Nepal Plans Mandatory Visitor Tracking App From September 17

Foreign visitors face a new digital registration requirement

Nepal plans to begin registering foreign visitors through a government tracking platform on 17 September 2025, starting with hotels rated five stars in Kathmandu. The Department of Immigration's NepaliPort Traveller application and Foreign National Tracking Module will connect passport and visa details with records of where visitors stay and which registered services they use.

The requirement will cover all foreign nationals, including Indian citizens entering Nepal by land, who normally do not need a visa. Visitors will register through the mobile application and scan QR codes at participating businesses. Each scan will record an interaction with a hotel, airline, tour company, money exchange outlet or another approved provider.

From 17 November, the program is scheduled to expand to airlines, travel and tour firms, and money exchange outlets, followed by hotels and guesthouses across Nepal. As of 3 September, the nationwide rollout remains ahead of travelers and businesses. Officials describe the intended mandatory system as a way to combine public safety, immigration control and tourism development.

The Department says the platform will help authorities find visitors during emergencies, identify people who remain after their visas expire and verify trekking permits. It will also produce information about visitor movements, broken down by nationality and visa category, for tourism planning and enforcement.

The practical change is that visitor registration will continue beyond arrival at the border. Hotels and other businesses will become points where travel records are updated, while the application will remind visitors when they need to extend a visa or leave Nepal. Providers will be able to enter information manually for guests who have not installed the app.

How the September and November rollout will work

The Department of Immigration is introducing the system in stages, with the first phase focused on major hotels in the capital. Businesses will need to register with the Department, receive approval and generate a unique QR code for their premises or service counters before recording visitor interactions.

The announced timetable sets out two main starting dates:

• 3 September 2025: The program is being presented ahead of its planned launch, with official resources and registration materials available online.
• 17 September 2025: The first phase begins in hotels rated five stars in Kathmandu.
• 17 November 2025: Expansion begins to airlines, travel and tour companies, and money exchange outlets, followed by hotels and guesthouses nationwide.

District Administration Offices and monitoring committees across Nepal's 77 districts will oversee implementation and compliance. The Department has circulated letters to the district monitoring committees to coordinate enforcement and support.

Government notices say the program complies with Nepal's Immigration Act of 1992 and Immigration Rules of 1994. The Department presents it as part of a broader modernization of visitor management, with user manuals, service provider registration forms and a visa application tracker posted on its official portal.

What travelers will do on the app

Travelers will be expected to install the NepaliPort app on arrival, create a profile using passport and visa information and give the application permission to record their location. At a participating provider, they will scan the business's QR code to register the interaction.

A QR code is a pattern that a phone can scan to identify a particular business or service counter. In this system, the scan connects a visitor's record to a verified location and time. A hotel check-in, an interaction with a tour operator or a visit to a registered money exchanger can therefore become part of the visitor's travel record.

Hotels and operators will have a fallback for people who do not use the app. Staff can enter the required details manually, allowing a record to be captured when a traveler has not installed the application or cannot use it on a particular day.

The Department says the platform supports location tracking in real time as well as analysis of visitor movements. Authorities expect to create heat maps, which show where visits are concentrated, and trend reports filtered by nationality and visa class. Immigration officers will also be able to review visitors' own declarations and check trekking permits against movements recorded by licensed operators.

Visa reminders and the records businesses can see

Visitors will receive automated notifications as their visas approach expiry, with instructions about extending their permission to stay or leaving Nepal. Technical guidance shared with the media specifies reminders seven days and two days before the expiry date.

Immigration officers will be able to flag travelers approaching a visa deadline and monitor overstays. For a visitor, an overstay means remaining in the country after the period allowed by the visa has ended. The reminders are intended to reduce cases in which someone misses that deadline unintentionally.

Approved service providers will be able to access guest reports and see whether visitors are in good standing under visa rules. Visa status alerts relevant to a provider's services will form part of the information available to businesses.

Authorities say visitors who extend their visas or depart on time could benefit from faster processing on future visits because the system will hold a clean record of their compliance. The platform is also intended to help security agencies, tourism businesses and local officials coordinate during emergencies.

Short business trips involving a few hotel nights will produce a relatively brief record of presence. Longer stays will involve more frequent check-ins at accommodation and other service counters, creating a more extensive record alongside the visitor's immigration details.

Why search and rescue is part of the plan

Nepal's tourism economy has grown quickly through trekking, cultural travel and mountaineering at high altitude. That growth brings business to the country while increasing the demands on authorities responsible for visitor safety, particularly in rugged areas where search and rescue can be difficult and expensive.

Connectivity is sparse outside major towns, making it harder to locate people or communicate during an emergency. Department of Immigration spokesman Tikaram Dhakal described the new platform's public safety purpose when discussing it with local media:

The system will facilitate search, rescue and ensure security in times of emergency.

Nepal has already taken steps to improve oversight of adventure tourism. Following a deadly Everest climbing season in recent years, the government required climbers to carry GPS tracking chips during the 2024 season. Officials said those devices would reduce rescue response times.

Changes to waste management rules for climbers also aim to protect fragile mountain environments. Alongside visitor tracking, these measures form part of a wider effort to improve safety and supervision in adventure tourism.

How the Khumbu Trek Card compares

The Khumbu region has tested a more focused form of digital monitoring through its Trek Card. Trekkers record morning departures and evening arrivals at checkpoints, and authorities receive an alert if someone misses expected scans for 24 hours.

The Trek Card focuses on safety without continuous position updates. Its records also show how visitors move between places such as Lukla and Namche, helping regional authorities plan around actual travel patterns.

NepaliPort is designed to reach further. It will combine immigration records, service provider check-ins and visa management in one national system, covering foreign visitors beyond trekking routes and mountain communities.

Trekkers will still need permits and the Trekkers Information Management System in many regions. Officials say NepaliPort will help agencies verify those documents, and the app can display information about permit requirements in trekking zones.

Travelers heading into remote areas should carry a charged phone and plan for limited connectivity. Scans may be delayed until the next point with coverage. A hotel or operator's ability to enter information manually provides another way to capture required details when the visitor cannot use the app.

Indian visitors and other travelers covered by the requirement

Indian citizens entering Nepal by road will be included even though they do not need a visa. The Department says registration is necessary to maintain consistent records of foreign nationals for safety and governance.

Indian travelers should therefore be prepared to register their details through the application or at a service provider's terminal. Their exemption from visa requirements will remain part of the travel arrangements described by officials, while digital visitor registration will apply to them.

Tourists staying in cities will encounter the system through hotels and other registered businesses. Trekkers will also encounter operators whose records can be checked against permits, while business travelers and people making longer visits will receive visa reminders where applicable.

The common requirement is to provide identity information and record interactions with participating providers. The manual entry option will matter for travelers whose phones are older, have limited storage or are temporarily unavailable.

Hotels and operators prepare for new responsibilities

Hotels, airlines, tour companies and money exchangers will need to enroll on the Department's portal, apply for approval, and generate and display their QR codes. Reception desks and service counters will become practical points for helping visitors register and recording their details.

Staff will need basic training to assist guests with the application and to enter information for those without it. Smaller lodgings will also come within the program as registration expands nationwide, extending those responsibilities beyond the first group of Kathmandu hotels.

The Hotel Association Nepal has discussed the plan with authorities and is preparing its position on the rollout. Operators want clarity about their responsibilities and support for staff training. Industry groups have also asked for training in phases and accessible help desks to reduce difficulties at check-in.

District offices are expected to monitor implementation and provide support during the early phases. For businesses, the day to day challenge will be making registration fit into familiar tasks such as welcoming a guest, arranging a tour or handling an exchange transaction.

Nepal's tourism sector depends on trust, safe trekking routes and a smooth experience between the airport and hotel. Clear instructions, stable software and multilingual assistance will affect whether the new process makes travel easier or adds work for visitors and front desk staff.

Privacy questions center on identity and location

NepaliPort will bring together passport information, visa records, locations and service usage. That combination makes data protection a central concern for travelers, hotels and civil society groups learning how the system will operate.

The scope of location collection beyond QR scans, whether the application records continuous GPS positions or mainly provider check-ins, how long records are retained, who can access them, phone compatibility and offline operation have not been fully detailed publicly. The Department's description of tracking in real time suggests access to location information, while provider check-ins remain the primary control point for services.

A privacy policy explaining what is collected, how it is protected and when it is deleted would help visitors understand the arrangement. Rules limiting collection to necessary information, specifying retention periods and providing independent oversight would also address concerns about the growing travel record.

Protection measures to explain include encryption standards, which govern how information is made unreadable to unauthorized users; access controls, which determine who can open records; and audit trails, which record activity within the system. A channel for complaints and corrections would help visitors resolve mistakes in their information.

The Department has engaged district offices and published user manuals. Detailed rules on correcting records, seeking a remedy and deleting data would provide further clarity. Privacy advocates are likely to seek transparency about location collection, retention and access by third parties.

Phone registration offers a lesson in communication

Nepal's Mobile Device Management System illustrates how digital requirements can become confusing for visitors. Phones bought abroad must be registered for use on local networks within 15 days or they can be blocked from mobile service.

Tourists have reported confusion at airports and difficulties navigating the forms, particularly when information was not available in English. The experience points to practical needs for NepaliPort: clear instructions, multilingual support and simple procedures for travelers and businesses with limited technical experience.

Visitors with a new phone or one purchased abroad who plan to use a local SIM should complete the device registration requirement to avoid a disruption to mobile service. Access to a working phone will also matter when using the new visitor application.

Indonesia provides another example of digital arrival procedures. It now requires arrivals to complete a unified digital declaration through the All Indonesia app at major airports and ports. Other countries use online travel authorization, biometric entry and digital forms to streamline processing and strengthen compliance.

Nepal's program pairs entry registration with continuing check-ins at accommodation and other services. Officials expect that broader record to provide richer information for safety and planning, while visitors will encounter registration repeatedly during their stay.

How travelers and businesses can prepare

Visitors should prepare to register passport and visa details after arrival, grant the app location permission and scan a QR code whenever a registered provider requests it. The location function is intended to support welfare checks or searches if emergency services need to find someone.

Travelers should watch for the visa reminders seven days and two days before expiry and follow the instructions to extend their stay or depart on time. Those traveling into trekking areas should also keep track of permit requirements and arrange for limited connectivity.

The Department's official immigration portal provides instructions, manuals and forms for visitors and providers. Its visa application tracker provides a separate route to check an application.

Businesses serving foreign visitors should apply for approval through the portal, then generate and display their QR codes at reception or service counters. Staff preparations should cover guest registration, manual entry and the visa information available through provider reports.

The immediate milestones are the Kathmandu hotel launch on 17 September and the wider expansion beginning on 17 November. Officials expect the platform to improve rescue coordination, reduce overstays and make visa management more predictable. Confusing instructions or intrusive prompts could instead add pressure to travelers and staff, making clear rules, reliable software, multilingual help and a credible privacy framework central to the rollout.

What to Know

• Nepal plans to start visitor tracking on 17 September 2025 in hotels rated five stars in Kathmandu.
• Expansion begins on 17 November to airlines, travel and tour firms, and money exchangers, followed by accommodation nationwide.
• All foreign nationals are covered, including Indian citizens entering by land without a visa requirement.
• Visitors will register identity details and scan provider QR codes. Businesses can enter information manually when necessary.
• Visa alerts are scheduled seven days and two days before expiry. Authorities will also monitor overstays and verify trekking permits.
• District offices and monitoring committees across all 77 districts will oversee implementation.
• Officials cite emergency response and tourism planning as goals. Detailed privacy and technical rules still need public clarification.
• Existing safety measures include GPS chips for Everest climbers and the Khumbu Trek Card's checkpoint records.