Printing of additional 1.7 M driving licences begins

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, May 4: The government has completed printing 1.2 million smart driving licences out of 2.9 million pending licences of candidates who have passed driving tests or paid renewal fees.

According to an agreement signed between the Department of Transport Management and the Security Printing Centre on October 29, 2025, the first phase covered printing 1.2 million licences. In the second phase, agreed on April 17, 2026 printing of an additional 1.7 million licences has begun.

The Security Printing Centre said that out of the 1.7 million licences, 5,101 have already been printed, while 54,861 are currently in the printing process.

Executive Director of the Centre, Dev Raj Dhungana, said that around 40,000 licences are printed daily and the backlog of old licences will be cleared by the end of mid-July. He added that printing work continues even on public holidays, ensuring timely completion.

According to the Centre, so far 37,886 emergency and trial-pass licences, as well as 36,140 licences of applicants who paid fees on the same day, have already been printed.

“We plan our printing based on the data received from the Department,” said Executive Director Dhungana. “We are regularly printing emergency licences and those of service seekers who complete payment on the same day.”

Dhungana further claimed that the second batch of printing will also be completed before mid-July. On average, data for around 4,000 new licences is received daily from 42 transport management offices across the country.

The Department of Transport Management sends data to the centre daily by 6:00 pm, after applicants pass trials and pay fees at transport offices. The centre completes printing within 24 hours of receiving the data and sends the licences back to the department the next working day.

The new licences include additional security features. Previously, licences had 18 features, but the new version contains 39 features, including an intelligent QR code, readable zones, and security elements visible to the naked eye, with devices, and only in laboratory conditions. 

The licence contains two QR codes on the front and back. The front QR can be scanned by the central authority, while the backside QR can be accessed by the service recipient and traffic police. Earlier licences used a chip-based system.

Printed licences are distributed to respective transport offices via the Postal Service Department.

Ganesh Man Singh Rai, Information officer at the Department of Transport Management, said that data submission for the second phase has already begun and printing is underway. He added that printed licences are sent to offices through postal services.

Rai said that Transport Management Office Ekantakuna, Lalitpur, has the highest number of pending licences, with around 900,000 still to be printed.

“Since Ekantakuna alone had a large volume in the first batch, it was decided to distribute data from other offices as well to avoid delays,” he said. “In the second batch, priority will be given to this office’s data.”

He also added that applicants can now check licence status through the Nagarik App, including whether their driving licence has been printed or not.