As many as 333 foreign nationals have been arrested over the past six months for allegedly engaging in illegal activities after entering Nepal on tourist or business visas.

The Department of Immigration said the individuals were taken into custody for violating visa conditions by being involved in activities prohibited under Nepali law. Fines were imposed, and they were deported with entry bans for a specified period.

Those arrested between mid-July 2025 and mid-January 2026 included individuals accused of operating illegal marriage bureaus to send Nepali women to China and others involved in Christian proselytisation, the department said. In 2025, a total of 501 foreign nationals were deported.

Tikaram Dhakal, director of the department, said those detained ranged from visa overstayers to people involved in criminal offences. “Out of the 333 arrested, some were handed over to police offices for further investigation, while the rest were deported to their home countries with entry bans,” he said.

Among those arrested was a Korean-origin US national, who was detained for allegedly collecting money by using the names of leaders of various Nepali political parties on websites. Investigation into the case is ongoing.

On December 26, the department arrested a Chinese national for operating an illegal marriage bureau from a rented house in Maharajgunj. Earlier, on October 14, four Chinese nationals were arrested in Sorkhutte on charges of sending Nepali women to China through an illegal marriage bureau. They were fined Rs50,000 each and deported with a three-year entry ban.

The department also arrested one US national on a tourist visa for alleged religious proselytisation and a Chinese national on a business visa for suspicious activities from Kathmandu. The Chinese national had first entered Nepal in 2012 on a tourist visa and later stayed on business visas after renewing it 13 times. Investigation found that he had registered six hotels and companies without bringing in foreign investment and was using them only to obtain visas.

The US national had allegedly been involved in religious activities under the guise of educational work for four years. He was found to be operating an illegal children’s home while running a religious centre. Both were deported with entry bans.

The Immigration Department said the number of foreign nationals deported in previous years stood at 407 in 2024, 459 in 2023, 570 in 2022, 308 in 2021, 332 in 2020, 671 in 2019, 678 in 2018 and 559 in 2017.

Citing a rise in cases of foreigners entering Nepal for one purpose and engaging in other activities, the department has introduced a Foreign Nationals Management Information System from January 1, 2026. The system has been implemented in the Kathmandu Valley and will be made mandatory outside the valley from March 1.

Officials said the system will help track the movement and activities of foreign nationals by linking details from hotels, airlines, trekking agencies, banks, telecom service providers and other related institutions, strengthening both national and tourist security.