How to Send a Parcel or Letter from Nepal: Step-by-Step Guide

Postal service in Nepal is run by Nepal Post, the trading name of the Department of Postal Service (Hulak Sewa Bibhag) under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. The service traces its history to the first post office, the Nepal Hulak Ghar, established in 1878 AD (1935 BS), and Nepal joined the Universal Postal Union (UPU) — the United Nations agency that coordinates international mail — on 11 October 1956 (2013 BS). Membership means items handed to Nepal Post travel on standard UPU documentation to every member country.

The hub of the network is the General Post Office (GPO), long based at Sundhara in central Kathmandu and now operating from Dillibazar (Charkhal Road). The GPO and its Foreign Post Section handle all inbound and outbound international mail, while District Post Offices (DPOs) in each of Nepal's 77 districts and smaller area post offices handle domestic collection and delivery. Counter services include ordinary and registered mail, parcels, Express Mail Service (EMS), money orders and post-box rental.

Private couriers and cargo agents also carry documents and packages, usually faster but at much higher cost. Nepal Post remains the cheapest formal channel and the only one with counters in every district, so the procedures below focus on the government postal system.

Posting an ordinary letter is simple: write the recipient's name, house or tole (street/neighbourhood), ward number and municipality, district and five-digit postal code on the envelope (Kathmandu GPO is 44600; use the postal-code finder on amarnepal.com if unsure), buy stamps at any post office counter, and hand the letter over the counter or drop it in a letter box. Under Nepal Post's published internal tariff, an ordinary letter costs NPR 8 for the first 20 grams and NPR 5 for each additional 20 grams or part thereof; a postcard costs NPR 5 (NPR 7 if printed) and an aerogramme NPR 3. Rates are revised periodically by the government, so confirm the current figure at the counter.

For anything important — legal documents, certificates, cheques — use registered post (rajistri). Registration costs NPR 20 per item on top of postage. The counter clerk records the item, gives you a receipt with a registration number, and the letter travels in the recorded-mail stream with a signature collected on delivery. Add-ons include an acknowledgement card (advice of delivery) for NPR 8, an attested delivery record within six months for NPR 10, and insurance at NPR 15 for declared value up to NPR 500 plus NPR 5 per additional NPR 100.

A certificate of posting (NPR 5 for up to three items) proves you mailed something on a given date without full registration, and braille 'blind literature' up to 7 kilograms travels free, a UPU-mandated concession.

Nepal Post accepts almost any lawful item as a domestic parcel. Pack the contents in a strong box or cloth wrapping, write the sender's and recipient's full addresses with postal codes, and book it at a post office parcel counter. Nepal Post's service page lists 10 kilograms as the maximum for a domestic air parcel, while the published tariff carries surface-parcel rates up to 20 kilograms; heavier consignments must go by courier or cargo.

Under the published tariff, a surface parcel costs NPR 30 for the first 500 grams and NPR 30 for each additional 500 grams, while an air parcel costs NPR 30 for the first 500 grams plus NPR 15 per additional 100 grams (air parcels up to 10 kg). A registration charge of NPR 20 is added to every parcel. For urgent papers there is a domestic Express Mail Service — NPR 50 for the first 20 grams and NPR 10 per additional 25 grams — plus a same-day delivery service within Kathmandu Metropolitan City at NPR 50 for the first 20 grams and NPR 20 per additional 25 grams.

Delivery of parcels works on an intimation-card system: when the parcel reaches the destination post office, the office sends the addressee an intimation card, and the addressee collects the parcel by presenting the card together with an identity document. If a domestic express item is lost or damaged, the tariff provides registered-item compensation plus a postage refund.

For international mail, Nepal Post groups destinations into four airmail zones: Zone 1 covers SAARC neighbours such as India, Zone 2 the Gulf, China and Southeast Asia, Zone 3 Europe, Africa and Japan, and Zone 4 the Americas and Oceania (including the United States and Australia). Under the published foreign postage tariff, an airmail letter up to 20 grams costs NPR 25 (Zone 1), NPR 35 (Zone 2), NPR 50 (Zone 3) or NPR 60 (Zone 4), with letters accepted up to 2 kilograms. Small packets of goods up to 2 kilograms have their own rate band (NPR 60–110 for the first 50 grams by zone). The tariff sheet itself notes that surface (sea) mail 'is not in existence these days', so effectively everything travels by air.

To send documents abroad from Nepal with proof of posting, add international registration: NPR 130 per item, reduced to NPR 100 within SAARC countries. Registered items carry a barcode that can be traced end-to-end, and an international acknowledgement card costs NPR 15. For faster, fully tracked delivery of documents and merchandise up to 20 kilograms, use international EMS, bookable at the GPO and major post offices in cities such as Pokhara and Biratnagar. Nepal Post's EMS page (its figures date from around 2010) lists 38 partner countries and tariffs from NPR 300 minimum for India, plus a merchandise surcharge of NPR 50 up to 2 kg (NPR 150 above); coverage through the UPU's EMS Cooperative is wider today, so ask the counter for the current rate card.

Whatever service you choose, bring the item unsealed. Merchandise going abroad must be presented at the customs counter attached to the Foreign Post Section, where a customs declaration (UPU form CN 22 for low-value items, CN 23 for parcels) is completed, the contents inspected, and the package sealed by customs before booking. Carry your citizenship certificate or passport, an invoice for commercial contents, and the recipient's full address with postcode and phone number. Keep the receipt: EMS and registered items get a 13-character tracking code ending in 'NP'.

Every international package leaving Nepal passes customs at the Foreign Post Section, so an accurate declaration is not optional. Misdeclaring contents or value on the CN 22/CN 23 can see the item opened, delayed, seized or returned, and false export declarations are punishable under the Customs Act, 2064 (2007). Declare gifts as gifts, mark documents as documents, and attach a simple invoice for anything sold.

The UPU bans certain articles in international mail everywhere: dangerous goods such as explosives, compressed gases, flammable liquids (often including perfume), corrosives and infectious substances; narcotic and psychotropic drugs; counterfeit and pirated goods; obscene material; and live animals. Lithium batteries are dangerous goods and may only be mailed installed in a device, in limited numbers, where the operator has civil-aviation approval — ask before packing electronics. Coins, banknotes, jewellery and precious metals or stones may not travel in ordinary uninsured mail.

Nepal adds its own export restrictions. Archaeological objects and idols more than 100 years old cannot be exported under the Ancient Monument Preservation Act, 2013 BS (1956); for new handicrafts that merely look old, a Department of Archaeology certificate avoids seizure. Wildlife products protected under CITES and narcotics are likewise barred. Destination rules matter too — the United States Postal Service, for instance, bars currency, jewellery, precious metals and radioactive materials in mail for Nepal — so check both ends before posting.

Inbound international mail enters Nepal through the Foreign Post Section at the GPO in Kathmandu, where a postal customs unit of the Department of Customs (under the Ministry of Finance, headquartered at Tripureshwor) screens consignments. Ordinary letters and documents are delivered without charges, while parcels, EMS merchandise and anything declared as goods are held for assessment. If your parcel is dutiable you will be notified by intimation card, and often by phone if the sender wrote your number on the label.

Duty is assessed on the goods' transaction value including freight and insurance (a CIF basis), at Harmonized System (HS) rates ranging from zero to over 80 percent, plus 13 percent value-added tax (VAT) on most items. Gift and sample concessions are set by the annual Finance Act and change from budget to budget, so check the Department of Customs website for current thresholds, and use the customs duty calculator in the amarnepal.com Tools section for a rough estimate before you collect. A genuine invoice and accurate declaration from the sender make assessment far quicker.

To collect, go to the post office named on the intimation card (for most Kathmandu Valley recipients, the GPO) with the card and your citizenship certificate or passport; anyone collecting on your behalf needs an authorization letter and their own ID. You pay the assessed duty and VAT plus small postal fees under the published tariff: a NPR 10 customs clearance fee when duty is levied and a repacking charge of NPR 15–50 on dutiable parcels opened for inspection. Storage is free for the first 7 days after intimation; thereafter demurrage of NPR 5 per day applies for 15 days and NPR 10 per day beyond that, after which unclaimed parcels can be auctioned — so collect promptly.

Registered letters, parcels and EMS items receive a traceable barcode. The 13-character international code (ending in 'NP' for items posted in Nepal) works on the UPU's Global Track & Trace portal (globaltracktrace.ptc.post) and usually on the destination operator's website; the Nepal Post and GPO (gpo.gov.np) sites link to domestic and international tracking pages. If an item goes missing, lodge an inquiry (free under the tariff) at the office of posting with your receipt; compensation depends on the service used — another reason to register anything valuable.

The GPO can be reached through its call centre at 01-4532891 / 01-4543913 or gpo@nepalpost.gov.np. Post offices follow government working days, closing on Saturdays and public holidays, with counters typically open from about 9 or 10 am to 4–5 pm depending on season; go before mid-afternoon for customs-related work. Fiscal-year rate changes usually take effect from Shrawan 1 (mid-July), so treat the figures in this guide as the published tariff, to be confirmed at the counter.

Three habits prevent most postal problems in Nepal: write the five-digit postal code and a phone number on every item (look codes up with the postal-code finder on amarnepal.com); never seal an international package before the customs counter has seen it; and photograph the contents and keep receipts until delivery is confirmed. For urgent or high-value shipments, compare Nepal Post EMS against private couriers — EMS is usually far cheaper, while couriers offer door pickup and faster customs brokerage.