This guide explains, step by step, how a foreign national obtains a business visa in Nepal, which laws apply, which offices are involved, and what documents the Department of Immigration expects. Every point below is drawn from the Immigration Act, 2049 (1992), the Immigration Rules, 2051 (1994), the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, 2075 (2019) (FITTA), the Companies Act, 2063 (2006), and the published procedures of the concerned government departments.
What Is a Business Visa in Nepal and Which Laws Govern It?
Who is eligible for a business visa?
A business visa is issued only where there is an approved foreign investment. In practice, the Department of Immigration issues it to:
- The foreign investor whose name appears in the foreign direct investment approval and in the company’s shareholder register.
- The authorised representative formally appointed by a foreign corporate investor through a board resolution or power of attorney.
- Dependent family members of the investor or representative, generally the spouse and minor children, and in appropriate cases parents.
A tourist visa holder cannot lawfully manage a Nepali company. A foreign employee who is not a shareholder is not a business visa holder either; that person needs a work permit from the Department of Labour and a non-tourist visa.
How long is the business visa valid at present?
Under current practice at the Department of Immigration, an investor who has completed the full investment and registration cycle is granted a business visa for six months at a time. Key features:
- It is a multiple entry visa, so the holder may exit and re-enter Nepal freely during validity.
- It is renewable, and renewals continue for as long as the investment is retained and the company remains compliant.
- Longer validity may be granted in individual cases at the discretion of the Department, based on the recommendation received and the size and status of the investment.
Investors who bring in a lump sum investment of at least one million US dollars may instead apply for a residential visa under FITTA, valid so long as the investment is maintained.
What Must Be Completed Before You Apply for the Visa?
The business visa sits at the end of a chain. Each earlier step produces a document the Department of Immigration will ask for. The sequence is: FDI approval, company registration, PAN registration, bank account opening and inward remittance, then the visa application.
Step 1: How do you obtain foreign direct investment approval?
Foreign investment in Nepal requires prior approval. The approving authority depends on project size:
- The Department of Industry approves foreign investment proposals up to the statutory ceiling. Applications and procedures are published at doind.gov.np.
- The Investment Board Nepal approves larger projects, generally those above NPR 6 billion, and projects specified under the Investment Board Act, 2068.
Points to note:
- A minimum investment threshold per foreign investor applies under a Nepal Gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies. The threshold has been revised more than once, and a relaxed regime has been notified for the information technology sector. Always confirm the current figure before planning your capital.
- Certain sectors are listed in Schedule 1 of FITTA as restricted for foreign investment.
- Typical documents include the application in the prescribed format, a project report, the investor’s passport or certificate of incorporation, a company profile, a bio-data, a financial credibility certificate from the investor’s bank, and a board resolution.
The Department of Industry issues an approval letter. This letter is the foundation of every later step, including the visa.
Detailed assistance on this stage is available through FDI approval services offered by CompanyNP.
Step 2: How is the company registered?
After investment approval, the company is incorporated at the Office of the Company Registrar under the Companies Act, 2063. The process at ocr.gov.np involves:
- Reserving the company name online.
- Filing the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association.
- Submitting the FDI approval letter, shareholders’ identity documents and consent letters.
- Paying registration fees based on authorised capital.
- Receiving the certificate of incorporation.
Sector specific licences may follow, for example from the Department of Tourism, Nepal Rastra Bank or the relevant ministry. Support for company registration in Nepal is a core service of CompanyNP.
Step 3: Why is PAN registration necessary?
Every company must obtain a Permanent Account Number from the Inland Revenue Department under the Income Tax Act, 2058. Registration is completed through ird.gov.np and the concerned Inland Revenue Office. Value Added Tax registration follows where the turnover or the nature of business requires it.
The PAN certificate is a mandatory attachment to the business visa file, because it proves the company is a live taxpayer and not a paper entity.
Step 4: How is the bank account opened and the investment brought in?
Once incorporated and registered for tax, the company opens a bank account with a commercial bank licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank.
- Foreign investment must enter Nepal through the banking channel in convertible foreign currency.
- The bank issues a certificate confirming the inward remittance and its conversion.
- The investment is then recorded with Nepal Rastra Bank under its foreign investment and foreign loan management framework. This record is what later protects your right to repatriate dividends, sale proceeds and capital.
- The company issues share certificates to the foreign investor and updates the shareholder register at the Office of the Company Registrar.
Without evidence of actual inward remittance, a business visa application is usually incomplete.
How Do You File and Obtain the Visa from the Department of Immigration?
Which office recommends the business visa?
The Department of Immigration does not decide investment questions on its own. It acts on a recommendation.
- For investments approved by the Department of Industry, that Department issues the visa recommendation letter addressed to the Department of Immigration.
- For projects under the Investment Board Nepal, the Board issues the recommendation.
- Where a One Stop Service Centre is functioning, the recommendation may be processed there.
The recommendation names the individual, states the approved investment and requests issuance of a business visa.
What documents does the Department of Immigration require?
The visa file submitted at the Department of Immigration, Kalikasthan, Kathmandu, generally contains:
- The completed online visa application form, printed and signed.
- Original passport with a valid entry visa, plus photocopies of the passport and current visa pages.
- Recent passport size photographs.
- The visa recommendation letter from the Department of Industry or Investment Board Nepal.
- The foreign investment approval letter.
- Certificate of incorporation, Memorandum and Articles of Association.
- PAN or VAT registration certificate.
- Shareholder register and share certificate of the applicant.
- Bank certificate evidencing the inward remittance of investment.
- Board resolution or power of attorney appointing the authorised representative, where applicable.
- Relationship documents such as marriage or birth certificates for dependent family members.
- Company letter requesting the visa, signed by an authorised person.
Documents in a foreign language should be accompanied by an authenticated translation.
How is the application submitted?
The Department of Immigration operates an online application system through immigration.gov.np. The usual flow is:
- Fill the visa application online and generate the submission barcode or reference.
- Print the form and attach the supporting documents in the order required.
- Submit the file at the visa counter of the Department of Immigration and pay the prescribed fee.
- Collect the passport with the business visa sticker on the notified date.
What fees apply and how long does it take?
Visa fees are fixed under the schedule to the Immigration Rules, 2051 and are revised from time to time by the Government of Nepal. Fees for business visas are charged in convertible foreign currency and vary with the duration granted and the number of dependents. The current fee table is published on the Department of Immigration website, and it should be checked before payment, since gazette notifications can change the rates.
Processing is normally completed within a few working days once the file is accepted, provided no clarification is sought.
Which laws create the business visa?
A business visa in Nepal is not a courtesy. It is a statutory entitlement created by investment law and administered by immigration law.
- The Immigration Act, 2049 (1992) is the parent law. It empowers the Government of Nepal to issue, refuse, cancel and set conditions on visas for foreign nationals.
- The Immigration Rules, 2051 (1994) list the recognised visa categories, including tourist visa, non-tourist visa, business visa, study visa, marital visa and residential visa, and prescribe application procedures and fees.
- The Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, 2075 (2019) contains the specific visa rights of foreign investors. Under its visa provisions, a foreign investor, the investor’s authorised representative and their dependent family members are entitled to a business visa for as long as the approved investment is retained in Nepal.
- FITTA also allows a foreign national who comes to Nepal to study, research or survey investment opportunities to receive a non-tourist visa for a period of up to six months.
- The Industrial Enterprises Act, 2076 (2019) reinforces visa facilitation for investors in registered industries.
The authoritative Nepali and English texts of these laws are published by the Nepal Law Commission at lawcommission.gov.np.
How Is a Business Visa Renewed in Nepal?
When should renewal be filed?
Since the Department of Immigration is presently issuing six month business visas, renewal is a routine and recurring obligation. Apply well before the expiry date, ideally two to four weeks in advance, because a fresh recommendation must first be obtained from the Department of Industry or the Investment Board.
What is required for renewal?
Renewal is essentially a compliance check. Expect to submit:
- A fresh visa recommendation letter.
- The company’s tax clearance certificate from the Inland Revenue Department.
- Audited financial statements for the last fiscal year.
- Evidence of annual return filing with the Office of the Company Registrar under the Companies Act, 2063.
- Updated shareholder details and proof that the investment is still retained.
- Passport, existing visa copy, photographs and the renewal application form.
Investors who have not filed annual returns, not held annual general meetings or not cleared taxes commonly face refusal or delay. Ongoing company compliance support reduces this risk.
What happens if the visa expires?
Staying in Nepal after visa expiry is an offence under the Immigration Act, 2049. Consequences may include:
- A daily fine at the rate notified by the Department of Immigration, payable before departure or regularisation.
- Additional penalty for prolonged overstay.
- Departure orders, and in serious cases a blacklist entry restricting future entry.
Immigration records are digital and linked to entry and exit points, so overstay is always detected.
How does a business visa differ from other visas?
- Tourist visa: issued on arrival for leisure. It does not permit business management, and time spent on it does not count toward investor status.
- Non-tourist visa: issued to foreign employees, experts and technicians holding a work permit, and to investors during the pre-approval study period of up to six months.
- Business visa: issued to approved foreign investors, their authorised representatives and dependents.
- Residential visa: available to investors meeting the one million US dollar lump sum threshold under FITTA.
Can family members obtain visas?
Yes. FITTA extends the business visa facility to dependent family members of the investor or the authorised representative. Their visas are issued for the same period as the principal applicant and are renewed together. Relationship proof, duly authenticated, must be attached.
Do investors also need a work permit?
A shareholder investor operating under a business visa does not require a labour permit for the exercise of ownership rights. However, if a foreign national is engaged as a salaried employee, expert or technician, the company must obtain labour approval and a work permit from the Department of Labour and Occupational Safety, and the individual then holds a non-tourist visa rather than a business visa.
What are the most common reasons for rejection?
- Investment approval obtained but funds never remitted through the banking channel.
- Company registered but PAN not obtained or tax returns not filed.
- Shareholder register not updated at the Office of the Company Registrar.
- Recommendation letter details not matching passport details.
- Expired passport or insufficient passport validity.
- Applying while already in overstay.
How does CompanyNP assist?
CompanyNP handles the complete investor entry cycle for foreign nationals: investment approval, incorporation, tax registration, banking coordination, Nepal Rastra Bank recording, visa filing and periodic renewal. Because every stage produces a document that the next stage consumes, sequencing errors are expensive. Coordinated handling avoids repeated visits to Tripureshwar, Kalikasthan and the Inland Revenue Office. You can reach the team through companynp.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I convert my tourist visa into a business visa inside Nepal?
Yes. Once your foreign investment approval, company registration, PAN and bank remittance are complete, you may apply at the Department of Immigration with a recommendation letter and change your status without leaving Nepal.
Is the Nepal business visa a multiple entry visa?
Yes. The business visa currently issued by the Department of Immigration permits multiple entries during its validity, so investors may travel abroad and return without applying for a fresh entry permission each time.
How much foreign investment is required for a business visa?
There is no separate visa threshold. You must meet the minimum foreign investment amount notified by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies under FITTA, which is periodically revised and relaxed for information technology.
Which government office issues the visa recommendation letter?
The Department of Industry issues recommendations for investments it approves. The Investment Board Nepal issues recommendations for larger projects within its jurisdiction. The Department of Immigration then grants the visa itself.
Can my spouse and children stay in Nepal with me?
Yes. FITTA entitles dependent family members of a foreign investor or authorised representative to business visas for the same duration, renewed alongside the principal applicant, subject to authenticated relationship documents being submitted.
What if I sell my shares in the Nepali company?
The business visa is tied to retained investment. Once shares are transferred and the investment is repatriated with Nepal Rastra Bank approval, the entitlement ends, and continued stay requires a different visa category under the Immigration Rules.