Development of Nepal’s digital ID program, the national ID (NID) card, began in 2016 to provide a digital ID to all citizens of Nepal with cards being issued starting in 2018.[13]As of mid-2024, unique NID numbers are now assigned at the time of birth registration,[14]which are later printed on the individual’s physical card issued after reaching the age of 16.[15]Upon registration, the individual’s fingerprint, iris scans, photograph and digital signature are recorded and stored.[16]The data collection process has moved relatively quickly, with the data of 9 million citizens collected by September 2022 [17]and 14 million citizens, roughly “90% of the eligible population”, by June 2024.[18]Approximately three million NIDs have been printed to date.[19]
The NID has been intended as a functional ID with its core objective being digital identification of all citizens. [20]Once digitized, its function is to ensure interoperability for accessing public services such as land registration, transportation, and social security allowances; for accessing private services in commercial banks; and for official offline use where necessary.[21]The NID card will eventually serve as a voter card and be linked with Nepal’s Election Commission database.[22]For the government, its main function is to improve surveillance for public security and crime control, including regulations of immigration.
DPI is relatively very weak in Nepal, ranking 119 out of 193 on the UN’s e-Government Development Index.[24]There have been reports that implementation of the NID has not been streamlined across all levels of government, with local ward offices still requiring paper-based citizenship certificates.[25]The digitalization of government services was initiated by the Government of Nepal in collaboration with multinational identity security services company, Idemia, as a part of Nepal’s eGovernance Master Plan (2015-2019).[26]The process of formulating and implementing the NID was undertaken by the government with the support of a pilot with 117,000 citizens in Panchthar and Singhadarbar from the Asian Development Bank.[27]During the formulation of the digital policy, no third party consultation took place, neither with organizations working on digital rights nor with any experts on the political, economic, and social dimension of caste and gender discrimination.[28]
While the NID card is intended to be a fundamental document in the State’s ambition to develop an integrated digital identification system, it is not a citizenship certifying document.[29]One must provide a citizenship certificate in order to register for an NID.[30]This means that the estimated 6.7 million people in Nepal who likely lack citizenship certificates,[31]as well as uncounted foreign citizens, refugees, and stateless people, are automatically excluded. Although registering for NIDs has been required for all Nepali citizens from the beginning, after the implementation of the NID and Civil Registration Act (2020),[32]the government has made it mandatory to register for an NID card in order to acquire a passport.[33]
Despite facing public controversy, NID enrollment is mandatory in order to access a range of public services,[34]including obtaining a passport.[35]As of January 2025, having a NID card was also required in order to open a bank account.[36]In July 2024, enrolling in the NID was made mandatory for accessing social security allowances, mobile SIM cards, and various public services such as health insurance.[37]In August 2024, after a writ petition highlighting concerns that imposing the ID card requirement could result in many senior citizens being unable to access their social security allowances, the Supreme Court issued an interim order directing that the NID card not be made mandatory in order to access government services.[38]However, by January 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed the writ petitions, solidifying NID enrollment as mandatory to access public services.[39]As a result of this policy, stateless persons, other non-citizens, and those without access to the internet who are unable to register for the NID, are excluded from accessing the associate government services.
For those enrolled in the NID system, their NID number as well as the digitalized version of their NID accessible through the Nagarik App can be used to access such services.[40]However, there have been significant issues in the rollout of physical NID cards.[41]Only just under 2 million of the printed NID cards have been distributed out of the almost 16 million cards that have been applied for.[42] One issue is the slow production of the cards themselves, while another is the insufficient wages paid to workers distributing the cards.[43]Further, implementation has not matched the policies being set as despite directives to make the NID card mandatory, residents are still asked to provide their citizenship card for accessing public services such as health subsidies, land registration, or even opening a bank account.[44]
