Nepal Citizenship Certificate Guide

1. Confirm the route before collecting documents

The normal route is for a person who has completed 16 years and qualifies for Nepali citizenship by descent. Under the current Act, a person is generally a citizen by descent at birth when either the father or mother was a Nepali citizen, subject to the Act’s special provisions.

This does not mean every family situation uses the same proof. Applications involving an unidentified parent, a parent with citizenship by birth, foreign nationality, marriage, migration or missing records need their own evidence path.

2. Prepare the normal first-citizenship documents

The Rules’ core evidence is the citizenship of a father, mother or eligible three-generation blood relative; a local recommendation or birth registration proving birthplace and relationship; and a relationship certificate when a relative’s citizenship is used.

DAO citizen charters can add practical evidence such as an educational certificate, minor identity card, marriage registration and several photos. Take the originals and copies instead of relying on phone photographs.

3. Get the ward recommendation

Visit the ward connected to your legally supported permanent address. Ask for the citizenship recommendation and the current Schedule 1 application. The ward normally verifies:

• your birth place and permanent residence;
• your relationship with the parent or relative whose citizenship is used;
• the consistency of names, dates and family records; and
• whether migration, marriage or a local inquiry changes the evidence required.

Ward service fees are local and separate from a DAO revenue ticket. Ask for an official receipt and do not pay an unofficial agent to “guarantee” citizenship.

4. Visit the DAO and complete sanakhat

Take the signed ward recommendation, originals, copies and photographs to the relevant District Administration Office or authorised Area Administration Office. The officer checks the documents and the supporting citizenship record.

Sanakhat (सनाखत) is in-person identification and confirmation. A parent whose citizenship supports the application commonly attends. When that person cannot attend, the DAO may accept another eligible close relative with relationship proof or order additional inquiry.

5. Special parentage and family-document routes

Using the mother’s citizenship

The current Act and Rules recognise citizenship through a Nepali mother. Prepare her original citizenship, your birth registration, the local recommendation and the other evidence required by the exact route.

Father cannot be identified

A person born in Nepal to a Nepali mother, residing in Nepal and unable to identify the father has a specific descent route. The current Rules require the birth registration, mother’s citizenship, local recommendations about birthplace, relationship and residence, and the prescribed truthful self-declaration.

The amended law also addresses situations where a father’s name appeared in an older birth or educational record but the applicant and mother genuinely cannot identify or contact him. This is a sensitive legal determination; use the current DAO form and never copy a declaration from an unrelated case.

Parent or ancestor citizenship is unavailable

The Rules permit an eligible blood relative within three generations, supported by a relationship certificate. If the required documentary proof still cannot be produced, the ward and DAO can decide whether a formal local inquiry and witness identification are appropriate.

Child of citizenship-by-birth parents

The Act contains special descent provisions for children of people who obtained citizenship by birth. The current Rules list birth registration, both parents’ citizenship and a local recommendation proving birthplace and relationship for the principal route. Recent amendments also address certain cases where one parent died or lost contact before obtaining citizenship.

6. Marital naturalised citizenship

A foreign woman married to a Nepali man may apply under the marital naturalised route. This is not the ordinary Schedule 1 descent checklist. The Rules use the prescribed marital application and generally require:

• a local recommendation proving the marriage relationship;
• the Nepali husband’s original citizenship and marriage registration;
• evidence that the process to renounce foreign citizenship has begun;
• the husband for sanakhat, or an eligible close relative when accepted;
• recent photographs; and
• a passport and valid visa when Nepal requires a visa for that nationality.

Other naturalised citizenship categories can require Ministry of Home Affairs approval and should not be presented as a routine same-day DAO service.

7. If you migrated from another district

A person applying after formal migration may need more than the standard family documents because the issuing DAO must establish both permanent residence and the original family citizenship record.

• original migration certificate;
• record verification from the district that issued the supporting citizenship;
• land ownership, house-completion or approved-building evidence where applicable;
• integrated property-tax, electricity, water or other accepted residence evidence; and
• additional local inquiry when the paper and electronic records do not match.

Kathmandu and Bhaktapur publish somewhat different practical residence lists. Follow your own ward and DAO’s current charter rather than treating one district’s checklist as a nationwide guarantee.

8. Fees and processing time

These are official Kathmandu charter amounts reviewed on 22 June 2026. They do not include local ward recommendation fees, photocopies or other case-specific costs. A migrated, disputed, missing-record or special-parentage application can take longer because another office, police report or local inquiry may be needed.

9. Lost citizenship, duplicate copy and corrections

Lost, damaged or unusable certificate

Request a duplicate from the relevant DAO using the prescribed local recommendation, recent photos and evidence of the old citizenship number and issue date. If the original was issued in another district, expect migration and record-verification documents.

Old DAO record cannot be found

The DAO may compare the Citizenship Information Management System record, archived register and the locally certified application. If the old record cannot be established, the office can require the evidence and inquiry used for a fresh citizenship process.

Name, surname, age or minor-detail correction

Apply with the original citizenship and documents proving the correct entry. The Act permits correction where citizenship details conflict with educational records or contain eligible minor errors. The officer may examine witnesses and records, cancel the old certificate and issue a corrected one.

Minor errors include common additions or omissions such as Kumari, Devi, Bahadur or Prasad and spelling/vowel differences that do not change the person’s identity. A married or divorced woman can also apply to update surname, address or related details using marriage or divorce evidence.

10. If the DAO asks for more evidence or refuses

1. Ask which legal route and exact evidence is missing.
2. Request a written reason or receipt/registration reference where available.
3. Do not replace a difficult document with a false statement.
4. Use the DAO information officer or grievance channel for a procedural problem.
5. For an appealable decision, the Act generally provides a 35-day review route to the Home Secretary.
6. Seek qualified legal help for disputed nationality, adoption, parentage or foreign-citizenship cases.

Common mistakes that cause another visit

• Going directly to the DAO without the correct ward recommendation.
• Bringing photocopies but leaving the original family citizenship at home.
• Not bringing the parent or relative required for sanakhat.
• Using inconsistent Nepali/English names, dates or permanent addresses.
• Using a relative’s citizenship without a relationship certificate.
• Hiding migration or applying in a district that cannot verify the permanent record.
• Assuming the same document list applies to descent and naturalised citizenship.
• Signing a self-declaration without understanding its legal meaning.
• Paying an agent instead of following the ward and DAO receipt process.

Frequently asked questions