Nepali Embassies and Consulates Worldwide: A Directory of Diplomatic Missions and Consular Services

Nepal's external relations are conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA, mofa.gov.np), headquartered in Singha Durbar, Kathmandu. Abroad, the country is represented by a network of resident diplomatic missions. As of 2025 this network comprises roughly 32 embassies, 9 consulates-general and 2 permanent missions accredited to the United Nations — a little over 40 missions in total. Each mission also carries accreditation to several additional countries on a non-resident basis, so Nepal maintains diplomatic relations with far more states than it has physical offices in.

An embassy is Nepal's principal diplomatic mission in a host country and is normally located in the capital, headed by an Ambassador. A consulate-general is a subordinate post in a major city other than the capital, headed by a Consul-General, that focuses on consular and community services rather than high diplomacy. A permanent mission represents Nepal to an international organisation such as the United Nations rather than to a single state.

The network grew out of a tiny foreign office. By the time of the 1950 political change Nepal maintained relations with only India, Britain, France and the United States; the Ministry expanded rapidly through the 1950s and 1960s, driven by Nepal's strategic position between India and China, and has continued to add missions to reflect labour migration and the worldwide Nepali diaspora.

Nepal's resident missions are concentrated in the regions most relevant to its citizens: the Gulf and Southeast Asia (large migrant-worker populations), South Asia (its immediate neighbourhood), and the Western capitals and cities with established Nepali communities. The lists below are grouped by region; honorary consulates, which provide limited services, are not included.

The clustering of consulates-general in China (Lhasa, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Chengdu), the Gulf (Dubai, Jeddah), India (Kolkata) and the United States (New York, San Francisco, Dallas) reflects where consular demand — passports, attestation, and assistance to workers and diaspora — is heaviest.

The most-used services at Nepali missions are those serving Nepali citizens living abroad. The flagship service is the electronic passport (e-passport). Because the e-passport stores biometric data, applicants must apply online through the Department of Passports' portal, book an appointment slot, and then appear in person at the mission to have fingerprints and a facial image captured — there is no fully postal route for a first biometric enrolment. Required documents typically include the printed application form, the original Nepali citizenship certificate, and proof of the applicant's immigration status in the host country; processing commonly takes several weeks to a couple of months as the booklet is personalised in Nepal and shipped back.

Where an applicant cannot produce an original citizenship certificate, missions run a citizenship verification process: the mission forwards the applicant's details to the relevant District Administration Office (DAO) in Nepal, and once the DAO confirms the records the applicant is invited back to complete the passport application. Verification timing depends on the response from the DAO.

Missions also issue the Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) identity card on behalf of the Government of Nepal. The NRN card is available to foreign citizens of Nepali origin (whose parents or grandparents held Nepali citizenship, excluding SAARC countries) and to Nepali citizens who have lived abroad for at least two consecutive years for work, business or profession. Cardholders gain practical rights inside Nepal — visa-free entry and exit for the card's validity, the ability to buy residential property and to invest and hold foreign-currency accounts subject to law. The card is issued in Kathmandu by MoFA and, abroad, by the embassies and missions.

Nepal is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so documents moving between Nepal and other countries are validated through the older chain of consular legalisation rather than an apostille. Inside Nepal, the Department of Consular Services under MoFA attests documents (educational certificates, commercial and personal papers) at its Tripureshwor office in Kathmandu, increasingly through an online appointment system. A document destined for use abroad is first attested in Nepal and may then need a further stamp from the destination country's embassy.

Working in the other direction, Nepali missions abroad attest and certify documents — confirming the authenticity of signatures and seals — so that foreign or locally issued papers can be recognised back in Nepal, and so that Nepali documents can be used in the host country. Common cases include academic transcripts and degrees, marriage and birth records, and powers of attorney. Because attestation requirements differ by document type and by host country, applicants should confirm the exact steps and the modest per-document fee with the specific mission before submitting.

Nepali embassies and consulates also serve non-Nepalis who wish to travel to Nepal. Tourists can obtain a visa in advance from a Nepali mission, or — for most nationalities — buy a visa on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport and other entry points. Visa-on-arrival generally requires a valid passport, the relevant fee and a photograph; missions are the route for travellers who prefer to arrange the visa before departure or whose nationality is not eligible for visa-on-arrival.

Beyond tourist visas, missions handle diplomatic and official visas for accredited travellers, which are issued against an official note from the sending foreign ministry, mission or international organisation. Certain categories receive concessions: NRN identity-card holders and children under ten are exempt from the tourist-visa fee, and some nationalities receive a visa free of charge while still requiring the visa itself. Applicants should treat fees and category rules as administered by the Department of Immigration and the mission, and verify current requirements before travel.

Diplomatic missions are not only consular service desks; they are also Nepal's economic and commercial presence abroad. Embassies promote Nepal's exports, attract investment and support the bilateral relationships behind the country's trade flows, which is why a mission directory naturally cross-links to per-country trade information. Nepal's largest missions sit in or near its biggest economic partners — New Delhi and Beijing above all — mirroring the concentration of Nepal's foreign trade.

For users, the practical value of a per-mission directory is a single, reliable place to find which office serves a given country, what consular services it offers, and where to begin an application. Because office addresses, contact details, fees and appointment systems change, the authoritative starting point for any live transaction is always the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the specific mission's own website under the gov.np domain.