NOC Nepal 2026: How to Apply for NOC Online, Documents, Fee and Status

NOC online is how Nepali students get a No Objection Certificate (अनापत्ति पत्र) to study abroad, often searched as NOC Nepal. You apply on the government portal noc.moest.gov.np, run by the Ministry of Education and Sports (formerly the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology). Register with an NTC mobile number, fill in your citizenship, passport and study details, upload your documents, and pay the NRs 2,000 fee once your application is verified. You then download the NOC from the portal. Banks ask for it before they send your tuition or living costs abroad. This guide covers every screen of the form, with real screenshots, and everything that changed in 2026.

#NOC Nepal: what changed in 2026

• The ministry has a new name. The portal now says Ministry of Education and Sports. The address is the same: noc.moest.gov.np.
• Only NTC numbers work. The apply box now says "Please Enter Only NTC Number": register with a Nepal Telecom mobile, not Ncell.
• The process is fully online. A ministry notice of 4 Bhadau 2083 (20 August 2026) says you don't need to visit the office to apply. Students whose citizenship and academic details match in the government's records ("DOB Verified") can get the NOC without visiting at all. Everyone else has to come in person, and the portal shows each student which group they are in (MoEST notice, on noc.moest.gov.np).
• TU and KU degrees are checked automatically. After an agreement with Tribhuvan University on 4 Baisakh 2083 (17 April 2026), the portal is linked to TU and Kathmandu University, so their certificates are verified online. The fee is collected online too (Edusanjal, 19 April 2026).
• Consultancies were warned. The same notice tells consultancies to stop spreading wrong information about the NOC or sending students to the office for no reason.
• Bigger reforms are only proposals. In April 2026 the government proposed overhauling the NOC, for example approving foreign exchange only for "priority" subjects. These are proposals, not rules in force (The PIE News, 7 April 2026).

#NOC full form and NOC meaning in Nepali

NOC stands for No Objection Certificate. In Nepali it is अनापत्ति पत्र, literally a "letter of no objection". The portal defines it as "a No Objection Certificate granted by Government of Nepal for the Nepalese student to study abroad". In practice it means:

• Banks need it to transfer your tuition fee or living costs abroad and to exchange rupees into foreign currency for your studies.
• It is tied to one institution. Money can only go to the institution named on it. If you change university or country, you apply for a new NOC.
• It is about sending money, not your visa. It comes from the education ministry, not an embassy, and it is your bank that asks for it.

People search for an "NOC letter" and an "NOC certificate": they mean the same thing, the certificate you download from the portal.

#Who can get a NOC, and who can't

According to the portal's FAQ:

• No NOC is issued for Level 3, Level 4, Certificate III, Certificate IV, top-up degrees or 1-year diploma courses.
• Restricted countries: Taiwan and Mauritius.
• Language courses: you must also have an academic course and apply for both, except for Japan.
• Diplomas must be at least 2 years long. Graduate certificates and postgraduate diplomas of 1 year after a bachelor's degree are accepted.
• Medicine, nursing and other regulated subjects may need a pre-approval or licence first, for example from the Medical Education Commission, NHPC or the Nursing Council.

Check the FAQ on noc.moest.gov.np for your course before you pay any deposit.

#NOC documents required

Scan everything clearly before you start; each upload must be under 5 MB. The portal lists documents by level:

Some countries need extra documents: an English test certificate for New Zealand, and the university's business registration certificate for South Korea (bachelor's). Pilot training needs a CAAN pre-approval.

Already studying abroad and need a NOC to send money? The portal asks for your citizenship, academic certificate, your guardian's citizenship, your old NOC, passport and visa copies, the departure and arrival stamps in your passport, a bonafide letter from your university, your enrolment or offer letter, and an invoice.

#NOC online form: how to apply, step by step

The NOC form has eight parts, from your mobile number to the final review. The form screenshots below are from a real application, with personal details blurred. They were taken before the ministry's rename, so they show the old name (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology); the screens are otherwise the same. The first screenshot shows the portal as it looks today (6 November 2026).

#Step 1: Register with an NTC mobile number

Open noc.moest.gov.np. In the Apply for NOC box, read the line Please Enter Only NTC Number (1), type your Nepal Telecom mobile number (2) and click Proceed (3). A one-time token comes by SMS; enter it to verify your number. Use the same number every time: your application is linked to it.

#Step 2: Create a password

As a new user, set a password, type it twice and click Submit. You log in later with your mobile number and this password.

#Step 3: Verify your email

Enter your personal email, click Request Token, then paste the token from your inbox (check spam) and click Verify Email.

#Step 4: Citizenship details

Enter your citizenship number, date of birth (BS), issuing district and issue date exactly as on your certificate, then click Find. Fill in your name, gender, parents' names and permanent address, and upload your citizenship scan (front and back in one image) and photo. These details are what the government's records are checked against, so copy them exactly. If you need to convert a date between BS and AD, use the Nepali date converter.

#Step 5: Passport details

Enter your passport number and date of birth (AD) and upload a scan. No passport yet? Tick I do not have passport yet. Click Confirm.

#Step 6: Previous study and study plan

Choose the country and level of your previous study, then your destination country, institution, level and subject. If your institution isn't listed, use Request New; the NOC team checks and adds it, which can take a few days.

#Step 7: Upload your documents

Upload the documents for your level (see the table above): offer letter or I-20/COE, transcripts and certificates, invoice and any licence or equivalence letter. Choose Self or Studying through Consultancy, tick the declaration and click Confirm.

#Step 8: Review and submit

Check every detail. You can't edit the application after submitting. Click Proceed and download the form for your records.

#NOC login, status check and fee

Log in: go to noc.moest.gov.np, click Login and use your mobile number and password.

Check your status: open My NOC from the menu. A new application shows Not Seen / Waiting Verification.

Pay the fee: when the status changes to Application Verified / Waiting Payment, open the application and pay the NRs 2,000 revenue fee using the voucher number shown. Onlinekhabar's reporting also describes students being asked to pay Rs 2,000 once their documents look valid (Onlinekhabar). Pay only the amount on your own voucher.

Download your NOC certificate: after payment the NOC is issued in the portal. Open My NOC and download it, and keep a copy for your bank.

#NOC office: do you need to visit?

Only if your details can't be verified online. The NOC branch is at Sanothimi, Bhaktapur (phone 01-6635419, email noc@moest.gov.np, as listed on the portal).

• DOB Verified students can finish without a visit. That means your citizenship and academic details match each other in the government's records.
• Everyone else must visit for physical verification, and the portal tells you so. In April 2026 the Kathmandu Post reported that of everyone who had applied since online NOCs began in May 2023, 74% had to visit the branch, mostly because of mistakes or missing documents (The Kathmandu Post, 28 April 2026).
• TU and KU graduates are most likely to finish online, because their degrees are now checked automatically.

Many people still search for "Keshar Mahal NOC" or the "NOC office in Kathmandu". The portal lists Sanothimi, Bhaktapur as the office address.

#Pay only the official fee

The official fee is NRs 2,000, paid through the portal. In June 2025 Onlinekhabar reported students being made to pay bribes of up to Rs 100,000 at the NOC branch to get their applications cleared (Onlinekhabar). The ministry's 2026 notice warns consultancies against misleading students. Don't pay anyone extra to "speed up" your NOC; use the portal and the official contacts above.

#Why NOC applications get delayed or rejected

• Details don't match. A small spelling difference between your citizenship, certificates and form means a visit for physical verification.
• The course isn't eligible: a Level 3–4 course, Certificate III–IV, a top-up degree, a 1-year diploma, or a course in Taiwan or Mauritius.
• A language-only course outside Japan.
• A licence or pre-approval is missing for nursing, medicine or other regulated subjects.
• The wrong institution was selected. Choose the exact campus on your offer letter.
• Scans are blurry or over 5 MB.

#Frequently asked questions

Next steps: going to the USA or Canada? See the WES application guide and what a WES evaluation costs. Going to the UK? Read the UK student visa from Nepal guide.

Sources: NOC portal, Ministry of Education and Sports (FAQ, notices, contacts; checked 6 November 2026) · Edusanjal: NOC goes fully online, 19 April 2026 · The Kathmandu Post, 28 April 2026 · The PIE News, 7 April 2026 · Onlinekhabar, June 2025