How to Make a Citizenship Certificate in Nepal (Nagarikta)

The Nepali citizenship certificate, called nagarikta praman-patra (नागरिकता प्रमाणपत्र), is the foundational legal proof of Nepali nationality. It is required for almost every major transaction in adult life in Nepal: getting a passport, opening a bank account, sitting government exams, buying land, registering a SIM or a company, voting, and enrolling for the National ID card. Without it, a Nepali citizen cannot easily access most state services.

Citizenship is governed by the Nepal Citizenship Act, 2063 (2006 AD) and its rules, read together with Part 2 of the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 (2015 AD) and the Nepal Citizenship (Second Amendment) Act, 2079 (2022 AD). The amendment resolved several long-pending issues, including citizenship for children of citizens by birth and a new limited Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) citizenship under section 7A.

Certificates are issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Chief District Officer (CDO) at the District Administration Office (DAO / Jilla Prasasan Karyalaya). In larger districts an Area Administration Office (Ilaka Prasasan Karyalaya) may also issue certificates for its area. Civil registration and the National ID system sit under a separate body, the Department of National ID and Civil Registration (DoNIDCR).

Nepal recognises citizenship by descent, by birth (a closed transitional class), naturalised, and honorary, plus the newer NRN citizenship with non-political rights. The vast majority of ordinary applicants qualify by descent, meaning at least one parent (father or mother) was a Nepali citizen at the time of the applicant's birth. Since the 2079 amendment, a child of a Nepali mother born and residing in Nepal whose father cannot be identified can also obtain citizenship by descent through self-declaration, with the possibility of later conversion if the father is later found to be foreign.

Citizenship by birth is not open to new applicants: it applied to people permanently domiciled in and continuously resident in Nepal who were born before mid-April 1990 (roughly Chaitra 2046 BS). It is now a closed class, and the 2079 amendment created a route for the children of such citizens by birth to obtain citizenship by descent.

Naturalised (angikrit) citizenship is a discretionary grant for foreign nationals, generally requiring long lawful residence in Nepal (commonly cited as at least 15 years), ability to speak a language of Nepal, good conduct, and renunciation of foreign citizenship. A separate, more accessible route exists for foreign women married to Nepali men, who may apply for naturalised citizenship by submitting the marriage certificate and evidence that they have initiated relinquishing their foreign citizenship. NRN citizenship under section 7A is available to people of Nepali origin who acquired the citizenship of a foreign (non-SAARC) country, and confers economic, social and cultural rights but not political rights.

The by-descent process is the most common and can usually be completed in a single day if papers are complete. It runs in two stages: first the ward office recommendation, then the DAO or Ilaka office issuance. Both a parent (as an identity witness) and, in many DAOs, a prior online token/appointment are typically required.

Start at your ward office in your permanent-residence municipality, where an official verifies your identity, permanent residence and parental relationship, and issues the sifarish patra (recommendation letter) together with the filled application form. Attach your birth registration certificate, both parents' citizenship copies, and, where available, a school character certificate or SEE marksheet. If you are applying in a district other than your parents' district of origin, you will also need a migration certificate (basai-sarai/saruwa praman-patra).

Take the recommendation and documents to the DAO (or Ilaka office) covering your ward. The CDO or an authorised officer checks your documents and witness, confirms identity, and — if everything is in order — signs and stamps the pink certificate, often within a few hours. If additional field verification (sarjamin) is needed, issuance may take a few extra working days.

Exact requirements vary by district and by the applicant's situation, so it is wise to confirm the current checklist with your DAO or its website before travelling. The lists below reflect the common documentation used across most offices. All papers are generally submitted as originals plus photocopies, and a small revenue stamp (commonly NPR 10) is affixed on the application.

For descent applicants, the core set is the ward recommendation, the completed application form, both parents' citizenship certificates, the applicant's birth registration certificate, and passport-size photos; the parents' marriage certificate, a school/character certificate, and a migration certificate are added where relevant. A close adult relative who is already a citizen usually attends as a witness. For a married woman adding her husband's details, the husband's ward recommendation, the marriage registration certificate, both spouses' citizenship copies, and the husband's identity verification are required.

For naturalised applicants and applicants by marriage, expect to submit proof of lawful residence, the marriage certificate (for marriage cases), evidence of steps taken to renounce foreign citizenship, character/police references, and photographs, on the prescribed schedule form; these applications involve extra scrutiny and are not issued the same day. NRN citizenship uses its own schedule forms (including a commitment letter and oath) and proof of Nepali origin and foreign citizenship.

Citizenship applications use the schedule (anusuchi) forms prescribed under the Citizenship Rules, 2063; ward offices and DAOs supply the correct form for your category, so you rarely need to source it yourself. A revenue stamp (commonly NPR 10) is affixed when the certificate is issued, and government service charges for a first-time descent certificate are minimal. Because fee amounts and small service charges can change and vary by office, treat any figure here as indicative and confirm locally.

Processing time depends heavily on category and completeness. A straightforward descent case with all documents and a present witness is frequently completed the same day, sometimes within one to three hours. Cases requiring field verification (sarjamin), migration from another district, or corrections may take several working days. Naturalised, by-marriage and NRN cases involve central review and take considerably longer.

Keep several photocopies and extra passport-size photos ready, as different windows may ask for them. If you cannot attend your home district, verify in advance whether your current district's DAO can process the application using a migration certificate, since not every situation is transferable.

If your citizenship certificate is lost, stolen or damaged, you apply for a certified duplicate (pratilipi) rather than a brand-new certificate. The duplicate carries the same citizenship number as the original; only the physical certificate is reprinted, so your citizenship identity does not change. Every DAO has a copy section (pratilipi sakha) that handles reissuance.

The practical steps are: obtain a ward-office recommendation for a duplicate (nagarikta pratilipi sifaris), then file a written application at the DAO that issued your original certificate, attaching a photocopy of the lost certificate if you have one, passport-size photos, and a revenue stamp. Many people also lodge a report at the local police station to document the loss, which is prudent and sometimes requested; guidance on whether a police report is mandatory varies by office.

You can still obtain a duplicate even without a photocopy of the lost certificate, because the ward office and DAO can verify your details through family records and the office's own archives. Since the original must be reissued by the same DAO, plan to apply in the district where you first received the certificate, or arrange verification if you now live elsewhere.

Nepal is rolling out a biometric National Identity Card (Rastriya Parichaya Patra) through the Department of National ID and Civil Registration (DoNIDCR), and the citizenship certificate is the key document that anchors this enrolment. Since 2079 BS the National ID has been progressively integrated with the voter roll, and it is expected to become the primary reference for many public services over time.

Enrolment is a two-stage process. First, complete online pre-enrolment at the DoNIDCR pre-enrolment portal by verifying your mobile number with a one-time password and entering your demographic details. Then attend the assigned enrolment centre in person for biometric capture (fingerprints, photograph and, where applicable, iris), bringing your original citizenship certificate, a photocopy of it, two recent passport-size photographs, and optionally your birth certificate.

Citizens aged 16 and above holding a valid citizenship certificate are eligible for standard National ID enrolment, which is why obtaining your nagarikta first is essential. Confirm the current enrolment schedule for your district through the official Citizen Portal or your local registration office, as centres are opened area by area.