Nepal seeks India’s recognition of NID card as valid travel document
Nepal’s National Identity (NID) card could soon become another recognised document for travelling to India, with the government seeking New Delhi’s approval to allow its use alongside the citizenship certificate and passport.
The proposal has already been forwarded to the Indian side for consideration, and the Department of Immigration (DoI) is awaiting a formal response, a senior immigration official told the Post.
At present, Nepali citizens travelling to India, particularly by air, must carry either a passport or a citizenship certificate. Likewise, Indian citizens travelling to Nepal are required to present either a passport or an original Indian voter identity card with a photograph, according to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
As the government has made the NID card mandatory for obtaining services at many government offices and in the banking sector, and plans to eventually replace the citizenship certificate with the NID card, the DoI has proposed recognising the NID as a third valid travel document.
“We have already forwarded the proposal to the Indian side through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Ram Chandra Tiwari, director general at the DoI.
As soon as an Indian nods, the NID card will work as a third identity card that assists Nepali citizens to India on both land and air routes.
Earlier this week, a team from the Indian Embassy held discussions with Tiwari and other senior DoI officials regarding the proposal. According to another immigration official, the embassy team appeared “positive” about the request and informed Nepali officials that the proposal had already been forwarded to New Delhi for further consideration.
“In the long run, we will have a single identity card replacing the citizenship certificate. It is verified, authentic and technology-friendly,” Tiwari said. “That is why we have requested India to allow the use of the National Identity Card while travelling by both air and land routes.”
A Home Ministry official said that during several bilateral meetings, Nepal and India had also discussed introducing a mechanism to maintain records of cross-border travellers and regulate their movement more systematically.
