KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 27
The Ministry of Home Affairs is planning to put in place a tracking system of foreign citizens travelling to Nepal in a bid to ensure their safety and prevent them from engaging in illegal activities.
According to Home Administration Reform Action Plan 2022, the system will be operational within a year with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation. The tracking system will help authorities monitor the activities of foreigners visiting Nepal and thus control immigration offences.
The Foreign Citizen' Monitoring Directive envisages central level monitoring and regulation committee led by the Department of Immigration director general and district level committee led by the chief district officer to control illegal activities of foreigners staying in Nepal. As many as 154 foreign nationals were expelled for committing immigration offences over a period of the past six months, the MoHA said.
The tracking system will be linked to all the hotels in Kathmandu valley to keep tabs on the activities of foreigners. The hotels concerned are required to scan the passports of their guests and upload them into the system.
The tendency of overstaying visa has also increased in Nepal.
As per the Immigration Regulation, the government may deport any foreign citizen in case he/she overstays without extending his/ her tourist visa in excess of the period of 150 days. The offender is also liable to a fine of five US dollars per day after the visa expires.
Similarly, the Immigration Act sets down the responsibilities of foreigners visiting Nepal. All foreign citizens are obliged to abide by the prevailing laws of Nepal and stay away from activities that disturb public order, and cultural and social harmony. "No foreign citizen shall engage in political activities, commit an offence, which intrudes on the national security of Nepal and affects the relation between Nepal and its friendly nations, and misuse the purpose of visa," the act says.
According to the MoHA, the DoI and DAO concerned will monitor and supervise activities of foreigners right from the day of their arrival till departure. It also requires the concerned hotel, lodge, homestay, guest house and the house owner to collect the prescribed details of foreigners and submit the same to the immigration office, police unit, and ward office of the local level. The law also bars foreigners from engaging in any profession, business or service without obtaining prior approval under the prevailing law. Acts such as tampering with visa, using fake visa, illegal entry into Nepal, possession of passport or visa issued to someone else and obtaining Nepali visa by submitting false details are also considered offences.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 27, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
