How to Register as a Voter and How to Vote in Nepal: A Step-by-Step Guide

Under the Constitution of Nepal 2015 (Article 84), every Nepali citizen who has reached the age of 18 by the prescribed cutoff date and whose name is on the electoral roll is entitled to vote. The right applies equally regardless of sex, religion, caste, ethnicity or region, and a person may be registered as a voter in only one constituency — the district and ward of their permanent residence.

The Voter Roll Act / Electoral Rolls Act, 2017 (2073 BS) governs the preparation and maintenance of the electoral roll. A core rule is that only people whose names appear on the voter list on election day are allowed to vote, so registration must be completed in advance. Once an election date is announced, no new names can be added to the roll for that election, which makes registering early important.

Registration itself can be initiated from age 16 in some processes, but the right to actually cast a ballot is reserved for those who are 18 or older and otherwise qualified (a Nepali citizen, of sound mind, and not disqualified under any law in force).

The Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) lets eligible citizens begin registration online before visiting an office. The pre-registration portal is at applyvr.election.gov.np. Citizens who hold a National Identity Card number (NIN) benefit from a streamlined process, because the system can retrieve demographic and biometric data already linked to the National ID database; integration of the National ID into the voter-roll system was rolled out in late 2025 to make registration faster and largely paperless.

The general online flow is to enter your mobile number, receive and confirm a one-time password (OTP) sent by SMS, then open the registration form and choose 'New Registration.' You fill in your personal details so that they exactly match your citizenship record, submit the form, and receive a unique reference number. You should print or save the confirmation page, as the reference number is used at the next, in-person stage. The Nagarik App can also be used to start the process and schedule a biometric appointment.

Online pre-registration alone does not place you on the roll — you must complete biometric verification in person. The Election Commission has expanded this so that photographs and biometrics can be captured at any election office, not only your home district office, which helps people who live away from their registered ward. At the office an official records your photograph, fingerprints and signature.

Bring your supporting documents: your citizenship certificate (and National ID, if you have one), a photocopy, a passport-size photo, and any migration or marriage certificate if those are relevant to where you are registering. After verification your details are added to the electoral roll, and a voter identity card with photograph may be issued. Special registration arrangements exist for elderly, disabled and hospitalised citizens.

Before election day, confirm that your name is on the roll and find your assigned polling station. The Election Commission publishes a searchable voter list (Matadata Namawali) through election.gov.np and the dedicated voter-list database at voterlist.election.gov.np.

To search, you typically select your province, district, local level, ward number and polling (voting) station, then submit to view the list of registered voters. You can narrow the list by the first letter of your name in Devanagari. Selecting your entry and confirming an identifier such as your date of birth or citizenship number reveals your voter details, including the polling centre where you must vote. Verifying this in advance lets you correct errors and avoid being turned away on the day.

Nepal's House of Representatives is elected through a parallel (mixed) system under Article 84: 165 of the 275 members are chosen by First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) in single-member constituencies, and the remaining 110 are allocated by Proportional Representation (PR) from party lists. As a result, in a House of Representatives election each voter casts two votes — one FPTP vote for an individual candidate and one PR vote for a political party.

Voters receive separate ballot papers for the two systems (commonly distinguished by colour — for example FPTP and PR ballots printed differently — and laid out with party and candidate election symbols to aid recognition, including for voters who cannot read). Local-level elections use a different set of ballots covering several positions such as mayor/chairperson, deputy, and ward members. The election symbols printed on ballots are a long-standing feature that makes voting more accessible.

Polling generally runs from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on election day at your assigned polling station. Voters often line up in separate queues, with priority for the elderly, people with disabilities and pregnant women. At the desk you present your voter ID or citizenship certificate so officials can confirm your name on the roll.

Once verified, an official marks your finger (typically the left thumb, at the skin–nail junction) with indelible ink to prevent anyone from voting twice. You are then handed your ballot paper(s); check that each carries the election officer's signature, because a ballot missing it is invalid. Inside the private booth you mark your choice using only the official swastika (swastik) stamp — dip it in the ink pad and press it clearly inside the box beside your chosen candidate's or party's symbol.

Marking with a pen, pencil, fingerprint or any tool other than the supplied stamp invalidates the vote, as does stamping outside the box, between two symbols, or stamping more than once where only one mark is allowed. Let the ink dry, fold the ballot as instructed to avoid smudging, place it in the correct ballot box, and leave without lingering.