As part of its measures to ease the supply of Machine Readable Passports (MRPs), the Department of Passports (DoP) has come up with a new initiative that will enable passport applicants to check the status of their application online.

Once this online system comes into full-fledged operation, anyone applying for the MRP can check the status of applications, according to DoP. This will help avoid unnecessary hassles applicants face to check whether their passport application has been already processed.

DOP is currently receiving MRP applications from various Nepali missions abroad and districts across the country. Applicants can check the status of application by simply clicking MRP status button on DoP´s official website-- <http://dopmofa.gov.np>. Those applying for passports from missions abroad can further click there on the ´Mission Wise´ button and those applying from districts can go to ´District Wise´ button to check the status of their application.

Director General of DoP Ramesh Prasad Khanal said this is a new initiative has been launched in view of making passport delivery service easier to the ordinary public. “We have just launched it today. We are planning to include detailed status of each passport application on a lot wise basis received from each district and missions abroad,” Khanal told Republica.

The details will allow the applicants to know whether their MRP application has been processed and the reasons in case the applications have not been processed.

Nepal needs to replace all hand-written passports issued so far by November, 2015 as per the deadline set by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). While the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) has already made MRP mandatory for all Nepali nationals flying abroad, DoP has mobilized all Nepali missions abroad to collect MRP applications to replace hand-written passports well in advance.

According to DoP, altogether 43574 MRPs have already been dispatched to 29 Nepali missions abroad after processing the applications. Likewise, 13,297 applications are under processing and details of another 24,723 MRP applications have been already been entered into the system. DoP is currently producing 6,000 passports each day.

Published on on: 20 August 2014 | Republica