KATHMANDU: The Department of Transport Management has confirmed the arrival of 600,000 smart license cards.

An agreement with a German company had been established earlier for a total of 1,200,000 smart license cards. The department anticipates that the remaining cards will be delivered to Nepal within the next 45 days.

The initial batch of 600,000 smart driving license cards arrived on January 6 as part of the first phase, as reported by Ishworidatta Paneru, the spokesperson for the department.

Following the issuance of the delivery order by the Nepal Rastra Bank, the cards will undergo a laboratory test.

Paneru stated, “The printing of the licenses will commence as soon as the department receives the cards.”

The department has faced challenges in distributing the smart licenses since July 2022 due to a shortage of cards for printing.

Currently, the department’s printer has the capacity to produce only four to five thousand cards daily if operated continuously for 16 hours.

Considering that approximately 5,000 customers submit applications for smart licenses each day, the awaited distribution is expected to significantly enhance the efficiency and accessibility of driving licenses in Nepal.