Nepal submits proposal to India for using ‘National Identity Card’ for travel verification

Nepal's Department of Immigration has requested Indian authorities to consider the National Identity Card for travellers' identity verification.

Nepal's Department of Immigration has formally requested the Indian government to consider the country's National Identity Card (NID) as a valid travel document for Nepali citizens to enter India. If approved, this would make the NID the third document, alongside the existing citizenship certificate and passport, to be used as a travel document.

Nepal's Department of Immigration has submitted a proposal to Indian authorities to consider their National Identity card an official travel document. (Representational/Unsplash)

A formal proposal to this effect has been submitted to the Indian government via diplomatic channels, and Nepalese officials are awaiting a formal confirmation from India, reported news agency PTI.

"We have already sent the proposal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the Home Ministry, and the Foreign Ministry has forwarded it to the concerned authorities of India," Nepal's immigration department spokesperson, Tika Ram Dhakal, told PTI.

"We are in touch with the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu regarding the matter and are awaiting a formal response from the Indian side," he added.

What changes if the proposal is approved?

Under current travel regulations, Nepali citizens travelling to India, by air or road, are required to carry either a citizenship certificate or a passport as proof of identity. Indians, on the other hand, are free to carry either a passport or a voter identity card issued by the Election Commission of India for this purpose.

If the Indian government approves this new proposal, the NID will also become an eligible travel document for Nepali citizens to carry with them for identification.

The NID initiative was formally rolled out by Nepal's government in 2018 as a part of its efforts to modernise public administration. The card has since been made mandatory for citizens to avail of services at government offices and in the banking sector.

Eventually, the government also plans to replace the traditional citizenship certificate with a digital alternative, a biometric identity card.

As part of the 1950 India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship, citizens of India and Nepal may travel and work in either country without visas, provided they can present any of the above-listed documents for identification purposes.

Additional revisions for travellers headed to Nepal

In addition to the request for reforms in travel documents, Nepal has also permitted Indian and Nepalese travellers to carry currency notes of ₹200 and ₹500 in Indian denominations.

Following demonetisation by the Indian government in November 2016, the Nepalese government placed a restriction on the use of currency notes of ₹100 or lower denominations in the country.

Carrying forward on an initial limit of ₹25,000, Nepalese nationals may now bring in notes of higher denominations from India to Nepal and vice versa. Hence, notes of ₹200 and ₹500 issued by the Indian government are now accessible to Indian and Nepalese nationals for travel.

Any traveller carrying an amount above the ceiling of ₹25,000 is, however, required to make a customs declaration.

(With inputs from agencies)