Government Achieves Significant Progress in Delivering Passports and Licenses Door-to-Door within 100 Days

Since the new government took office, over 5,700 passports and more than 1,000 vehicle driving licenses have been delivered directly to citizens’ homes. The Director General of the Postal Service Department has emphasized the need for mail carriers in every ward to further strengthen postal services, which function as government courier services. Currently, the Postal Service Department has 4,619 sanctioned positions. In addition, in coordination with local governments, approximately 5,000 extra postal workers devote two hours daily to municipal postal duties.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah ‘Balen’ announced a 100-point governance reform agenda immediately upon assuming office, with the 27th point calling for the delivery of government documents, such as passports, citizenship certificates, and licenses, to individuals’ doorsteps via postal services within 100 days. Within this timeline, arrangements to deliver passports directly to homes have been implemented in 75 districts, and distribution of driving licenses to homes has begun experimentally in seven districts, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Under an agreement with the Passport Department, the Postal Service Department had previously been delivering passports only up to the District Administration Offices. However, as outlined in the 100-point action plan announced by Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s government, authorities have reported extending passport delivery directly to citizens’ homes in 75 districts, excluding Humla and Bhojpur. The Ministry of Information and Communications reported that over 260,000 passports received at district postal offices during this period included 5,728 passports delivered directly to the recipients’ homes.

Director General Manmaya Bhattarai Pangeni stated, “Currently, passports are delivered to the District Administration Office first, and from there, we have begun doorstep delivery. We are preparing a supplementary agreement with the Passport Department that will enable us to deliver services directly to citizens from our offices.” She added that memorandum of understanding documents have been signed between administration offices and postal offices in the districts.

Regarding the ease of delivering driving licenses to homes, Pangeni noted that, although a formal agreement for license home delivery is not yet in place, on their own initiative, delivery of vehicle driver licenses to doorsteps has started in seven districts. More than 1,000 licenses have been delivered at home in Kaski, Morang, Banke, Sunsari, Bajhang, Kalikot, and Parsa districts.

Director General Pangeni stated, “All our postal workers have coordinated with provincial governments through their respective provincial directorates. We expect to be able to deliver licenses directly to homes in the coming year as well.”