Security Printing Center hands out printed driving license cards to DoTM

Kathmandu, Nov 21: The Security Printing Centre has officially handed over the first batch of smart driving licenses to the Department of Transport Management (DoTM), marking a major step toward resolving Nepal’s long-running license distribution backlog.

According to the Centre, trial printing of the new QR-code–based smart licenses has been completed successfully. Executive Director Dev Raj Dhungana said that 520 licenses were delivered to the Department in the first phase. In the second phase, the Centre has received details of 1,200 applicants, and full-scale printing is currently underway.

Before delivery, the quality of the printed cards was verified at a domestic laboratory. DoTM IT Director Keshab Khatiwada said the progress represents an important breakthrough in addressing the license shortage that has persisted for four to five years.

The Centre and the Department had signed an agreement on October 29, requiring the Centre to print and supply 1.2 million driving licenses within the next six months. Printing work officially began on November 7 at the Centre’s facility in Panauti-5, Kavrepalanchok, inaugurated by Minister for Communication and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel. Director Dhungana assured that the Centre has the full capacity to meet the printing targets.

Along with driving licenses, the Centre is preparing to begin printing postage stamps in the coming days. It will then move on to printing citizenship certificates, excise stickers, land ownership certificates (lalpurja), and visa stickers.

The new smart driving licenses will incorporate QR codes instead of embedded chips and come with three layers of security technologies and 34 visible and invisible security features, ensuring enhanced protection against forgery.