Nepal (NP)
Nepal is a landlocked Himalayan nation between India and China, home to eight of the world's ten highest peaks including Mount Everest (8,849m).
Capital: Kathmandu
Region: Asia
Language: Nepali
Currency: NPR (Rs)
Cost of living: Very affordable (index 18)
Emergency: 100
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Citizenship & Permanent Residency
Long-term settlement options in Nepal.
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Permanent Residency
Name
Residential Visa (Long-Stay Permission)
Eligibility
Nepal has no general points-based permanent-residency route for ordinary foreign workers. Long-term stay is maintained through renewable work, business, student, marriage or family-category visas. A Residential Visa is available for two specific categories: (1) investors who commit at least USD 100,000 in a Nepal-registered business, and (2) individuals who wish to spend their remaining life in Nepal without conducting business, subject to immigration discretion.
Duration
Renewable annually; not equivalent to an irrevocable permanent status
Requirements
- ✓Investor route: minimum USD 100,000 capital investment in a Nepal-registered business with evidence of fund transfer
- ✓Non-business residential route: evidence of sufficient personal funds, accommodation and a clean immigration history
- ✓Application to the Department of Immigration with supporting documentation
- ✓No adverse criminal or security record
The Residential Visa is not an automatic path to citizenship. Nepal has strict foreign-investment and land-ownership rules. Most expats maintain their stay through successive work-permit and visa renewals.
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Citizenship
Name
Nepali Citizenship by Naturalisation
Eligibility
Highly restricted. A foreign national must have resided continuously and lawfully in Nepal for at least 15 years to be eligible for ordinary naturalisation, subject to government approval. A significant constitutional gender disparity exists: foreign women married to Nepali-citizen men may apply for naturalisation after meeting the residence requirement; foreign men married to Nepali-citizen women may obtain permanent residency only — not citizenship — under the current Constitution.
Duration
Permanent if granted
Requirements
- ✓15 years of continuous lawful residence in Nepal
- ✓Renunciation of prior citizenship — dual citizenship is strictly prohibited by Article 10 of the Constitution of Nepal
- ✓Good character and no serious criminal record
- ✓Highly discretionary government approval
- ✓Foreign women married to Nepali-citizen men: eligible under the marriage-naturalisation provision after meeting the residence requirement
- ✓Foreign men married to Nepali-citizen women: eligible for permanent residency designation only, not citizenship, under current constitutional rules
Nepal does not offer an accessible citizenship-by-residence route for ordinary expats. Naturalisation is constitutionally discretionary and practically rare. The constitutional gender disparity in marriage-based citizenship was reaffirmed as recently as 2025. The dual-citizenship prohibition was publicly confirmed by the Home Ministry in August 2025.
Other Routes to Residency & Citizenship
Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) Status
Eligibility
Individuals of Nepali origin who hold foreign citizenship may apply for NRN status through the Non-Resident Nepali Association. NRN status grants limited economic rights — including certain investment and property ownership rights — but does not restore voting rights, public-office eligibility or full citizenship.
Duration / Outcome
Renewable status; not permanent citizenship
Requirements
- ✓Proof of Nepali origin — descent from a Nepali citizen or birth in Nepal before acquiring foreign citizenship
- ✓Valid foreign passport
- ✓Application to the Non-Resident Nepali Association or the designated government body
- ✓No serious criminal record
NRN status does not reverse the automatic loss of Nepali citizenship that occurs when a Nepali citizen acquires foreign nationality. It provides a limited set of diaspora rights but is not dual citizenship.
Investment / Exceptional-Service Residential Visa
Eligibility
Foreign nationals who make qualifying investments (minimum USD 100,000 in an approved sector) may obtain a Residential Visa. In extraordinarily rare cases, individuals who have rendered exceptional service to Nepal in the fields of culture, literature, science, sports, industry or public service may be considered for honorary citizenship granted by presidential order.
Duration / Outcome
Investor Residential Visa: renewable annually. Honorary citizenship: permanent
Requirements
- ✓Documented qualifying investment with Department of Industry or relevant authority approval
- ✓For honorary citizenship: exceptional and publicly recognised contribution to Nepal
- ✓Clean legal and immigration record
- ✓Government recommendation and approval
Ordinary investors should expect a renewable Residential Visa only — not citizenship. Honorary citizenship by presidential order has been conferred only a handful of times in Nepal's history.
🌍 Dual Citizenship
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Dual citizenship is not allowed — Dual citizenship is strictly prohibited by Article 10 of the Constitution of Nepal. Acquiring a foreign citizenship automatically terminates Nepali citizenship. Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) status exists for the diaspora but is not dual citizenship and does not restore full citizen rights. The prohibition was publicly reaffirmed by the Home Ministry in August 2025.
Citizenship & Permanent Residency
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