Nepal to start issuing e-passports from November 17, what are the features?

KATHMANDU: The government is set to issue e-passports from November 17. The Department of Passport (DoP) is conducting final tests for the preparation of e-passport printing in the new building of the department at Tripureshwor.

So far, Nepal has been issuing Machine Readable Passport (MRP). According to the spokesperson of the department, Sharad Raj Aran, the distribution of e-passports from November 17.

“For the first few days, we’ll only distribute a limited number of e-passports on a daily basis,” said Aran, adding, “Until the e-passport is fully distributed, the department will continue to distribute MRP to those who need it or apply for it.”

The department plans to convert e-passport distribution into full service within a week, which will start partially from November 17. In order to move the data of MRP system to the new system and to make the printing work effective, the department is preparing to distribute both types of passports at the beginning.

On December 20, 2020, the DoP had entered into a purchase agreement with Identity and Security France for the printing of e-passport at a total cost of Rs 2.48 Billion (USD 21.1 million). According to the agreement, the company had to complete all the work for distribution of e-passport within 10 months. The department has worked on time as per the target.

E-passport is currently in vogue internationally. Electronic passport is better and more reliable than MRP. It is also considered reliable as it uses high quality technology. E-passports use electronic ‘chips’ like mobile SIMs. In it, biometric data including personal details of the passport holder is present. Its ‘security feature’ tends to be tight. E-passport can easily read by machine/computer.

The introduction of e-passport is expected to address the problem of passport misuse, as it includes biometrics in electronic data. Such biological signals do not coincide with each other (with exceptions). That is why the government expects to solve the problem of carrying a passport issued in the name of another.

Since the government will collect the biometric details of all the citizens by distributing national identity cards, it will be very difficult to make passports in the name of others if there is no biometric match. When another person’s passport arrives at the airport, the machine directly fails the biometric. If this is done, it will be easier to stop people from flying abroad on other people’s passports by committing various crimes.

As per the decision of the cabinet meeting, Nepal’s e-passport will have 64 pages. The government has placed photos of heritage, culture, livelihood, wildlife and places on those pages. It was decided to have the National flag of Nepal and Lophophorous on the inside page of the first and last cover of the e-passport.

Sagamatha will be on the first page. The second page will be the polycarbonate data page. The third will have Lumbini, the 4th and 5th will have Rashtrapati Bhavan, the 6th and 7th will have one horned rhinoceros, the 8th and 9th will have Changunarayan temple, the 10th and 11th will have Ilam tea plantation and the twelfth and thirteenth will have picture of Laligurans. There will be pictures of Pashupatinath temple on the 14th and 15th, Mithila art on the 16th and 17th, and paddy planting on the 18th and 19th.

Kumari on 20th and 21st, Upper Mustang on 22nd and 23rd, Tiger on 24th and 25th, Sinja Valley of Jumla on 26th and 27th, Deshay Maru Jya on 28th and 29th, Janaki Temple on 30th and 31st, Karuwa on 32nd and 33rd, Elephant on 34th and 35th, Ranipokhari on 36th and 37th and Hanumandhoka Durbar on the 38th and 39th will remain.

Dharara on 40th and 41st pages, Bhurtika Dewal on 42nd and 43rd, Patan Durbar area on 44th and 45th, Putali on 46th and 47th, Bouddhanath on 48th and 49th, Bhaktapur Durbar area on 50th and 51st, Mahakali Bridge on 52nd and 53rd, Krishnasara on 54th and 55th. On 56th and 57th there will be trucking (the area where Everest goes to Lubuche), on 58th and 59th there will be Rani Mahal, on 60th and 61st Rara Lake, on 62nd and 63rd Upper Tamakoshi and on 64th Singha Durbar.

Tilicho Lake, Phoksundo Lake, Khaptad Patan area, Phewa Lake with the shadow of Machhapuchhre and Upper Tamakoshi transmission line were selected as alternative images.