then mailed or made available for collection. Printing and delivery times have varied widely over the years - from a few weeks to, at busier periods, many months - depending on card-stock supply and backlog, so keep your temporary slip safe until the card arrives.

The standard licence has generally been valid for five years, after which it must be renewed. DoTM has proposed extending validity (to as long as ten years) under the new transport act; check the validity printed on your own card.

A Nepali driving licence must be renewed before or shortly after it expires; driving on an expired licence risks a fine. Renewal is done at a DoTM office (with online booking where available) by submitting your existing licence and citizenship, completing the renewal form, and paying the renewal fee - commonly around Rs 1,500, plus any late surcharge if you renew after expiry. No fresh written or trial exam is required for a straightforward renewal of the same category.

If your licence is lost, stolen or damaged, you can apply for a duplicate (replacement) smart card. This usually requires a police report or a written application declaring the loss, your citizenship, and payment of the prescribed duplicate fee at your office. The replacement carries the same category and remaining validity as the original.

For any renewal or duplicate, bring originals of your identity documents, keep photocopies, and confirm the current fee and any surcharge at the office, since these amounts and the exact procedure are updated periodically by DoTM.