The Department of Passports has said that passport services may face temporary disruptions as the government prepares to introduce a new passport issuance system in partnership with new suppliers.

Two German companies, Veridos GmbH and Muehlbauer ID Service GmbH, won the passport bid last June and are expected to provide fresh batches of passports within a few weeks.

In a public notice, the department said the new system is currently being prepared, including the necessary arrangements for passport booklets and related infrastructure.

The transition from the existing system to the new one is expected to take place within the next one to two months, said the department.

Since 2010, the France-based IDEMIA Identity and Security SAS, formerly known as Oberthur Technologies, has been providing machine-readable and biometric passports. The decade-and-a-half-long partnership with the French company ended last year.

Tirtha Raj Aryal, director general at the Department of Passports, said that they still have a stock of 400,000 passports, enough to meet demand for some months. But passport distribution will halt during the transition period, and people whose passports are nearing expiry are advised to apply soon, he said.

Any passport with less than six months of validity remaining should be renewed if the holder plans to travel, as many countries require at least six months’ validity for entry.

But those valid for over six months can be replaced once passport distribution eases, he said.

“We are transitioning from one system to another. It is natural to have short-term disruption during transition," said Aryal, adding that disruption might occur after two months when the system is changed.

“During the transition, passport distribution will slow down or stop for a few days, but not more than one week.” Aryal said they have requested those whose passports are expiring in less than six months to immediately apply for a new one.

Since German technology replaces the existing French system, it will take some time for data migration, the installation of the personalisation centres in all 77 district administration offices, other subordinate offices, and Nepali embassies abroad.

By the end of this month, the department plans to conclude testing of the new German technologies. Upon completion of testing, the German firms will begin installing the personalisation centres, updating the service, and launching passport distribution.

The department has said that during the transition period, passport services provided by District Administration Offices and Nepali missions abroad may remain suspended for up to three days. Likewise, services at the department in Tripureshwar could be halted for about a week. Several Nepali embassies have also issued statements urging people to obtain passports immediately to avoid being affected by service suspensions.

The department also clarified that after the new system comes into operation, it may take one to three months for full stabilisation. The passport distribution process might take longer during that period.

Officials have urged citizens who need passports within the next six months (until the end of September) to apply soon through District Administration Offices, Nepali diplomatic missions abroad, or the department’s Tripureshwar office under the current system.