How to Get a Ward Recommendation Letter (Sifaris / सिफारिस) in Nepal

A ward recommendation letter, called a sifaris (सिफारिस), is an official letter in which your local ward office recommends or verifies something to another authority. It is one of the most-used documents in daily Nepali life because dozens of tasks at other offices, banks and institutions will not proceed until the applicant produces the relevant ward sifaris confirming an underlying fact.

The letter is a bridge: the ward, which holds the local records and knows the residents, vouches for a fact so the receiving office does not have to verify it independently. A citizenship office, a bank, the land revenue office, a school or a company registrar accepts the ward's stamped and signed sifaris as proof of residence, relationship, income, property ownership or similar.

Because the ward is the frontline unit of local government, a wide range of everyday needs each has its own type of sifaris. This page explains how to obtain one; for the full list of the ward's powers and other services, see the companion overview of what your local government / ward office does.

The ward's authority to recommend and certify comes from the Local Government Operation Act, 2074 (2017). Section 12 sets out the functions, duties and powers of the ward committee, which include issuing the recommendations and certifications residents need, alongside registering vital events and running local development. This is why the ward, not the district or a central office, is the correct first stop for these letters.

The Act operationalises the Constitution of Nepal 2015, whose Schedule 8 gives local levels exclusive powers over local records, registration and services. In practice the ward secretary (the ward's administrative officer) verifies the application and records, and the ward chairperson signs and applies the ward seal that makes the sifaris official.

Each local government (municipality or rural municipality) may set the finer details, the exact document checklist, the fee and any online option, through its own annual law and fee schedule. That is why requirements differ from one ward to another and should always be confirmed locally.

Requirements vary by local government, but the documents below are the typical core for the most-requested sifaris. In almost every case you complete the ward's application form and attach a copy of your citizenship certificate; carry originals plus photocopies, and recent passport-size photos where a personal identity is being certified.

The workflow is broadly the same for every sifaris type; only the supporting documents change. Doing it in person at your own ward, with the correct papers, is the fastest route.

Sifaris fees are nominal and are fixed by each local government in its annual fee schedule, so amounts differ from ward to ward and change year to year; treat the figures below as examples and verify locally. Some sifaris are free or near-free, while others carry a small charge, and property-related sifaris require your local taxes to be cleared first.

As illustrative examples reported by individual municipalities: a residence recommendation may cost around Rs. 250 and be issued the same day; a citizenship recommendation is often provided free of charge, with a small extra charge (around Rs. 100) for urgent same-day service and around Rs. 200 for a duplicate; and specialised, high-value recommendations (such as a ward sifaris supporting a non-resident Nepali citizenship application) can cost substantially more. Straightforward requests are frequently issued the same day, while those needing a field inquiry (sarjamin) may take up to about three working days.

Many local levels are moving sifaris online. Platforms such as SmartPalika's eSifaris, and municipality-branded smart apps, let residents submit an application and supporting documents digitally, with the recommendation processed and digitally signed without a counter visit; some wards then issue the final stamped letter for pickup.

Availability is uneven: whether your ward accepts online requests, and whether a digital sifaris is accepted by the receiving office, varies by local level. Check your municipality's website or app first. Broader national platforms like the Nagarik App consolidate several government services, though core sifaris issuance still runs through your local level.

A little preparation avoids repeat trips. The most common reasons a sifaris is delayed or later rejected are avoidable: going to the wrong ward, missing a supporting document, unpaid local taxes, or spelling and date mismatches across documents.