NRN Card Nepal 2026: Fees, Documents, Online Apply & Full Process

Last updated: 19 September 2026 · Verified against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the official NRN portal (nrn.mofa.gov.np), and Nepali embassy fee schedules in Washington DC, London and Hong Kong.

If you are a Nepali living abroad — or a foreign citizen whose parents or grandparents were Nepali — the NRN Card is the single document that reconnects you legally to Nepal. It unlocks a free visa, the right to buy property, the right to open a foreign-currency bank account, and the right to invest and take your money back out.

The problem is that the information is scattered. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes its fee schedule only in Nepali. Each embassy lists a different price in a different currency. And almost nobody tells you the two details that get most applications rejected: your renunciation certificate must already be issued, and your photo must be exactly 45 mm × 35 mm.

This guide puts all of it in one place, in English, with the 2026 numbers.

What is the NRN Card?

The Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) Identity Card is an official identity document issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Kathmandu, or by any Nepali embassy or consulate general abroad. It formally recognises you as a Non-Resident Nepali under the Non-Resident Nepali Act, 2064 (2008) and the Non-Resident Nepali Rules, 2066 (2009).

Think of it as a diaspora status card rather than a travel document. It does not replace your passport and it does not let you vote. What it does is switch on a defined package of economic, social and cultural rights inside Nepal that ordinary foreign nationals do not get — chiefly a free visa, the ability to own land within set ceilings, and the ability to move investment capital in and profits out.

Who is eligible — and who is not

The NRN Act splits applicants into exactly two categories. Which one you fall into decides your documents, your fee and your card's validity, so get this right before you start.

Category 1: Foreign Citizen of Nepali Origin (FCNO)

You qualify if you, or your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother was a citizen of Nepal at any time, and you have since acquired the citizenship of a foreign country that is not a SAARC member state.

• Card validity: up to 10 years
• Covers first, second and third generation applicants (you, your parent, or your grandparent was Nepali)
• Renunciation of Nepali citizenship is compulsory

Category 2: Nepali Citizen Residing Abroad (NCRA)

You qualify if you still hold Nepali citizenship and have been living in a foreign country for at least two years, engaged in a profession, occupation, business or employment.

• Card validity: up to 2 years
• You keep your Nepali citizenship and passport
• Much cheaper and much simpler than the FCNO card

Who is excluded

This is where competitor guides tend to go quiet. The law explicitly rules out several groups:

• Residents of SAARC countries — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives and Afghanistan. This applies to both categories.
• Nepali diplomats and consular staff posted abroad on a Government of Nepal assignment.
• Students studying at an academic institution abroad — time on a student visa does not count toward the two-year requirement.
• Children of a Nepali-origin mother and a non-Nepali father. The Embassy of Nepal in Washington DC states directly that such a child is not eligible for an NRN ID card. This is a live grievance in the diaspora and it is worth knowing before you pay any fee.

How to get an NRN Card?

Regardless of where in the world you are, the process follows the same three legal steps set out in the NRN Rules:

1. Register as an NRN. Submit an application with the prescribed registration fee to the competent authority — the head of the Nepali embassy or consulate if you are overseas, or the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if you are in Nepal.
2. Pay the card fee. Once your registration is approved, pay the separate identity card fee, which varies by category and by the country of your passport.
3. Collect your card. The authority prints and issues the NRN Identity Card, either over the counter or by post.

In practice, step one now begins online for everyone. The rest of this guide walks through each stage.

Where should you apply — Nepal or abroad?

How to apply for an NRN card online?

Every NRN application now starts at the government's dedicated portal: nrn.mofa.gov.np. There is no alternative paper-first route, and missions will turn you away if you have not submitted online.

1. Open the portal and sign up. Go to nrn.mofa.gov.np and create an account. You will see two separate forms — Foreign Citizen of Nepali Origin and Nepali Citizen Residing Abroad. Choose carefully; picking the wrong one means restarting.
2. Select the correct issuing office. The form asks which office will process your application. Choose the embassy or consulate covering your residence, or select the MOFA Labour Migration and Nepali Diaspora Coordination Division if you intend to apply in Kathmandu.
3. Fill in your personal details. Enter names exactly as they appear on your passport. A mismatch between your foreign passport and your old Nepali citizenship certificate is the single most common cause of delay — if the spelling differs, be ready to explain it.
4. Upload your documents. Every supporting document must be uploaded in the required format and dimensions. Oversized or wrongly sized files are rejected by the system itself, not by a human, so you will not always get a clear error message.
5. Upload your photo and signature. The photo must be a recent passport-size image at 45 mm × 35 mm (400 × 300 pixels). The signature should be signed on plain white paper and scanned.
6. Submit and print. Submit the form, then print the completed application and sign it by hand. This signed printout is part of your physical file.
7. Notify your mission. Online submission alone does not start the clock. Email your embassy or consulate to tell them the application is in — Hong Kong, for example, asks applicants to email the consulate directly after submitting.
8. Submit the physical file and pay. Mail, drop off or hand-deliver the printed application with your self-attested document copies and the fee. Then collect the card, or receive it in your prepaid return envelope.

Self-attesting your copies

Most missions require every photocopy to be self-attested: write "True Copy" on the back of each page, sign it, and date it. An unsigned or un-attested file is returned without being processed.

How to make an NRN card in Nepal (the MOFA route)

If you are already in Kathmandu, applying directly at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is usually the fastest option in the world — MOFA aims to issue the card the same day when the file is complete. But the building is inside Singha Durbar, a restricted government compound, so you cannot simply walk in.

1. Complete the online form first at nrn.mofa.gov.np and prepare your original documents.
2. Call ahead on 01-4211121 to book a convenient time with the NRN Desk. This is not optional — it is how you get into the compound.
3. Give your entry details. Provide your full name, the district that issued your citizenship, your address, and your vehicle number if you are driving. MOFA forwards this to Counter No. 1 at the Singha Durbar south gate.
4. Collect your entry pass at Counter No. 1, south gate, on the appointed day. You will need to leave an ID (citizenship or driving licence) at the gate and collect it on your way out.
5. Register at reception inside MOFA, then go to the NRN Desk, Room 314, third floor (east side), under the Policy, Planning, Development Diplomacy and Nepali Diaspora Division.
6. Document check and approval. If your file is complete, it goes to the Secretary's office on the second floor for approval.
7. Get your payment voucher. Take the approval to the Financial Administration Section, Room 226, second floor, and collect a revenue voucher.
8. Pay at the bank. Deposit the amount at the Rastriya Banijya Bank branch inside the Singha Durbar compound, near the television tower (opposite the Ministry of Information and Communication).
9. Return with the original voucher to the division. Your card is printed and issued — usually the same day, unless the ministry needs to verify something further.

Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) Identity Card: NRN Identity Card vs NRN Citizenship

This is the most confused topic in the entire NRN space, and it is the biggest gap in every competing article we reviewed. The NRN Identity Card and NRN Citizenship are two different documents, issued by two different ministries, under two different laws. Having one does not automatically give you the other.

How the two documents relate

In practice the NRN Identity Card functions as the gateway document. Most DAOs expect to see an NRN ID card (or at least evidence you qualify for one) when you apply for NRN citizenship, and your copy of the card is listed among the supporting documents.

The NRN citizenship route typically requires you to:

• Formally renounce your Nepali citizenship at the DAO and obtain the renunciation certificate
• Get a recommendation letter from your local Ward Office confirming your Nepali origin
• Have the DAO forward your file to the police for a background check
• Bring a close relative who holds valid Nepali citizenship to appear in person at the DAO and verify your identity
• Submit your foreign passport, foreign citizenship certificate, your (or your parents'/grandparents') Nepali citizenship copies, photographs and the application form

And a point no guide should skip: Nepal does not permit full dual citizenship. A Nepali who voluntarily acquires foreign citizenship loses their Nepali citizenship automatically. NRN citizenship is the narrow, non-political exception that lets you hold a foreign passport alongside a Nepali identity — it is a bridge, not dual nationality.

NRN Card benefits

Here is what the card actually buys you, grouped by what people use it for.

1. Free, long-term visa

• Foreign citizens of Nepali origin receive a gratis tourist visa on arrival at the airport, for a number of days set by the Department of Immigration.
• That visa is then converted to an NRN visa by applying to the Non-Tourist Visa Section of the Department of Immigration, extendable for a maximum of one year at a time.
• Both the arrival visa and the extension are free of charge for as long as the NRN card is valid — effectively ten years of free visas for FCNO holders.
• Nepali citizens residing abroad need no visa at all; their card is about the economic rights below.

2. The right to buy property in Nepal

Foreign citizens of Nepali origin may purchase land or immovable property for residential use by themselves or their family, within a strict ceiling that depends on location:

• The ceiling applies to one location only — you choose which category applies, you do not get all five.
• Exception: the ceiling does not apply to land you already acquired while you were still a Nepali citizen.
• Inheritance is separate. A foreign citizen of Nepali origin can inherit ancestral property from Nepali citizens without government approval — but you must hold an NRN ID card to do so.
• You must apply to MOFA for a land-purchase recommendation. There is no fee for this recommendation, and MOFA generally issues it within one week.

3. Banking and money

• Open and operate an account in convertible foreign currency at any Nepali commercial bank or financial institution, for income earned abroad.
• Repatriate your investment and the profits earned on it back out of Nepal.

4. Investment rights

• NRNs are treated as foreign investors under the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, 2019 (FITTA) and may invest in convertible currency.
• Permitted forms include equity shares, reinvestment of profits, lease finance, venture capital funds, listed stocks via the secondary market, acquisition of shares or assets in a Nepali company, technology transfer, and establishing or expanding an industry.
• The conditions: a minimum of NPR 50 million in equity shares, a sector that is not on FITTA's Negative List, and a business that qualifies as an "Industry" under the Industrial Enterprises Act, 2020.

5. Social and civil rights

• Marry in Nepal under the National Civil Code.
• Apply to reacquire Nepali citizenship by relinquishing your foreign citizenship.
• Formal recognition of your Nepali origin for schools, institutions and cultural participation.

What the NRN Card does NOT give you

• No voting rights and no right to stand for election.
• No appointment to the civil service, security forces, judiciary or constitutional bodies.
• No Nepali passport.
• No automatic right of entry — you still take the (free) visa.
• No dual citizenship.

What are the documents required?

The list differs sharply between the two categories. Prepare the correct one.

For a Foreign Citizen of Nepali Origin

1. Completed online application form, printed and signed by hand.
2. Proof of your current foreign citizenship — naturalisation certificate, citizenship certificate, or a birth certificate if you were born in that country.
3. Copy of your valid foreign passport.
4. Original certificate of renunciation of Nepali citizenship, plus a photocopy. This is mandatory and non-negotiable.
5. Proof of Nepali origin, one of:
   • Your own former Nepali citizenship certificate, minor certificate or birth certificate (first generation)
   • Your father's or mother's Nepali citizenship certificate (second generation)
   • Your grandfather's or grandmother's Nepali citizenship certificate, plus a document proving the relationship (third generation)
6. Proof of profession, business or employment abroad — business registration documents, or an employment letter and income details.
7. Recent passport-size photographs. MOFA in Nepal asks for three; missions abroad typically ask for two, uploaded at 45 mm × 35 mm (400 × 300 px).
8. Your signature, email address and local phone number on plain white paper (for mission applications).
9. Payment instrument — cashier's cheque or money order for postal submissions, or a debit/credit card in person.
10. Self-addressed prepaid return envelope with tracking, if you want the card mailed back.

For a Nepali Citizen Residing Abroad

1. Completed online application form, printed and signed.
2. Copy of your Nepali citizenship certificate.
3. Copy of your Nepali passport (the biographic data page of a valid passport).
4. Copy of your residence permit — Green Card, PR card or equivalent, if applicable.
5. Proof of address — any official document showing your current overseas address.
6. Proof of business or employment in your country of residence.
7. Appointment letter and current employment confirmation, if you work for an international organisation or agency.
8. Passport-size photographs — three for MOFA in Nepal, typically two abroad.
9. Your signature, email and phone number on plain white paper.
10. Self-addressed prepaid return envelope, if applying by post.

NRN Card fee in Nepal

The fee structure is genuinely confusing because it comes in two parts, and because the card fee depends on which passport you hold, not where you currently live. Here is the official MOFA schedule.

Part 1: Registration fee

A flat NPR 1,500 is charged when you submit the application to register your name as an NRN. Everyone pays this.

Part 2: Identity card fee (also charged on renewal)

*Indicative only. The fee is payable in Nepali rupees at the Nepal Rastra Bank exchange rate fixed for the day you pay. NRB's published rate in early September 2026 was around NPR 151.66 per USD. Always check nrb.org.np/forex on the day.

Where to deposit the fee in Nepal

• Bank: Rastriya Banijya Bank, Singha Durbar branch (near the television tower, opposite the Ministry of Information and Communication)
• Nepal Rastra Bank account no.: 1000200010000
• Office code no.: 326003501
• Revenue heading no.: 14529

NRN card fee at Nepali missions abroad

Missions convert the same USD schedule into local currency and add the registration component, so the numbers look different but the underlying logic is identical.

Renewal, lost cards and replacements

Renewing your NRN card

• Renewal requires the full set of documents needed for a new card, plus your original, unexpired NRN identity card.
• Foreign citizens of Nepali origin must again attach the citizenship renunciation document.
• The renewal fee is identical to the new-card fee. There is no discount for renewing.
• Start at least three months before expiry. An expired card generally means starting a fresh application with full documentation.

If your card is lost or damaged

• You may reapply, but you must submit everything required for a new card, plus a police report about the loss.
• The fee is doubled. In Washington DC that means USD 1,040 for an origin card and USD 140 for a Nepali-citizen card.
• Missions also ask for a copy of the lost or damaged card and a self-declaration letter stating it was lost.

Mistakes that get NRN applications rejected

Related identity and compliance services in Nepal

An NRN card rarely sits alone. Most people who get one are also managing property, tax or travel paperwork in Nepal at the same time:

• If you are buying property or starting a business, you will need a PAN — here is how to check your PAN number online.
• If you will be driving during long stays in Nepal, see the process to apply for a driving licence online in Nepal.
• Nepali citizens residing abroad should confirm their National ID card registration status before their next trip home.
• And once registered, you can download your eNID digitally rather than queuing for the physical card.

Frequently asked questions about the NRN Card

Final word

The NRN Card is one of the better-value documents the Government of Nepal issues. For a Nepali citizen living abroad, USD 50 buys two years of property, banking and investment rights. For a foreign citizen of Nepali origin, USD 500 buys a decade of free visas and the legal standing to own land in the country your family came from.

The friction is administrative, not legal. Get the renunciation certificate first, size your photo correctly, collect your ancestors' citizenship numbers, and email your mission after you submit. Do those four things and the rest of the process is largely paperwork.

Sources

Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Government fees, forms and procedures change. Always confirm current requirements with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Nepali embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over your place of residence before submitting an application or paying any fee.