Embassies ask Nepalis abroad to get machine readable passport

Nepali diplomatic missions abroad have asked Nepali citizens to apply for machine readable passports as soon as possible as the current handwritten passports would not be valid after November 24, 2015.

Nepali missions in France and Qatar organising programmes asked all the Nepalis to replace their handwritten passports with machine readable passports soon to avoid the last embarrassment.

Of the total 3.5 million migrant Nepali workers, some 2.5 million are yet to replace their passports to machine readable ones, though only one  Department of Passport is authorised to issue machine readable passports. Since only 20 months has remained to the deadline of the handwritten passports, the department would be unable to issue passport on time, if it is delayed to apply.

The government started distributing machine readable passports from December 26, 2010 replacing the handwritten ones, due to international pressure.

International Civil Aviation Oraganisation (ICAO) had asked all the countries to replace their ordinary handwritten passports into machine readable ones by November 24, 2015 as the ordinary passports would not be recognised on international flights.