KATHMANDU, Oct 9: Nepal’s passport has slipped to 99th place in the September 2026 Henley Passport Index, raising questions about whether proposed amendments to the Passport Act can improve its international standing.
The government’s bill to amend the Passport Act, 2019, is under clause-wise deliberation at the House of Representatives’ International Relations and Tourism Committee. It aims to simplify passport services, curb misuse and align the system with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
However, legal reform alone is unlikely to improve Nepal’s passport ranking, as its global standing largely depends on how easily Nepali citizens can travel to other countries without obtaining visas in advance.
Nepal ranked 97th in May, with access to 35 destinations, before slipping to 98th in July, with 34 destinations, and 99th in September. Although its position improved from 101st in early 2025, the recent decline highlights the challenges facing Nepal’s passport diplomacy.
Singapore topped the September index with access to 192 destinations, followed by Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, jointly ranking second with 188 destinations each. In South Asia, the Maldives ranked 53rd with access to 93 destinations, India 82nd with 55, Bhutan 89th with 47, Sri Lanka 95th with 39 and Bangladesh 98th with 35. Pakistan ranked 102nd and Afghanistan 105th.
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According to Foreign Ministry officials, the index measures the visa-free or visa-on-arrival access available to passport holders. Factors such as visa overstays, asylum applications, irregular migration, passport misuse and forged documents can undermine other countries’ confidence in Nepali travellers.
The proposed amendments seek to address some of these concerns by tightening safeguards against fraudulent documents and passport misuse. Provisions for verification, record matching and reporting through Interpol could help strengthen confidence in Nepal’s passport system. However, addressing irregular migration and visa overstays also requires broader policy measures and diplomatic engagement.
The bill proposes several changes to make passport services more accessible. It allows designated offices, including District Administration Offices, to collect applications and forward them to the Department of Passports after verification. It also proposes collecting biometric applications from Nepalis abroad through private-sector entities or other institutions, subject to government-set procedures.
Applicants could also collect their passports through a different channel from the one where they submitted their applications. The bill introduces a new category of temporary passport, extending its validity from nine months to two years. It also provides for five-year ordinary passports for children born abroad to Nepali parents, based on birth registration numbers issued by Nepali missions.
The proposed legislation introduces tougher penalties for passport-related offences. Using forged documents, another person’s identity or documents linked to dual citizenship to obtain a passport could attract a fine of Rs 200,000 to Rs 500,000, imprisonment for one to three years, or both. Unauthorised alterations to passport details and the malicious possession of another person’s passport would carry similar penalties.
Submitting false information could attract a fine of Rs 100,000 to Rs 200,000, while discrepancies of more than one year in a date of birth would incur a Rs 10,000 fine. The bill also provides for withholding or suspending passports of individuals facing investigations or prosecution for serious offences, including murder, rape, human trafficking and drug-related crimes.
Diplomatic and official passports would be restricted to government business, with personal travel limited to 30 days, or 90 days for mission staff. The government would also be empowered to recall or cancel such passports.
Despite the proposed reforms, concerns remain over provisions allowing private entities to collect biometric data from Nepalis abroad. The bill does not clearly specify which organisations would qualify or what standards they must meet.
Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties have raised concerns about the potential misuse of sensitive personal information. With no separate data protection act in place, they have called for clearer safeguards, accountability and rules governing the use and protection of personal data.
Lawmakers have also proposed amendments to the provision on private-sector involvement in passport application collection.
Ultimately, the bill could strengthen passport security and improve service delivery, laying the groundwork for greater international confidence. But improving Nepal’s passport ranking will also require sustained diplomatic efforts, visa-waiver agreements and evidence that migration-related risks are declining. Any gains in international mobility are likely to take time.
