Transport Management Office Directory: Licence & Bluebook Services

A Transport Management Office (TMO), known in Nepali as yatayat byawastha karyalaya or simply yatayat karyalaya, is the government office that handles almost everything to do with drivers and vehicles in Nepal: issuing and renewing driving licences, registering vehicles, renewing the vehicle registration certificate (the 'bluebook' or nilo kitab), recording ownership transfers, and collecting annual vehicle tax. The legal framework is the Motor Vehicles and Transport Management Act, 2049 (1993) and its Rules, 2054 (1997).

At the federal level, the sector is regulated by the Department of Transport Management (DOTM), which sits under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and is headquartered at Minbhawan, Kathmandu; government office records trace the department's establishment to 2041 BS (1984/85 AD). DOTM sets nationwide policy and runs the online driving licence application system (applydlnew.dotm.gov.np) and the embossed number plate portal (hsenp.dotm.gov.np).

After the Constitution of Nepal, 2072 BS (2015 AD) devolved vehicle registration and transport management to the provinces, day-to-day TMOs were handed to provincial governments — in Bagmati Province they operate under the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Transport, and in Gandaki under the provincial infrastructure and transport ministry. In practice, your vehicle is registered with a province, your annual vehicle tax rate is set by that province's Finance Act, and you deal with that province's TMOs for bluebook work — while the driving licence remains a nationally valid document printed through DOTM's central system.

Kathmandu Valley's transport offices are split by function, which is the single most common source of confusion: some handle only driving licences, others only vehicle registration and bluebook work — and within vehicle offices, motorcycles and larger vehicles are served at different locations. All valley offices are Bagmati Province offices, serving vehicles registered in Bagmati (the old 'Ba' plate series or the new provincial series).

The best-known office is the Transport Management Office at Ekantakuna, Lalitpur — the 'license office Ekantakuna' that dominates search results. Ekantakuna actually hosts two offices: a dedicated driving licence office (written exams, biometrics, trial tests, smart licence printing and distribution; phone 01-5193173) and a vehicle office for small and big four-wheelers handling registration, bluebook renewal and ownership transfer. The Chabahil office in northeast Kathmandu (phone 01-4569511) is today a driving licence office — it opened primarily to handle licence renewals and now also processes new licence applications and smart card distribution.

Two-wheeler owners should note that the motorcycle registration office many people still associate with Chabahil has been relocated: the Transport Management Office (Motorcycle) now operates from Gurjudhara, Chandragiri Municipality-5, in west Kathmandu, handling motorcycle and scooter bluebook renewal, tax payment and ownership transfer for Bagmati-registered two-wheelers. Additional licence service points at Thulo Bharyang/Kalanki and at Jagati, Bhaktapur spread the licence workload across the valley.

Every province now runs its own network of transport offices, typically in provincial capitals and major highway towns. In Gandaki Province, Pokhara has two key offices: the Transport Management Office, Kaski near Prithvi Chowk, which handles vehicle registration and bluebook services, and the separate Transport Management and Driving Licence Office, Kaski (tmolkaski.gandaki.gov.np), which conducts written and practical driving examinations, issues and renews licences, and handles licence record corrections under the Gandaki provincial government.

Within Bagmati Province but outside the valley, TMOs operate in Hetauda (Makwanpur) and Bharatpur (Chitwan), among other locations. Other provinces follow the same pattern — Koshi, Madhesh, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpashchim each maintain transport offices in their main cities, listed on each provincial transport ministry's website and on DOTM's site. Because names and jurisdictions occasionally change as provinces reorganise, check the relevant province's official office directory before travelling far.

The practical rule: driving licence work can generally be done at a licence office in the province where you applied (licence records are central and digital), but bluebook renewal, vehicle tax and ownership transfer must be done at a TMO of the province where the vehicle is registered. A motorcycle with a Gandaki registration cannot renew its bluebook at Gurjudhara in Kathmandu without first completing an inter-province transfer.

Nepal issues a polycarbonate smart driving licence containing a chip with the holder's biometric and licence data. New applicants must first fill the online application form at applydlnew.dotm.gov.np, choose a licence category and an office, and book a date. At the office they complete biometrics, sit the written (likhit) exam, and — after passing — take the practical trial test. The application fee is Rs 500 (raised from Rs 200 when DOTM revised its eleven-year-old fee schedule in 2022, i.e. 2079 BS).

Licence issuance and renewal fees are category-based under the same 2022 revision: Rs 1,500 for two-wheelers (category A), Rs 2,000 for light vehicles such as cars, jeeps and vans (category B), Rs 2,500 for minibus/mini-truck categories and Rs 3,000 for heavy vehicles. A smart licence is valid for five years and must then be renewed, which requires a vision/medical check and biometric verification at a licence office; renewing after expiry attracts additional fines that grow with the delay.

Smart licence printing has historically lagged behind demand, so DOTM publishes lists of printed licences and offices distribute cards in batches — applicants who passed drive on a paper receipt until the card arrives, and print status can be checked through DOTM's online system. Category additions (for example, adding a car category to a motorcycle licence) follow the same online-application, exam and trial process at licence offices such as Ekantakuna, Chabahil, Jagati or Pokhara.

The bluebook (vehicle registration certificate, or nilo kitab) must be renewed every fiscal year, which in Nepal runs from Shrawan 1 to Ashad end (roughly mid-July to mid-July). Renewal is really three things done together at the TMO: paying the annual vehicle tax set by your province's Finance Act, paying the renewal fee, and getting the bluebook stamped with the new validity. Third-party insurance must be valid, and vehicles in Kathmandu Valley are generally required to pass an emission test (the 'green sticker') before renewal.

Where you go depends on your vehicle, not your home: in Bagmati, two-wheelers renew at the TMO (Motorcycle) in Gurjudhara and four-wheelers at the small/big vehicle office at Ekantakuna, while vehicles registered in other Bagmati districts use offices such as Hetauda or Bharatpur; in Gandaki, the TMO Kaski in Pokhara. Renewing within the first three months of the new fiscal year (Shrawan through Ashoj, mid-July to mid-October) is the window commonly applied before fines start; after that, penalties on the unpaid tax escalate in steps — typically 5%, 10% and 20% within the year, and around 32% per year for multi-year arrears.

Because tax differs by province, vehicle type and engine capacity (cc), the exact renewal cost varies widely — a small motorcycle in Bagmati pays a few thousand rupees a year, while a large SUV pays tens of thousands. Use amarnepal.com's Vehicle Tax calculator alongside this directory to estimate your annual tax and late fines before you queue.

New vehicle registration is done at the TMO of the province where the owner is based: the office verifies customs and sales documents, checks the engine and chassis numbers, collects the registration fee and first-year tax, and issues the bluebook and number plate. Nepal is migrating from hand-painted plates to embossed number plates — machine-pressed plates with security features and RFID. From Ashoj 1, 2082 BS (17 September 2025), embossed plates became mandatory for all new registrations, ownership transfers and vehicle type renewals, although DOTM clarified that existing vehicles would not face immediate fines while the rollout continues.

The embossed plate fee is Rs 2,500 for two-wheelers, Rs 2,900 for three-wheelers, Rs 3,200 for light four-wheelers (car, jeep, van) and Rs 3,600 for heavy vehicles. The process is hybrid: fill the online form at hsenp.dotm.gov.np with the required documents (bluebook, owner ID, tax clearance), then visit the TMO that holds your vehicle's registration file for verification and plate fitting, on the appointment date given.

Ownership transfer (namsari) is a legal obligation, not a formality. Under Section 37 of the Motor Vehicles and Transport Management Act, 2049, an owner who transfers a vehicle by sale or gift must apply to the transport authority within 15 days, with the registration certificate and proof of tax payment; an heir inheriting a vehicle has 35 days. Both parties (or their attorneys) appear at the vehicle's TMO with IDs, photos, the sale deed and tax clearance; the office verifies the engine and chassis, collects the prescribed fees, and endorses the new owner in the bluebook. Until transfer is completed, the seller remains legally answerable for the vehicle.

Transport offices follow standard government hours with a seasonal shift: roughly 9:00 am to 5:00 pm in summer and 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in winter (some valley licence offices list Monday–Friday service days for specific counters). Token counters often close an hour or more before the office does, so arrive before mid-morning — especially in the Ashoj rush before bluebook fines begin and in the weeks before major festivals.

Bagmati Province runs an online appointment system for its TMOs at visittmo.bagamati.gov.np, which lets you book a time slot instead of queueing blind — particularly useful at Ekantakuna and Gurjudhara. For licence work, always complete the online form first; offices generally do not accept walk-in paper applications for new licences. Keep photocopies of every document, and be wary of brokers (dalals) around office gates: every official fee has a receipt, and offices publish fee schedules on their citizen charters.

Finally, match the office to the task: licence exams, renewals and smart card pickup happen at licence offices (Ekantakuna licence office, Chabahil, Jagati, Kalanki, TMO Licence Kaski in Pokhara); bluebook renewal, tax, plates and namsari happen at vehicle offices (Ekantakuna small/big vehicle office, Gurjudhara for motorcycles, TMO Kaski at Prithvi Chowk in Pokhara). If in doubt, the office lists on dotm.gov.np and each provincial ministry's directory are the authoritative reference.