Nepal asks India to accept National Identity Card as valid travel document for cross-border visits

Nepal has formally requested India to recognise its National Identity Card (NID) as a valid travel document for Nepali citizens, a move that would allow the biometric card to be used alongside the existing citizenship certificate and passport.

According to Nepal’s Department of Immigration, the proposal has been sent to the Indian government through diplomatic channels and is currently awaiting a formal response.

If approved, the National Identity Card would become the third accepted identity document for Nepali citizens travelling to India by both air and land routes.

Currently, Nepali nationals must carry either a citizenship certificate or a passport to travel to India, while Indian citizens travelling to Nepal by air are required to present either a passport or an Election Commission-issued voter ID card.

Nepal introduced the National Identity Card nationwide in 2018 as part of efforts to modernise public services and has made it mandatory for accessing several government and banking services. The government also plans to eventually replace the traditional citizenship certificate with the biometric ID.

India and Nepal share an open border under the 1950 India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship, allowing citizens of both countries to travel and work across the border without visas, though specified identity documents remain mandatory for cross-border travel.