Immigration tightens: Int’l travelers must reach TIA one hour earlier

KATHMANDU: International travelers departing from Tribhuvan International Airport must now report to the immigration desk at least one hour in advance, according to a strict new directive issued by the Department of Immigration, Nepal. The decision comes amid mounting pressure to improve documentation checks and strengthen security, especially for late-night flights to Gulf countries, which see the highest volume of outbound labor migrants.

Ram Chandra Tiwari, Director General of the Immigration Department, said the rule has been enforced after repeated delays and chaos caused by last-hour congestion. “This problem is particularly prevalent during night-time flights departing for Middle Eastern destinations. Immigration officers face severe difficulty in screening documents when passengers crowd at the last minute,” he told Onlinekhabar.

To address the issue, the department on Friday held an emergency meeting with all airlines operating from Kathmandu airport, as well as aviation, security and immigration stakeholders. Following the discussion, the department announced that passengers failing to report at least an hour before their scheduled immigration check may not be processed for departure, putting international flyers and travel agencies on high alert.

Due to heavy nighttime passenger flow at the airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has also been asked to consider adjusting flight schedules or staggering timings to ease pressure on the immigration counters. Airlines operating flights to Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait—key labor destination countries—are expected to inform passengers about the new rule.

Corruption and Organized Trafficking Under Investigation

The stricter regulation also comes at a time when the airport’s immigration office is under intense investigation for alleged involvement of staff in organized networks that illegally extort Nepali youths traveling abroad on tourist (visit) visas. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is currently probing cases where traffickers and immigration officials allegedly collaborated to facilitate unauthorized departures.

Former airport immigration chief and then-undersecretary Tirtha Raj Bhattarai was arrested in connection with the scandal. The Ministry of Home Affairs has since reassigned new leadership by deploying Narhari Ghimire at the airport immigration and Ram Chandra Tiwari as the new Director General of the Immigration Department.

However, despite the reshuffle, the illegal racket of sending workers on visit visas through bribe-taking and exploitation reportedly continues. Multiple sources say that organized agents still operate at night flights to Gulf cities, highlighting continued lapses in immigration supervision.

Impact on Travelers and Aviation Sector

The directive is expected to affect thousands of migrant workers and travelers each day. Agencies involved in travel, tourism, manpower, and labor migration now must ensure passengers comply with the new timeline to prevent delayed departures. Stakeholders fear that without broader reform in immigration infrastructure and staffing, the new policy could only shift the crowd earlier rather than resolve systemic inefficiencies.

Immigration officials claim the policy will reduce last-minute pressure and help detect forged documents and trafficking attempts more efficiently. With increasing cases of human trafficking via visit visas, security experts say stricter inspection is essential for national security and international reputation, especially as Nepal faces scrutiny regarding human trafficking, illegal migration, organized crime, and labor exploitation.