Field guide
Know before you go
What a visit should officially cost, what people report actually being asked for, and what to do when a demand comes.
What do people report being asked for?
Crowdsourced estimate from reports on this site. Pick a department; a district narrows the estimate further.
Official fees
So you know what's extra
e-Passport (34 pages, normal)
NPR 5,000
Fast-track and same-day services cost more but have official published rates. No 'extra' is ever required.
Driving license (new)
≈ NPR 2,500–3,000 total
Application, written exam, trial and card fees are all receipted. Brokers ('dalals') outside the office are not part of the process.
Citizenship certificate
Token fee (a few rupees)
Needs ward sifaris and witnesses. The certificate itself is essentially free.
Birth / marriage registration
Free within 35 days
Late registration carries only a small published fine at the ward office.
PAN registration
Free
Register online via IRD or at any Inland Revenue Office at no cost.
Land registration (rajinama)
4–6% of valuation
Registration fee is a published percentage paid at the bank counter with a voucher, never cash to a person.
Ward sifaris (recommendation)
≈ NPR 100–500
Each palika publishes its sifaris rates in the citizen charter on the wall.
NEA new connection (single phase)
≈ NPR 3,000–6,000
Deposit and connection charges are receipted at the counter.
Rates change. Cross-check the citizen charter at the office
Your rights
At the counter
The citizen charter is mandatory
Every government office must display a नागरिक बडापत्र (citizen charter) listing each service, its official fee, required documents and time limit. If it's not on the wall, ask for it.
Receipts, always
Every rupee you pay a government office must come with a receipt (रसिद). A payment without a receipt is, by definition, not an official fee.
Right to Information
Under the Right to Information Act 2064, you can demand information about your file's status and who is handling it. Offices must have an information officer.
Delays have remedies
The Good Governance Act requires services within stated time limits. Escalate to the office chief, then the ward/palika grievance desk, then Hello Sarkar (1111).
Bribery is a crime for the asker
Demanding a bribe is punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The CIAA investigates public officials; you can report with evidence and request confidentiality.
If a bribe is demanded
- Stay calm; ask for the demand in writing or point at the citizen charter.
- Ask for the official's name and the receipt counter.
- Call the CIAA hotline 107 (Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority) or Hello Sarkar 1111.
- Then add it here: report the demand anonymously so the pattern goes on record.