Nepal has no embassy in New Zealand, and a technical problem has arisen in passport printing. Nepalis there now face a heavy financial burden and administrative hassle. Due to the current situation, many Nepalis in New Zealand must travel to Australia, or even to Nepal, for basic consular services. Leaders of the Nepali community in New Zealand have drawn the Nepal government’s attention to this.
Dr Achyut Aryal, president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) New Zealand, said many students complain about difficulties in passport renewal and other services.
“We have to go to Australia or Nepal even to renew passports and get services for necessary documents,” Aryal said. “This has increased both time and cost. It has also affected the daily lives and plans of students and other Nepalis.”
Raj Maharjan, president of the New Zealand-Nepal Chamber of Commerce, said they are ready to work with the Nepali Embassy in Canberra to solve the community’s difficulties.
Tara Gautam, acting ambassador at the Nepali Embassy in Canberra, Australia, said the main reason passport services are affected is due to a technical problem.
She said a new contract for passport printing has been given to a German company. It will take about three months to bring the system into operation. The fix may take longer than expected, she said. It may therefore take a few more months before services are fully smooth.
Gautam said the embassy has informed the Nepal government.
The embassy is trying to give priority to newborn babies’ passports and urgent work. But IT problems are making even that difficult, she said.
She asked Nepalis to check their passport expiry dates in time. She asked them not to start renewal at the last minute, when the passport is close to expiring.
The embassy plans to run a mobile service from the beginning of next year to help Nepalis in New Zealand. According to Gautam, it plans to run the service at least twice a year. The embassy hopes this will let it offer passport renewal and other needed consular services in New Zealand itself.
The Nepali community in New Zealand is growing. Having to go to another country for an essential document like a passport has raised questions about Nepal’s consular service system.
Maharjan said the government needs to take concrete steps and fix the technical problem quickly. It should put the mobile service plan into action immediately. In the long term, it should arrange regular consular services.
