Nepal Seeks India's Approval for National ID Card as Travel Document

Nepal has formally requested India to recognise its National Identity Card (NID) as a valid travel document for Nepali citizens, a move that could allow the biometric card to be used alongside the existing citizenship certificate and passport for travel by both air and land. The proposal has been sent through diplomatic channels, and Kathmandu is awaiting New Delhi's response.

Department of Immigration spokesperson Tika Ram Dhakal said the proposal was forwarded to India's authorities through Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Officials are also in touch with the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and expect a formal response from the Indian side.

If approved, the NID will become the third officially accepted document for Nepali citizens travelling to India, joining the citizenship certificate and passport. At present, Nepali nationals travelling to India, particularly by air, must carry either a passport or an original citizenship certificate. Indian citizens travelling to Nepal by air are required to carry either a passport or a voter identity card issued by the Election Commission of India.

The request forms part of Nepal's broader effort to modernise its identity system. Introduced nationwide in 2018, the biometric National Identity Card contains fingerprints, facial images and iris scans. It has already been made mandatory for several government services, including banking, passport issuance and land registration, and Kathmandu ultimately plans to replace the traditional citizenship certificate with the biometric card. More than 4.5 million Nepalis have already received the card, while around 20 million have applied for it.

Officials in Kathmandu said discussions with representatives of the Indian Embassy have been encouraging, though no decision has yet been announced by New Delhi. Nepal has also been exploring mechanisms to better record and manage cross border movement while preserving the long standing open border arrangement under the 1950 India Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which allows citizens of both countries to travel and work across the border without visas, subject to prescribed identity documents.