KATHMANDU, Aug 25: Just weeks after Nepal’s transport authorities rolled out a new digital system aimed at streamlining driving license services, thousands of applicants are once again finding themselves trapped in delays, technical glitches and uncertainty.
Drivers who have already passed written and trial examinations and are waiting for their licenses say they have been unable to receive their cards since mid-July. At the same time, persistent problems with the newly introduced online system have disrupted everything from application submissions and revenue payments to form approvals and license renewals.
Officials at transport offices say the difficulties began after the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) introduced a new server and online platform nationwide on July 17.
Sharad Prasad Dangal, information officer at the Transport Management Office in Radhe Radhe, Bhaktapur, said the system has been experiencing repeated failures and has stopped functioning altogether since Sunday.
“Problems started appearing soon after the new server was introduced in mid-July,” Dangal said. “The disruptions have affected online form submissions, revenue payments and approval processes.”
As a result, transport offices have been forced to rely on manual procedures to conduct written and trial examinations for applicants whose forms had already been approved before the system malfunctioned.
Driving license test results and smart card status now through...
The scale of the problem is significant. According to officials, around 5,000 license-related applications are submitted daily across the country, but between 2,000 and 3,000 of them remain pending because they cannot be processed through the system.
The new online platform was introduced as part of a broader effort to modernize transport services. It allows applicants to submit new license applications, update personal information and link applications with national identity cards. Users are required to provide a national identity card number, mobile phone number and email address registered in their own names.
To facilitate the transition, license-related services at transport offices nationwide were suspended for three weeks beginning July 17. While services later resumed, users say technical issues have continued to plague the system.
Many applicants report being unable to get online forms approved, while others have struggled to fill online applications and also faced problems in approval of applications.
“This has only increased the hardship for service seekers,” said Rabin Budathoki, an applicant affected by the delays. “Forms are not being approved, examinations are being disrupted and people cannot even receive their license cards.”
Applicants have also complained about problems with the integration of national identity cards into the licensing system. Although the new requirement took effect in July, users say identity information is often not verified through the online platform, creating further delays.
The problems have affected all 42 transport management offices that provide licensing services across the country.
However, DoTM Director General Rajib Pokharel rejected claims that the new system is malfunctioning.
“I have been in contact with transport offices across the country. No office has reported any problem. The server is functioning properly,” he said.
License printing stalls after responsibility shift
The disruption has not been limited to the online system.
Since mid-July, responsibility for printing driving license cards has been transferred from the DoTM to provincial governments. Under the new arrangement, provincial authorities are responsible for conducting examinations, printing cards and distributing licenses.
According to Pokharel, all provinces agreed to print license cards through the Security Printing Center (SPC). However, only the Madhesh Province government has formally signed an agreement with the SPC, while other provinces have yet to complete the process.
“We cleared all backlogged cards up to mid-June before the handover,” Pokharel said. “There is no pending printing work left at the department.”
He said around 150,000 applicants have recently taken license examinations and that the department has already printed and distributed more than 3.2 million license cards.
Provincial governments, however, have cited procedural and administrative hurdles for delays in signing agreements with the SPC. Until those issues are resolved, applicants who have already completed the licensing process may have to wait longer for the cards they need to legally drive.
For many service seekers, the latest disruption is an unwelcome reminder of the long-standing problems that have repeatedly plagued Nepal’s driving license system despite promises of digital reform.
