Kathmandu, April 28: The government has started distributing around 1.2 million smart driving licenses that had remained unprinted for several years, beginning Monday, April 27.
The licenses were printed under the first-phase agreement between the Security Printing Centre and the Department of Transport Management. Distribution is now underway nationwide through license distribution centers and transport offices.
Executive Director Dev Raj Dhungana said the Centre completed printing all 1.2 million cards, enabling immediate distribution. “We printed an average of 40,000 cards daily across two shifts, with peak production reaching up to 60,000 per day,” he said.
Under a second-phase agreement signed on April 17, 2026, the Centre will print an additional 1.7 million licenses. Dhungana confirmed that sufficient materials are available for the next month, with procurement already completed for the remaining supply. “There is no likelihood of disruption in the printing process,” he added.
With 1.2 million licenses already printed and 1.7 million more scheduled by mid-July, the total backlog of 2.9 million is expected to be cleared. Dhungana said that from July 18, 2026, applicants will no longer need to carry receipts as substitutes for licenses.
Officials noted that delays, which previously forced applicants to wait up to two to three years, will be resolved permanently. Daily production capacity has now surged from around 4,000 to nearly 40,000 cards.
Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Dr. Bikram Timilsina, said the accelerated printing is part of broader governance reforms aimed at improving service delivery. Introduced in 2015, the smart license system had long struggled with demand exceeding production capacity. #Nepal #driving
