Nepal launches e-passport service

KATHMANDU: Nepal launched e-passport services on Wednesday with a 102-year-old academician and cultural expert becoming the first person to get the chip-based identification document.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka inaugurated the first e-passport personalisation centre at Tripureshwor in Kathmandu.
At the function, the minister handed over the first Nepali e-passport to litterateur Satya Mohan Joshi.
Nepal launched machine-readable passports in 2010, replacing the handwritten travel documents. The handwritten passports were completely phased in 2015.
Applicants for fresh passports can apply for the e-passports from November 18 onwards. However, the machine-readable passports will remain valid till 2031.
The e-passports will ensure enhanced security with installed chips consisting of biometric data, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.