Traffic rulesNepal

Driving licences are administered through the transport-management authorities and their provincial or local Transport Management Offices under Nepal’s federal and provincial transport structure.

The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) maintains the national electronic driving-licence and vehicle-registration framework and publishes central guidance.

The Electronic Driving Licence and Vehicle Registration System is used for online applications, candidate records, examinations, smart-card production and licence information.

Yes. A valid licence authorises the holder to drive the vehicle classes recorded on it throughout Nepal.

Yes. Current licences are issued as electronic smart cards under the transport regulations.

The governing Act and Rules provide the national baseline, but application quotas, appointment dates, examinations, fee collection and card distribution can differ by province and office.

The authorised vehicle classes are normally recorded in one driving-licence record, and additional classes can be added after the required examination.

Many Transport Management Offices provide online application, status or smart-card distribution services through official DoTM-linked systems.

Yes. A driver must hold and be able to produce a valid licence for the class of vehicle being driven.

The applicant should use the official DoTM portal and the website or notice board of the selected Transport Management Office.

The current statutory minimum age is 16 years.

The current statutory minimum age is 18 years.

The current statutory minimum age is 18 years.

The current statutory minimum age is 21 years.

Yes. A heavy or medium vehicle other than a tractor generally requires at least two years of light-vehicle driving experience.

The current law restricts licensing for heavy and medium public vehicles after age 60.

Yes. Higher ages have appeared in proposed reforms, but they should not be treated as current law unless enacted and officially commenced.

No. A suspension, cancellation, court prohibition or other disqualification must be resolved.

Yes. The written examination tests basic knowledge of vehicles, traffic law and traffic signs.

Yes, subject to the identity, immigration, residence and application requirements used by the competent office.

Yes. Fraud can lead to refusal, cancellation and criminal or administrative action.

No. The applicant must pass the required examinations and receive valid driving entitlement.

The licensing procedure can require a health or fitness certificate from a recognised medical practitioner.

Conditions such as uncontrolled seizures, sudden loss of consciousness, serious mental illness and other conditions that make driving unsafe can prevent licensing.

Yes. The applicant must have adequate vision for safe driving.

Yes. The current legal fitness rules address the ability to distinguish traffic colours such as red, green and yellow.

A person whose vision is adequate with correction may be assessed under the medical and office procedure applicable to the requested class.

Yes. Hearing and the ability to perceive ordinary traffic warnings can form part of the fitness assessment, subject to current legal and court interpretations.

No. The law recognises specially adapted vehicles for eligible drivers with physical disabilities.

Yes, when the vehicle is appropriate, safe and accepted by the examination office.

Yes. The authority can suspend or cancel the licence if the driver becomes unsafe or no longer meets the legal conditions.

Yes. Illness, medication, fatigue, alcohol or another temporary condition can make driving unsafe even when the licence remains valid.

The applicant uses the official online driving-licence application system and selects the relevant office and vehicle category.

No. Quotas, office capacity and available dates determine when the applicant can attend.

The original citizenship certificate and the copies required by the selected office.

Yes. The licensing system records the applicant’s photograph and other identity data.

Smart-card processing can include biometric and signature capture.

Yes, where required by the selected office’s appointment procedure.

Yes. Additional identity or residence evidence can be requested.

Yes. The applicable revenue and service charges must be paid through the method specified by the office.

The current application framework may request evidence of training or competence from a recognised training institution.

Yes. Missing identity, medical, payment or appointment documents can prevent registration or examination.

Not always. A new application, cancellation or transfer procedure may be required.

No. Applicants should use official portals and offices and should not share login credentials or original identity documents unnecessarily.

Yes. A first applicant must normally pass the written examination before proceeding to the practical trial.

It tests vehicle knowledge, traffic law, road signs, safe driving, mechanical basics and accident responsibilities.

Yes. Government transport offices have published official objective-question collections for common categories.

Official material is available for motorcycle, scooter or moped categories and for category B cars, jeeps and delivery vans.

No. The precise number, time and delivery format can vary by office and examination system.

Yes. Official preparation material uses objective multiple-choice questions.

Yes. Offices may use electronic systems, while some locations can use another authorised format.

Nepali is the principal language, although office arrangements and accessible support should be confirmed locally.

Yes.

The applicant follows the selected office’s retest schedule and pays any required fee.

No. The practical trial, orientation and issue stages must also be completed.

No. The candidate should follow the official notice for the selected office because published private sources conflict on question counts and pass marks.

It is commonly called the trial.

The examination committee and authorised transport or traffic officials conduct it under the legal procedure.

Yes. The vehicle must correspond to the category being requested.

Balance, controlled riding, turns, narrow sections, braking and compliance with the marked course.

Vehicle control, slope or ramp handling, reversing, parking, turns and the prescribed course elements.

Yes. A collision, loss of control, leaving the course or another critical safety error can result in failure.

Yes. A 70-point trial model has been adopted or used in parts of Nepal, but applicants must confirm the current rule at their selected office.

Yes, according to the retest dates and attempt rules announced by the office.

Yes. It must be safe, appropriate and accepted by the examination authority.

The applicant completes any required orientation, payment and smart-card issue process.

Yes. A newly obtained licence is subject to a one-year probationary period.

The entitlement continues as an ordinary licence when the driver has complied with the legal conditions.

Yes. More than the permitted number of violations can prevent ordinary confirmation or lead to licensing action.

No general national novice plate is established for every newly licensed driver.

Only the classes lawfully recorded on the licence and not subject to another restriction.

No. The vehicle must still have every registration, insurance, tax and fitness document required by law.

No driver should drive after consuming alcohol or another impairing substance.

No. The licence is personal and cannot be transferred or used by another person.

Yes. Changes should be reported through the competent Transport Management Office.

Yes. Serious or repeated offences can trigger suspension, cancellation or court action.

No. The electronic record controls the driver’s legal status.

Yes. Any incorrect category or personal detail should be reported promptly.

Category A is commonly used for motorcycles.

Category K is commonly used for scooters and mopeds.

Category B covers cars, jeeps and delivery vans.

Yes. The national licensing system includes classes for three-wheelers, tractors, minibuses, trucks, buses, road machinery and other vehicles.

Applicants should confirm the current EDLVRS category description because subcategories and office menus can change.

No.

No.

Yes. The holder applies to add the class and must pass the relevant practical or other examination.

The law focuses on testing competence for the additional vehicle; the exact office procedure should be confirmed locally.

Yes. The current law generally requires two years of light-vehicle experience before heavy or medium categories other than tractors.

Yes. Public vehicles also require lawful route, permit, vehicle fitness, insurance and operator compliance.

No. The registration class, weight, seating and legal use determine the required licence.

The statutory validity period is five years from issue.

Yes, but a proposal is not the current rule unless enacted and officially implemented.

The Act requires renewal within three months after expiry.

Yes. Late fees or penalties can apply under the Act, Rules and provincial fee schedule.

The old licence or record, citizenship or identity evidence, current photographs, medical fitness evidence where required and payment receipts.

Transfer or cross-office processing may be available, but the applicant should confirm the current provincial system.

The holder applies for a duplicate and provides the declaration, report and identity documents required by the office.

Not necessarily. A duplicate generally replaces the document rather than functioning as an early renewal.

Yes. The holder can request a replacement through the competent office.

No. The electronic driver record determines whether the entitlement is valid.

Yes. The Act allows the authority to issue a Nepalese licence for the classes shown on a valid foreign licence after application and payment.

The Act states that the applicant does not have to take the ordinary driving examination for the recognised classes.

Yes. Passport, visa, residence, translation and verification of the foreign licence can be required.

Not necessarily. The document must be valid and acceptable to the competent authority.

Yes. The Act recognises a valid International Driving Permit for the vehicles recorded on it.

Visitors should carry both the valid national licence and the International Driving Permit.

No. Immigration status, document validity and the legal conditions of the permit still apply.

Yes. It can require a minimum age, passport, deposit, physical licence or driving experience.

The available procedure should be confirmed through DoTM or the competent transport office before international travel.

No. The destination country decides recognition, permitted categories and duration.

A vehicle used to transport passengers or goods for hire or reward under the public-transport rules.

No.

The driver must generally be at least 21 and have the required prior light-vehicle experience.

The current law restricts authority to drive those public vehicles after age 60.

Yes, where route permission is required by law.

Yes. Public vehicles are subject to mechanical fitness and inspection requirements.

Yes. Public transport operators have statutory insurance duties covering passengers, staff, goods and third parties.

Yes. Repeated non-compliance can lead to suspension or cancellation.

No.

Administrative processes and fees can differ, but they must remain consistent with the governing transport law.

No. Traffic police enforce drink-driving prohibitions and can stop, test and prosecute impaired drivers.

The licensing law focuses on intoxication and unsafe driving rather than providing one universally cited public BAC figure for all enforcement.

Yes. A person must not drive when a substance prevents safe control.

Yes. The law permits suspension for repeated violations of driver obligations.

A six-month suspension can apply in the stated repeated-violation circumstances.

Yes, where the offence and governing law permit it.

Yes. No person may drive a motor vehicle without the required licence.

No. The law also prohibits allowing an unlicensed person to drive a vehicle under one’s control.

Yes. Fraud or an invalid issue can lead to cancellation.

No. The licensing record controls the right to drive.

This FAQ was prepared from the current Vehicle and Transport Management Act, the Vehicle and Transport Management Rules, DoTM information and Nepal Police guidance.

Provincial offices publish their own quotas, schedules, delivery formats and trial procedures, and private sources conflict on written-test counts and pass marks.

Last reviewed: 4 August 2026.

This website is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with DoTM, a provincial transport ministry, Transport Management Office, Nepal Police, examination committee or driving school.

Official legislation and the current notice of the selected licensing office always take precedence.