Nepal’s New 2026 Tourist System (FNMIS) Is Live: What You Need To Know

Updated: September 25, 2026

Nepal has launched the Foreign Nationals Management Information System (FNMIS), a nationwide digital system run by Nepal’s Department of Immigration to record and manage information about foreign visitors. Hotels, airlines, trekking agencies, travel companies and money changers are being connected to the system so that visitor information can be recorded in one central database.

The next step is much more visible to travelers themselves. In September 2026, Nepal’s Department of Immigration announced plans for a “Passport-Free Travel” system that will allow foreign visitors to link their passport and visa details to the official Immigration mobile app and receive a personal QR code. Once fully implemented, the QR code is intended to work as a digital identity for hotel check-ins, domestic flights, trekking, currency exchange, SIM cards and other services inside Nepal.

But the new traveler QR-code system is not fully operational yet. More information below.

Update — September 2026: Nepal’s Department of Immigration is preparing a major expansion of FNMIS through what it calls “Passport-Free Travel.” A proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 15, 2026. Under the proposed system, foreign visitors will register their passport details in the official Department of Immigration app. The information will be verified against immigration records and the app will generate a personal QR code.

The QR code is intended to allow hotels, domestic airlines, trekking agencies, money changers, police and other authorized organizations to verify a traveler’s identity and immigration status without repeatedly asking for the original passport.

The important point for travelers right now: the new Passport-Free Travel system is still awaiting approval and has not yet been rolled out nationwide. You do not currently need to obtain this QR code before traveling to Nepal. Until the system is formally introduced, carry your physical passport as usual.

The September announcement also highlighted one of the reasons Nepal wants to expand the system: locating foreign nationals during disasters. The Department of Immigration said authorities had difficulty quickly tracing foreigners following a recent disaster and that linking visitors directly to the Immigration app should improve emergency identification and rescue.

Update — August 2026: On 26 August 2026, a glacier collapse near the Nepal–Tibet border triggered a catastrophic flash flood in Rasuwa district. The disaster highlighted exactly the problem FNMIS is intended to help solve: knowing where foreign visitors are when an emergency occurs. At the time, however, Nepal still did not have a complete nationwide system capable of instantly locating every foreign traveler. For full details on what caused the disaster and how we assess route safety in response, see our article on the August 2026 flood.

Update — June 2026: The institutional FNMIS backend was already operating even though the traveler-facing QR system was not yet widely available. As of May 2026, the Department of Immigration reported that 1,543 service providers had integrated with FNMIS and records of approximately 125,000 foreign visitors had been collected. If you stay at an integrated hotel, your details may therefore already be entered into FNMIS by the hotel without you having to register yourself.

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Launch dates and rollout phases

FNMIS has been introduced in phases during 2026.

• January 1, 2026: The first phase began with star-rated hotels in Kathmandu Valley moving from paper-based foreign guest records toward digital reporting through FNMIS.
• March 1, 2026: The rollout expanded to additional sectors, including hotels nationwide, airlines, travel companies and money exchange services.
• June 2026 onward: The Department of Immigration continued province-by-province orientations and integration with hotels, trekking agencies, tour operators and money changers outside Kathmandu.
• September 2026: The Department of Immigration proposed the next major step: a traveler-facing Passport-Free Travel system using the official Immigration app and a personal QR code. The proposal still requires government approval before nationwide implementation.

What FNMIS is designed to do

FNMIS is a centralized information system for foreign nationals in Nepal. It collects and manages information such as visa status, entry and exit records and information reported by participating service providers. Its main purposes include:

• Visa and permit tracking: Monitoring visa validity, renewals and overstays.
• Accurate data collection: Maintaining more consistent digital records of foreign visitors.
• Crime prevention and security: Giving authorized authorities access to relevant information about foreign nationals when required.
• Emergency response and safety: Helping authorities identify and locate foreign nationals during natural disasters, accidents and other emergencies.
• Data sharing between agencies: Allowing immigration and other authorized government bodies to work from the same core records.

Who must integrate with FNMIS

FNMIS relies heavily on businesses and institutions that interact with foreign visitors. The rollout has included or is intended to include:

• Hotels: Star-rated hotels were among the first businesses required to report foreign guests digitally.
• Airlines: Domestic airlines are part of the wider FNMIS integration.
• Travel and tour companies: Travel agencies and tour operators are being incorporated into the system.
• Trekking agencies: Trekking operators are part of the planned nationwide visitor-management network.
• Money exchange services: Licensed currency exchange businesses are included in the integration.
• Other institutions: The system is intended to expand further to guest houses and other organizations dealing with foreign nationals.

FNMIS implementation status (September 2026)

FNMIS should be understood as two related developments.

First, the institutional FNMIS system is already operating. Hotels and other participating businesses can report information about foreign visitors to the Department of Immigration.

Second, Nepal is now preparing a traveler-facing digital identity system. Under the Passport-Free Travel proposal announced in September 2026, visitors will be able to register through the official Immigration app and use a personal QR code as digital proof of their passport and visa information while traveling inside Nepal.

That second part is not yet fully operational nationwide.

This distinction explains much of the confusion online: FNMIS can already be collecting information about you through a hotel or other service provider even though you personally have never registered for FNMIS or received a QR code.

How to Register for FNMIS (2026)

What travelers need to do right now

As of September 2026, foreign tourists do not need to obtain an FNMIS QR code before traveling to Nepal.

The Department of Immigration has announced how the upcoming Passport-Free Travel system is intended to work, but nationwide implementation is still pending.

For now:

• Follow the normal passport and visa procedures for entering Nepal.
• Carry your physical passport while traveling.
• Your hotel or another participating business may enter your information into FNMIS on your behalf.
• You do not currently need to obtain the proposed Passport-Free Travel QR code before arriving in Nepal.
• Do not confuse FNMIS with Nepal’s normal visa or visa-on-arrival procedures.

Official Immigration Apps

The Department of Immigration already has official mobile apps:

• iOS (Apple App Store): Department of Immigration – Nepal
• Android (Google Play): Department of Immigration – Nepal

The Department of Immigration says the planned Passport-Free Travel system will use its mobile application to link a visitor’s passport information with immigration records and generate a personal QR code.

Do not assume that downloading the app means the Passport-Free Travel system is already active. Until the Department of Immigration formally launches the system, visitors should continue carrying their physical passports and following the normal immigration procedures.

How authorities use the data

Information collected through FNMIS is intended to support several functions:

• Monitoring stays and overstays: Giving immigration authorities more accurate information about foreign nationals and their visa status.
• Security checks and investigations: Allowing authorized authorities to verify immigration information more efficiently.
• Tourist safety and rescue: Helping identify and locate foreign nationals during emergencies and natural disasters.
• Policy and planning: Providing better information for immigration management and tourism planning.

The planned Passport-Free Travel system would extend this further by allowing authorized organizations to verify a visitor directly through the QR code linked to the Department of Immigration database.

What changes for travelers in 2026

For most visitors, the practical change is happening gradually rather than all at once.

• FNMIS is already operating behind the scenes: Participating hotels and other businesses can submit foreign visitor information digitally.
• You do not currently need an FNMIS QR code before traveling to Nepal.
• Passport-Free Travel is the next phase: Nepal plans to allow visitors to use the official Immigration app and a personal QR code for identification inside the country.
• Keep carrying your physical passport for now: The proposed digital identity system has not yet replaced it nationwide.
• Expect more digital checks in the future: Hotels, domestic airlines, trekking agencies, money changers and other participating businesses are expected to increasingly use the same immigration database.

FNMIS is therefore already a functioning part of Nepal’s immigration infrastructure, but the system travelers were originally promised — where a personal QR code can replace repeatedly showing a physical passport inside Nepal — is still being introduced.

The September 2026 Passport-Free Travel proposal is the clearest indication yet of how Nepal intends that traveler-facing syst