DOCUMENTS REQUIRED TO ENTER NEPAL BY OWN CAR/BIKE

Indians do not require a visa to visit Nepal. Just show a valid Identity proof of your citizenship to the police at the border check-post and move into Nepal. Though if you are traveling by your own car or bike, then you may need to obtain documents from the concerned authorities. Here are the details of the documents required to enter Nepal by own car/bike

Documents required by Indians at Nepal border to prove their citizenship

1. Passport
2. Voter I-card
3. Driving licence
4. I-card issued by any government authority
5. A letter issued by the Nepalese embassy

Documents required entering Nepal with own vehicle

1. Registration Certificate of vehicle
2. Driving license
3. Customs permit (called Bhansar in Nepali)
4. Vehicle Permit (called yaatayaat anumati in Nepali)

How to obtain Bhansar and Vehicle permit in Nepal

Approach the Bhansar office at the border and get the application form. The form is supposed to be available for free, but the office clerk asked me to get the form from a local shop. The shopkeeper charge for the form. I was informed by a fellow traveller that the amount earned this way is shared with the office clerk or may be with his seniors also. The language of the form is Nepali, i.e. Devanagari script. Again, the office clerk directs the applicant to take help of ‘somebody’ to fill up the form. These ‘somebodies’ are the agents who are easily available in such offices to ‘help’ you. Of course, they charge for all such ‘help’. After Submitting the form at the concerned counter, do not forget to collect the pink-colored receipt. This is the proof of the payment of customs duty for your vehicle you intend to take in Nepal.

There is a different fee for a car and a bike. Also, fees depend on the number of days.

Vehicle	Bhansar/Customs fee for One day (NPR)	Tax	Total (NPR)or(NC)
Bike	Rs 100	13%	113
Car	Rs 400	13%	452

Tip : Take permit for extra days

It is always advisable to take the permit for a couple of days extra. Indian vehicles found in Nepali territory without the said entry ‘Pass’ are treated as illegally smuggled into Nepal. Police seize them and send it to Nepali customs authorities for auction. Such stringent measure from the Nepali side is to curb smuggling of stolen Indian vehicles in Nepal as well as the unauthorized commercial use of Indian vehicles in Nepal. I have visited Nepal 4 times and I have always been checked a number of times by the police and other authorities.

After getting the Customs receipt, next task is to get vehicle permit from the Traffic department, known as ‘yatayat vibhag’. They are not located at the border checkpost everywhere. For example, It is located right on the border at Banbasa-Gadda Chowki & Jogbani-Biratnagar check posts, but quite inside the city of Birganj on Raxaul-Birganj border check post.

Vehicle	Vehicle permit fee for one day (NPR)
Car	Rs. 35

Documents fees : Indian or Nepali currency ?

All the payments are supposed to be done in cash in Nepalese currency. Though, Indian Rupee is also accepted at the counters. However, the office clerk may expect some commission or may offer a poor exchange rate. So, it is always better to pay in Nepali Rupee, if possible. Rupee can easily be exchanged at various shops around the border in India and Nepal.