Nepal Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in Nepal, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals.
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Standards for Trade
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Non-Tariff Barrier to Trade

Overview

Nepal generally follows internationally recognized standards; but it does not follow the ISO 9000 series. Institutions charged with establishing standards include the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology and the Department of Drug Administration. Food product standards are generally set under the Food Act and Nepal Standard (Certification Mark) Act. The law regarding the import of products other than food products, cars, and refrigerators does not mandate any standards. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment introduced the Nepal Vehicle Mass Emission Standards Act in December 1999 to control pollution; these are similar to EURO III standards.

Standards

The Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) is the only agency authorized to develop technical standards for different products. NBSM is currently working on developing standards and labeling programs for electrical appliances. The Department of Drug Administration (DDA) regulates the consumption and quantification of modern drugs for human use in Nepal.

Testing, inspection, and certification

Standards for testing the quality of food and the processes for testing food products are governed under the Food Act and Nepal Standard (Certification Mark) Act, which requires the importer to have a sample tested by the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control. The Department of Drug Administration approves the consumption and quantification of drugs for human use and issues licenses to import drugs to Nepal. The Drug Act 1978 governs quantification of drugs for human use.

Except for drugs/medicines, no product certification is required for branded products. For drugs/medicines, the importer must obtain prior approval from the Department of Drug Administration. Certification is not required for patent drugs manufactured by recognized manufacturers in those cases where the Department of Drug Administration has already approved the drugs’ chemical composition. In 2022, Nepal adopted its Accreditation Act and established the Nepal Accreditation Center. 

Publication of technical regulations

Finalized acts and regulations issued by the Government of Nepal are published in the Nepal Gazette and are made available by the Department of Printing. U.S. entities can comment or challenge these regulations by email or notification to the appropriate department.

Contact Information

Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM)  
P.O. Box 985
Balaju, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel:  +977-1-4350818, 4350447, 4361141
Fax:  977 1 4350689
E-mail:  nbsm@nbsm.gov.np; info@nbsm.gov.np
Director General:  Mr. Bishwo Babu Pudasaini
Website: http://www.nbsm.gov.np/

Department of Drug Administration
Madan Bhandari Path-4, Bijulibazar
New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal 
Tel: 977-1-4790572, 4790432
Fax: 977-1-4790572
Email: info@dda.gov.np
Director General: Narayan Prasad Dhakal

Department of Printing
Ministry of Information and Communications
Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal
Website:  www.dop.gov.np
Tel: 977-1-4200211
Email: info@dop.gov.np
Director General: Gopal Koirala

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology 
Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal
Email:  info@moest.gov.np
Website: https://moe.gov.np/
Tel: 977-1-4200453

Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) 
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development
P.O. Box 21265, Babarmahal, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel:  977-1-4262369, 4262430 
Fax:  977-1-4262337
Email:  info@dftqc.gov.np 
Website:  http://www.dftqc.gov.np
Director General:  Mr. Upendra Ray

Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development  
Agriculture and Livestock Business Promotion Division 
Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel:  +977-1-4211905, 4211950, 4211935
Fax:  977-1- 4211935
Website:  https://www.moald.gov.np/department/agriculture-and-livestock-business-promotion-division
Joint Secretary:  Mr. Prakash Kumar Sanjal 
Email:  info@moald.gov.np


Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to notify the WTO of proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures that could affect trade. Notify U.S. is a free, web-based e-mail registration service that captures and makes available for review and comment key information on draft regulations and conformity assessment procedures. Users receive customized email alerts when new notifications are added by selected countries and industry sector(s) of interest and can also request full texts of regulations. This service and its associated website are managed and operated by the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Use ePing to Review Proposed Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures

The ePing SPS&TBT platform (https://epingalert.org/), or “ePing”, provides access to notifications made by World Trade Organization (WTO) Members under the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), distributed by the WTO from January 16, 1995, to present. ePing is available to all stakeholders free of charge and is a versatile tool that can be used to: 

  • Follow and review current and past notifications concerning regulatory actions on products, packaging, labeling, food safety and animal and plant health measures in markets of interest.
  • Receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are distributed.
  • Find information on trade concerns discussed in the WTO SPS and TBT Committees. 
     

Per obligation under the TBT Agreement, each WTO Member operates an Enquiry Point. National TBT Enquiry Points are authorized to accept comments and official communications from other national TBT Enquiry Points, which are NOT part of the WTO or the WTO Secretariat. All comment submissions from U.S. stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, U.S domiciled standards development organizations and conformity assessment bodies, consumers, or U.S. government agencies on notifications to the WTO TBT Committee should be sent directly to the USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point. Refer to the comment guidance at https://www.nist.gov/notifyus/commenting for further information. This guidance is provided to assist U.S. stakeholders in the preparation and submission of comments in response to notifications of proposed foreign technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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