How to Replace a Lost Passport in Nepal: Police Report, Replacement Application and Travel Document (2026)

The immediate step after losing your passport, or having it stolen, is to report it to the nearest police station and obtain a written police report (a first-information report, in Nepali jaaheri). Do this promptly: reporting protects you if your document is misused for fraud or illegal travel, and the police report is a supporting document for your replacement application, especially if you are abroad.

A passport reported lost or stolen must not be used for travel again, even if you later find it. Once the loss is registered, the Department of Passports can flag the document as cancelled and notify Interpol, so the old booklet becomes invalid. If you are overseas, also inform the nearest Nepali embassy or consulate straight away, particularly if you need to travel home urgently.

Historically, applicants replacing a lost Nepali passport had to publish a public notice of the loss in a national newspaper (such as Gorkhapatra or Kantipur) and submit the loss record along with the police report. According to Nepali media reporting on the Department of Passports, this requirement has been eased: the Department now has a provision to inform Interpol that the lost passport has been cancelled, so a newspaper publication or a formal loss record may no longer be mandatory to apply for a new passport inside Nepal.

Because practice can vary by office and can change, treat the police report as essential and be prepared to also provide a newspaper clipping and any loss documentation if your enrolment office requests it. For applications at a Nepali mission abroad, a police report from the local police (clearly stating your name and, ideally, the number of the lost passport) is generally required. Always confirm the exact current formalities with the Department of Passports or your enrolment centre before applying.

Nepal issues an electronic, ICAO-compliant biometric passport (eMRTD), launched on 17 November 2021 and issued by the Department of Passports under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Replacing a lost passport does not mean receiving a duplicate of the old booklet; there is no way to reissue the missing document. Instead you apply for an entirely new e-passport, which will carry a new passport number.

Because it is a fresh issuance, the same biometric enrolment applies: your facial image, fingerprints and signature are captured, and your identity is verified against your citizenship certificate. Since 2025, a National Identity Number (NIN) from the Department of National ID and Civil Registration is required for new e-passport applications, so ensure your National ID enrolment is complete (the digital NID in the Nagarik App can serve while the physical card is pending).

The core identity document is your original Nepali citizenship certificate plus a clear photocopy; this is mandatory. To the standard e-passport paperwork, a lost-passport case adds the police report and, if you have one, a photocopy of the lost passport (or at least its number), which greatly helps verification.

Prepare recent passport-size colour photographs, your National ID Number, and proof of the paid fee (bank voucher or online payment). Applicants at a Nepali mission abroad must also show proof of legal status in that country (residence permit, visa page or similar) and, in many missions, a self-addressed prepaid return envelope. Minors need additional documents such as a birth or minor identity certificate and both parents' citizenship certificates.

Start online at the pre-enrolment portal, emrtds.nepalpassport.gov.np (reachable from nepalpassport.gov.np). Choose the application type "Replacement (Lost/Stolen)", select the booklet size (34 or 66 pages), pick an enrolment centre, and book an appointment. Enter your details exactly as on your citizenship certificate and upload the required scans; the online form typically must be completed within about 30 minutes before the session expires. Save the generated reference / enrolment number and print the application form.

Then attend in person on your appointment date for biometric capture. Inside Nepal you can enrol at the Department of Passports in Tripureshwor, Kathmandu, or at the District Administration Office (DAO) of any district; DAOs forward captured data to the central facility for personalisation, after which the booklet is returned. Bring the printed form, original citizenship certificate and photocopy, the police report, a copy of the lost passport if you have it, photographs and the fee voucher.

A lost or stolen replacement costs more than a fresh passport, effectively a penalty fee. As of 2026, secondary sources report domestic lost/damaged replacement fees of roughly NPR 17,000 for a 34-page booklet and NPR 25,000 for a 66-page booklet, while at least one report frames it as the standard passport fee plus an additional NPR 5,000; abroad, missions generally charge higher local-currency amounts (for example, around USD 225 to USD 310 in the United States, or CHF 170 to CHF 255 in Geneva, depending on booklet size and payment method). These figures vary by source and can change, so confirm the exact current fee on the official portal before paying.

Timelines also vary. Inside Nepal, regular processing is generally a couple of weeks (with fast-track faster), and DAO applicants outside the Kathmandu Valley should allow extra time for courier delivery. Replacement passports processed through missions abroad can take roughly one to two months from biometrics; where you need to travel urgently, a travel document is the faster route (see below). Track your application with the reference/enrolment number via the follow-up search at emrtds.nepalpassport.gov.np or the official Nepal ePassport mobile app.

Nepali citizens who lose a passport overseas apply at the nearest Nepali embassy, consulate or permanent mission. You have two paths. If you can wait, apply for a replacement e-passport through the same emrtds.nepalpassport.gov.np pre-enrolment, then attend the mission with your citizenship certificate (original and copy), a photocopy of the lost passport, a local police report and proof of your legal status; processing is typically about one to two months.

If you must return to Nepal quickly, the mission can issue a one-way travel document (an emergency, single-journey document) valid only for travel back to Nepal. This is generally processed in under a week and requires a completed travel-document application form, your citizenship certificate copy and lost-passport copy, a police report clearly stating your name and the lost passport number, and passport-size photographs. The mission verifies your Nepali identity before issuing it. A travel document is for return travel only, not a substitute passport.

Once you collect the new e-passport, keep the police report and any acknowledgement in case questions arise about the old document. Remember that the lost passport is cancelled and cannot be used, even if you later find it; travelling on it risks detention or fines.

If you obtained a replacement or travel document abroad and any valid visas were in the lost passport, those visas do not automatically move across; you will typically need the issuing country's authorities to reissue or transfer them. On returning to Nepal on a travel document, or after replacing a passport, foreign nationals and returnees with Nepali visas should follow up with the Department of Immigration to transfer or regularise their visa status in the new document.