Lost Documents in Nepal (2026): How to Report and Replace a Citizenship Certificate, Passport, Driving Licence or Lalpurja

This is procedural information, not legal advice.

Misplacing a citizenship certificate or a lalpurja is a particular kind of panic, because so much else in Nepal depends on being able to show them. A lost passport or driving licence is annoying but easier to fix. The path is roughly the same in all four cases: report the loss to the police, get whatever local recommendation your document needs, then go to the office that issued it. This page covers the lost-then-replace branch only, not the apply-from-scratch route.

Start with the police report

Go to the nearest police station and ask for the lost-property desk. What you are filing is a gumshuda report, listed in Nepali as हराएको दस्तावेज सम्बन्धी रिपोर्ट. Expect to give your details, the date and rough place of loss, a description of the document, and a short account of what happened.

Ask for the carbon copy, or at minimum write down the report number. Several offices will ask to see it later, and going back for a reprint is a wasted morning.

Ward recommendation, where it is needed

For citizenship certificates and land records, the ward office usually issues a letter confirming your address and identity. Bring whatever copies you still have, a couple of photos, and the police report receipt.

Passports and driving licences generally do not require a ward letter, since the issuing offices verify you against their own databases. Local practice varies, though, so a quick phone call before you travel saves a trip.

Replacing a lost citizenship certificate

Duplicate citizenship certificates are handled by the District Administration Office. When I last went through the published requirements, the counter asked for the police report, a ward recommendation, two passport-size photos, and a copy of the lost certificate if one survived. You fill in the application form at the counter rather than online.

The office records the loss in its register and issues a replacement that normally carries the same citizenship number. Fees and turnaround differ from district to district, so treat any figure you hear online as a rumour and confirm at the counter. If the original turns up afterwards, hand it in rather than keeping both.

Reissuing a passport

The Department of Passports, working with its provincial offices, handles reissues. You start the application online, book an appointment, then appear in person with the police report, a copy of the old passport if you have one, your citizenship certificate, and photos.

Once the loss is registered in the system, the old booklet is invalidated. The replacement carries a new number. Some offices can move faster for documented emergencies such as medical treatment abroad or a study deadline, but that is at the counter's discretion, so ask rather than assume.

Duplicate driving licence

Licensing now sits with the provincial Transport Management Offices. You submit the police report, a copy of the old licence if available, your citizenship certificate, and a medical fitness certificate covering eyesight and general fitness. The office checks the central database and prints a duplicate that keeps your existing licence number.

Some provinces let you begin the application online and some do not. Check your own province's transport office rather than relying on what a friend did elsewhere.

Lalpurja: updating the land record

Land records are held by the Land Revenue Office and the Survey Office, under the Department of Land Management and Archive. Report the loss at the land revenue office for the district where the land sits, with the police report, your citizenship certificate, and any deed copies or tax receipts you have.

The office annotates the register and can issue a duplicate certificate. Some districts still insist on a public notice in a national daily before they proceed, and others have dropped it. Ask the counter what your district currently wants.

If the land is disputed, or you suspect someone may use the lost document, talk to a lawyer before you file. Land cases get complicated quickly, and this page is not the place to resolve them.

If the lost document turns up

Take it to the issuing office and have them cancel the duplicate entry. Holding both a cancelled original and a live duplicate is the kind of small mess that becomes a large one during a property transfer or a visa application.

One honest caveat

The office-by-office detail above reflects published guidance and counter practice as of 2024, which is the most recent I can point to with confidence. Forms, fees and required papers shift, sometimes without notice. Confirm at the counter before you travel, and treat nothing here as legal advice.