KATHMANDU: The Department of Passports has received an additional 396,000 passport booklets under an interim procurement arrangement approved by the Government of Nepal, enabling the continuation of passport printing and distribution at full capacity.

According to the Department, the supply forms part of a government decision to procure 700,000 passport booklets along with personalization and related services to meet increasing demand nationwide and abroad.

With the new stock, the Department said it has resumed full-scale passport personalization and is preparing to dispatch passports to applicants who applied through district and area administration offices as well as Nepali missions abroad, following a fixed schedule.

Passports of applicants who submitted applications through district or area administration offices up to Kartik 15 (mid-November) have already been dispatched. Applications received between Kartik 16 and Mangsir 15 (mid-December) are currently being processed and will be dispatched by Poush 15 (mid-January).

For applicants who applied after Mangsir 15, passports will be printed and dispatched sequentially after Poush 15, the Department said.

Similarly, passports for applicants who applied through Nepali diplomatic missions abroad will continue to be printed and dispatched according to the existing timeline.

The Department also stated that sufficient appointment slots are available for applicants seeking passport services directly from the Department of Passports, where passports are generally issued within two working days.