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Nepal launches German-supplied e-passport amid widespread glitches

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nepal launched its new German-supplied e-passports on Monday, but the rollout was hampered by significant technical glitches.
  • Problems with the central passport server and the National Identity Card system disrupted services at the department and several district offices.
  • The Department of Passports anticipates that the new system may take up to three months to stabilize.

Nepal officially began distributing its new e-passports on Monday, supplied by two German firms, but the launch was immediately plagued by widespread technical issues. The rollout, initiated by Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal handing over the first passports to underage Nepali players, faced immediate disruption due to problems with the central passport server.

There was a bug in the NID system. Since IDEMIA does not print the NID, bugs in its system have created disruption in NID services, which are also linked with passports.

— Senior foreign ministry officialExplaining the technical issues affecting the passport rollout, linking it to the National Identity Card system.

These technical glitches affected not only the Department of Passports but also several district administration offices. A senior foreign ministry official attributed some of the problems to a lack of cooperation from the outgoing vendor, IDEMIA, and also pointed to existing issues with the National Identity Card (NID) system, also procured from IDEMIA. Bugs in the NID system, which is linked to passport applications, created further disruptions, as applicants are required to provide their NID number.

Multiple district administration offices, including those in Kathmandu and Lalitpur, struggled to update applicants' biometric data. The Department of Passports issued a statement acknowledging that the new system might take up to three months to become fully stable, warning that minor technical issues could arise periodically. Normally, the department processes around 6,000 passport applications daily through its extensive network of personalization centers, but on Monday, only about 1,440 applications were received due to the system instability.

During this period, some unexpected but minor technical issues may arise from time to time.

— Department of PassportsIn a statement acknowledging potential ongoing technical problems with the new e-passport system.

Despite the initial setbacks, the Department of Passports stated that enrollment began in multiple districts and at the department itself. Spokesperson Dipak Banjade expressed confidence that passport printing would commence gradually. The department also confirmed that the data migration for ten million Nepali citizens has been completed. However, the inconsistent functioning of the system across different service centers has raised questions about the project's preparedness and testing phases.

Gradually, we will start printing the passport too.

— Dipak BanjadeSpokesperson at the Department of Passports, expressing optimism about the printing process.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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