Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal marked the launch of Nepal's new passport system on July 14, 2026, by handing over passports to two underage Nepali players. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Passports stated their aim is to provide passports to Nepali citizens in an "easy, simple, and effective manner" through this new system.
However, the Department of Passports acknowledged that the system encountered technical problems on its inaugural day. A senior foreign ministry official noted that better cooperation from the outgoing vendor could have improved the launch. The department anticipates that the new system could take up to three months to stabilize, with "some unexpected but minor technical issues" possibly arising periodically. Passport records of nearly 10 million Nepali citizens have been securely migrated to the new system.