License Print Check in Nepal: How to Check if Your Smart Driving License Is Printed (2026)

A license print check tells you whether your smart driving license card has been printed and is ready to collect. In Nepal there are three official ways to do it. First, find your license number in the printed-license lists that the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) publishes on dotm.gov.np. Second, use your transport office's own print-status search, where one exists. Third, see your license details or track an application on DoTM's license check page and the new province license portals. This guide covers all three, plus the urgent license for people going abroad and what to bring when you collect your card.

#Quick answer: which license check do you need?

#License print check in DoTM's printed-license lists

This is the main way, and it works for every office. DoTM posts the lists under details of printed licenses (छपाई भएका सवारी चालक अनुमतिपत्रहरुको विवरण). There are two kinds:

• Regular lists (नियमित), one per transport office: licenses printed and sent to that office. For example, the list for Pokhara (Kaski) (DoTM).
• Urgent lists (अत्यावश्यक): urgent licenses ready for collection at DoTM on a given date (see the urgent license section below).

Each list is a PDF with these columns:

Urgent lists have a Distribution Ready Date column instead of the office and print date.

#How to find your license number in a long PDF

The lists are long: the Pokhara list we opened has 2,634 pages, sorted by name from A to Z. Don't scroll. Search instead:

1. Open the list for the office where you applied (or the urgent list, if you applied for an urgent license).
2. On a laptop: press Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac).
3. On a phone: open the PDF in Chrome or Google Drive and use Find in page or the search icon.
4. Type your license number exactly as printed, with the hyphens, for example 01-07-00123456. If that finds nothing, try the last eight digits only.
5. If you find it, the License Printed Date tells you when your card was printed.

Search by number, not name. The same name often appears several times. The lists we checked were made from Excel, so the text is searchable.

#Not on the list doesn't mean not printed

The lists come out well after printing. The Pokhara list posted on 22 Asoj 2083 (8 October 2026) covers cards printed on 27 April 2026. So if you can't find your number:

• check that you opened your own office's list, and the urgent list too,
• check the newest list for your office on dotm.gov.np or on your office's notice page,
• track your application on your province portal (below).

The lists use AD dates (2026-APR-27), while DoTM notices use BS dates. The Nepali date converter converts between them.

#Urgent driving license for people going abroad

DoTM prints licenses urgently (अत्यावश्यक सवारी चालक अनुमतिपत्र छपाइ) for people who need their card before leaving Nepal. According to DoTM's citizen charter (PDF), the documents depend on why you are going:

• To study abroad: a No Objection Certificate (NOC) or Certificate of Eligibility (COE) or university offer letter, plus your passport, visa and ticket. See how to apply for the NOC online.
• To work abroad: passport, visa or residence card, ticket and labour permit.
• UN peacekeeping missions: a recommendation from your office, nomination letter and ID.
• Non-resident Nepalis: NRN card or PR card, ticket and passport.
• Diplomats: a recommendation letter from the embassy and the license holder's ID.

How it works, per the charter:

1. You apply on DoTM's online portal (the charter lists applydlnew.dotm.gov.np/login). Staff check your documents and approve the application.
2. 72 hours after approval, you can check on DoTM's Facebook page ("Hello Yatayat Byawastha Bibhag") whether your license is printed. The charter gives the service time as "at least 72 hours" and lists no fee for the urgent service itself.
3. DoTM also posts PDF lists of urgent licenses ready for distribution. The latest one we saw was dated 8 Asar 2083 (22 June 2026) (DoTM).
4. You collect the card in person at DoTM's license distribution room; the charter says this is done the same day you go. If you can't go yourself, the charter allows someone else to collect it with your consent letter (मञ्जुरीनामा) in the format of schedule 5 of the urgent license printing directive, 2081, plus their own application.

#Check on your office's own print-status page

Some transport offices have their own search. The Transport Management Office (driving license), Rupandehi in Butwal, Lumbini Province, has a license print status page where you type your license number in the format XX-XX-XXXXXXXX. The office says printed licenses are handed out from room no. 11, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Other provinces may not have a page like this. Check your own office's website or notices, and use the DoTM lists if there is none.

#Check your license details or track an application online

• License details: DoTM's citizen charter gives applydlnew.dotm.gov.np/licensecheck as the page "to see your smart license details". It's useful to confirm that a new, renewed or duplicate card's details are right.
• Province license portals: DoTM's EDLVRS page now lists a separate driving license portal for each province. Their screens include License Tracking ("Enter your application id to verify an OTP and view your tracking link"; the OTP goes to the mobile number and email on your application) and Driving License Details (to access your license record).

Applying for a new license? The portals say you need a valid National Identity Number (NID) and a mobile number registered in your own name first. If you don't know your NID number, see the NID card check guide.

DoTM's applydlnew pages didn't load when we tested them from outside Nepal. If one doesn't open for you, try again later or from a Nepali internet connection.

#License number or application ID?

• Your license number has the format XX-XX-XXXXXXXX (two digits, two digits, eight digits), as in the DoTM lists. Use it for the printed-list search and the office print-status pages.
• Your application ID belongs to your online application. Use it for License Tracking on the province portal.

Keep both, with your payment receipts, until you have the card in your hand.

#What to bring when you collect your smart license

• Original receipts for all the fees (revenue) you paid. DoTM's notices with the printed lists ask for these.
• Your old license, if you renewed or added a category.
• For an urgent license collected by someone else: your consent letter and their application (see above).

DoTM in Minbhawan, Kathmandu, is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 4:00 in winter (16 Kartik to 15 Magh) and 9:00 to 5:00 the rest of the year (dotm.gov.np). Transport offices set their own hours; Rupandehi's are above.

Check the card before you leave the counter: name, categories and dates. DoTM has published a sample smart card license with its security features you can compare it with.

#Help, complaints and SMS

• DoTM help desk: 01-4574921 or 01-4575922 (citizen charter).
• Complaints: gunaso@dotm.gov.np.
• Facebook: facebook.com/dotmgovnp, where urgent license updates are posted.
• SMS: some websites mention checking by SMS (LC and a number sent to 33001). We couldn't find this on any DoTM page or in the citizen charter, so don't rely on it.

#Frequently asked questions

Related: NID card check (you need an NID number for a new license) · NOC online in Nepal (for an urgent license before studying abroad) · Nepali date converter

Sources: DoTM: details of printed licenses · DoTM: Pokhara printed licenses, 22 Asoj 2083 · DoTM: urgent licenses ready on 8 Asar 2083 · DoTM citizen charter (PDF) · DoTM: EDLVRS province portals · TMO Rupandehi: license print status · DoTM: smart card license sample · DoTM homepage