Printing of 2.7 Million Smart Licenses Completed; New Licenses to Be Printed Within 24 Hours

The printing of 2.7 million smart driving licenses, which had been stalled for a long time at the Department of Transport Management, has been successfully completed. The Ministry has arranged to ensure that smart licenses will now be printed within 24 hours of receiving the details from the department. The government is also advancing preparations to domestically produce security-printed materials such as citizenship certificates and national ID cards through the Security Printing Press. Kathmandu, 32 Ashad.

The printing of driving permits (smart licenses), which had long been pending, is now finished. The Ministry of Information and Communications announced that going forward, new smart licenses will be printed and delivered to the Department of Transport within 24 hours of receiving the application details. According to the press release issued by the ministry on Thursday, a total of 2.7 million smart licenses have been printed based on information received from the department under two phases of agreements among the ministry, the Security Printing Press, and the Department of Transport Management under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development.

The ministry stated that this process officially eliminates the longstanding license printing backlog. Under the first phase agreement dated 12 Kartik 2082, 1.2 million smart licenses were printed within the designated timeframe. Subsequently, to manage the remaining applications, a second phase agreement was signed on 4 Baisakh 2083, initiating the printing of an additional 1.5 million permits. With the completion of the second phase on 32 Ashad 2083, the ministry confirmed that the total printing of 2.7 million smart licenses is now complete.

Currently, the Security Printing Press prints and hands over smart licenses to the Department of Transport daily within 24 hours, based on approximately 3,000 to 5,000 records received daily, which include successful trial exam candidates who have paid the required fees and permit renewal applicants. This arrangement has expedited and streamlined the license distribution process. According to the ministry, preparations are underway to finalize agreements related to driving license printing in coordination with all seven provincial governments and their respective transport ministries through the Security Printing Press.

Thanks to the special initiatives, continuous coordination, and high prioritization by Minister of Information and Communications Dr. Bikram Timilsina, the printing of all 2.7 million pending driving permits has been completed. Since assuming office, Minister Timilsina has prioritized ensuring that citizens receive timely and convenient services, making the end of the smart license backlog a central part of the ministry’s agenda. The Security Printing Press is also preparing to domestically produce other security-printed materials such as citizenship certificates, national ID cards, internal revenue stamps, postage stamps, and landownership certificates. The minister emphasized that the domestic production of these materials will not only save millions of rupees sent abroad but also contribute significantly to capital circulation within the country, job creation, and the delivery of quality public services.