Kathmandu, Dec 10: All customs clearance activities across the country have come to a complete halt on Tuesday as customs agents staged a pen-down strike at all customs offices. The strike was called by the Federation of Customs Agents Nepal (FECAN), resulting in a full shutdown of customs clearance services.
The pen-down protest began on Sunday at the Birgunj Customs Office. On the second day, Monday, Bhairahawa Customs Office remained fully shut, and by Tuesday—the third day—all customs offices across the country were closed, according to Umesh Ghimire, a central member of the Federation. The suspension of clearance services has directly affected revenue collection nationwide.
The Federation has obstructed customs services nationwide in protest against newly introduced provisions in the Customs Act, 2082 BS, which came into effect on December 7, 2025. According to the Federation, instead of facilitating international trade and customs procedures, the new act has created an environment that undermines the professional rights of customs agents, discourages industries and businesses, and hinders legitimate trade.
Since the drafting phase of the Customs Act, 2082, the Federation had been demanding the inclusion of several key issues such as reforming penalty provisions, license renewal processes, suspension procedures, bank guarantees, user ID management in the computer system, in–out note system, and restricting cargo clearance exclusively to licensed customs agents. However, the new Act has allegedly increased unnecessary fines and expanded discretionary authority, the Federation stated.
The Federation further accused the Department of Customs of failing to address longstanding problems despite repeated calls for attention regarding persistent delays in customs clearance, server issues in the customs automation system, revenue payment complications, and challenges related to quarantine procedures.
The Federation warned that if the issues created by the new Customs Act and their profession-related demands are not addressed, they will announce further protest programs by Tuesday itself. #nepal #customs #protest
