Nepal Prints 1.2 Million Driving Licences, Backlog Expected to Clear by Mid-July

Kathmandu, April 29

In a major relief to millions of applicants, Nepal has made significant progress in clearing the long-standing backlog of driving licences, having printed 1.2 million smart licences.

Printing was done under the first phase of an agreement with the Department of Transport Management, said officials at the Security Printing Centre. Now the government is moving forward with the second phase to clear the remaining backlog. 

📊 Big Backlog Starting to Clear Up

Applicants from all over Nepal have been waiting for years to get their driving licences, a lot of whom have only receipts of payment as evidence.

At one point the backlog had grown to almost 2.9 million licences waiting to be processed, much to the frustration of citizens.

But officials say things are improving rapidly.

🖨️ More Printing Speed

The Security Printing Centre has significantly increased its production capacity and now prints approximately:

• 40,000 licenses per day

Officials say that printing continues on public holidays to meet deadlines.

The government is confident that at this pace the entire backlog will be cleared by mid-July 2026. ()

📦 Phase 2 is underway

The government has signed another deal to print an additional 1.7 million licenses after completing the first batch of 1.2 million licenses.

Once both phases are complete:

• All licences on hold will be cleared

• The system should be back to normal

📱 Smart Licences New Features

The new printed licences have enhanced security features including:

• Verification QR-Codes

• Machine readable zones

• Many layers of security

The upgrades are intended to make licences more secure and easier to verify for both users and traffic authorities. ()

🚚 Delivery to Home & Digital Tracking

The government is also working to further modernise the system:

• Licences will be sent through the post

• Applicants can check their licence status on the Nagarik App

• Plans are under way for online payment systems

The measures are expected to ease long queues and better service delivery.

⏱️ Working toward faster service

Authorities have also implemented a new system where:

• New licences can be issued within 24 hours of trials and payment being completed.

This is a massive change from previous delays where people had to wait months or even years for their licences.

📢 Last words

The printing of 1.2 million driving licenses is a major milestone in Nepal’s pursuit to better deliver public services.

There is still work to be done, but the progress being made offers hope that the decades-old backlog problem will finally be solved in the coming months.

If the timeline is met, by mid-July, applicants across Nepal may not have to depend on temporary receipts anymore and finally receive their official driving licences.

Tags: Driving Licence Nepal, DoTM Nepal, Smart Licence Nepal, Transport News Nepal