Kathmandu, March 16: Fourteen days after war broke out between the United States, Israel, and Iran, Nepal decided to stop issuing on-arrival visas to Iranian citizens.
The decision came after two weeks of discussion and consultation among government agencies. On March 13, 2026, the government formally halted the facility for Iranian nationals.
Why did Nepal take this step? Tikaram Dhakal, spokesperson and director at the Department of Immigration under the Home Ministry, gave a blunt answer. The aim is to prevent Iranian nationals from becoming a risk to Nepal’s national security.
The conflict began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched sudden strikes on Iran. Iran then started retaliatory attacks on Israel and targeted US military bases in West Asia, including in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Iraq.
The fighting has already affected Nepalis in the region. One Nepali has died, and more than two dozen have been injured in drone and missile attacks on US bases.
Officials say the war shows no sign of ending soon. Dhakal explained that citizens from war-affected countries often search for safe destinations. Countries with easy entry rules tend to become their first choice. If the conflict continues, more Iranians may try to enter Nepal. For this reason, the government decided to tighten visa rules.
The new restriction applies to ordinary passport holders. Iranian citizens carrying diplomatic or official passports can still receive on-arrival visas. Others must obtain a Nepali visa from a mission abroad before travelling.
With Iran added to the list, Nepal now bars on arrival visas for citizens of 13 countries. These include Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, and Syria.
Nepal had already started tightening rules from the first day of the conflict. Iranians earlier received on-arrival visas for 15, 30, or 90 days. Since February 28, authorities had limited them to 15-day visas only.
Immigration records show that 19 Iranian citizens entered Nepal between March 1 and March 14, 2026.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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