Arms and Ammunition Act in Nepal 2026 — Licence Guide

NPR 6,000 for a new licence and NPR 4,000 for renewal under the MoHA 2024 fee schedule, per weapon. Verify the exact slab at the DAO counter.

Yes, since the MoHA notification gazetted 16 September 2024 (effective 19 Sept). Licensed weapons cannot be carried in government offices, courts, hospitals, schools, airports, malls or public transport.

The Arms and Ammunition Act 2019 BS (1962 AD), Act No. 45 — Hatahatiyar Kharkhajana Ain — is Nepal's principal civilian arms legislation. It governs licensing, possession, sale, transfer, manufacture and import / export of arms and ammunition. The Act has been amended 10 times. The companion Weapons Regulations 2028 BS (originally 1972 AD) sit underneath, last amended via the 10th Amendment gazetted on 2078-05-25 (10 September 2021). MoHA administers; the CDO issues civilian licences at DAO level.

Personal protection (self-defence, with pistol or revolver requiring MoHA prior approval); hunting (typically 12-bore shotgun or .22 rifle, restricted to designated hunting areas with a registered hunter); sports / shooting (air gun, .22, restricted to shooting ranges / clubs / athletes); organisational security (licensed security firms with company-held arms, per-guard issue documented); and government / military (Nepal Police, Army, APF — exempt from civilian licensing under the Act, with internal armaments rules). The five categories cover all civilian use cases.

21 years in practice. Some practitioner sources cite 18 as the statutory minimum, but most CDOs apply a 21-year-old threshold given the discretion built into the licensing decision. The applicant must hold a valid citizenship certificate and a Police Clearance Certificate. There is no upper age limit, but medical fitness must be re-certified at each renewal. The 21-year threshold applies to first-issue licences; existing valid licences can be renewed at older ages on satisfaction of the medical and PCC requirements.

The CDO arms-licence application form; original citizenship certificate plus copies; recent Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) from Nepal Police; medical fitness certificate from a recognised doctor (physical + mental fitness); passport-size photographs; written justification stating purpose (self-defence / hunting / sports / security); proof of secure storage at the residence (lockable safe / cabinet); and the licence fee. For restricted categories (pistol / revolver / centre-fire) the file is forwarded to MoHA for prior approval before the CDO issues.

Validity varies by category under the Weapons Regulations 2028. Practitioner sources cite "up to 5 years"; the Regulations operate on a short-cycle (commonly annual) renewal model. Renewal requires a fresh PCC, fresh medical certificate, the renewal fee (NPR 4,000), and re-verification of the secure-storage condition. A lapsed licence converts the weapon to unlicensed possession from the date of expiry — there is no grace period for continued possession, although there is a window to file for renewal late on payment of the fee.

The Arms Act 2019 Sec.20–23 set graduated penalties: military-grade arms 3–7 years and NPR 60,000–140,000; other unauthorised arms 3–5 years and NPR 60,000–100,000; unauthorised ammunition 1–3 years and NPR 20,000–60,000; licence-condition breach up to 1 year and NPR 20,000. Penal Code 2074 Sec. 132 (illegal possession of arms) carries up to 10 years and Sec. 133 (unlicensed manufacture) up to 15 years. The two regimes are charged in parallel in many cases, with the heavier penalty governing.

Inheritance does not automatically transfer the licence. The heir must apply to the CDO of the deceased's district for transfer-of-ownership onto a fresh licence in the heir's name, with documents including the death certificate, succession papers (mool waarish), the heir's citizenship and PCC, and the original licence. Pending transfer the weapon should be deposited at the DAO armory or sealed at the residence under inventory. Continuing to possess the weapon after the original licence holder's death without transfer converts it to unlicensed possession.

Automatic weapons, machine guns, assault rifles, cannons, hand grenades, rockets and other military-grade arms cannot be civilian-licensed regardless of any application. Explosives sit under the separate Explosive Substances Act 2018. Nuclear, chemical, biological and toxin arms attract aggravated Penal Code Chapter 6 penalties up to 20 years and NPR 200,000. Air guns, .22 rifles, 12-bore shotguns, pistols and revolvers can be licensed within the relevant category. The MoHA can add or remove categories by notification.

MoHA gazetted a notification on 16 September 2024 (effective 19 September) banning carry of licensed weapons in public places — government offices, courts, hospitals, schools, airports, shopping malls, cinemas, public transport, religious and archaeological sites, public gatherings, and children's homes. The notification followed a March 2024 incident involving a bodyguard's automatic weapon. The legal basis is Section 8 of the Act (designated prohibited areas). Licensed holders may carry outside the home only with a separate travel permit. Breach attracts revocation and criminal exposure.

No, except by special written permission from the Government of Nepal under the Arms Act 2019. The prohibition applies to all non-citizens — long-term visa holders, NRIs, foreign businesspeople, diplomats outside diplomatic security channels. A foreign national found in possession without GoN permission faces the same penalty regime as a Nepali citizen plus post-sentence deportation under the Immigration Act 2049. Embassy access during custody is permitted under consular convention; bail conditions are tight because flight risk is treated as elevated.

The licence holder files the renewal application at the CDO / DAO before the existing licence expires. Documents: existing licence, citizenship, fresh PCC, fresh medical certificate, secure-storage verification, and the renewal fee (NPR 4,000 per weapon). The DAO inspects the weapon (serial number verification) and renews the licence for the new term. Renewing late requires a fresh application and may attract a fine; renewing well after expiry can require a fresh first-issue application with MoHA referral. Set a diarised reminder.

A licensed security firm — registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Private Security Service Act framework — can hold organisational arms under a corporate licence issued by MoHA with CDO concurrence. The firm maintains an arms inventory, issues weapons to specific guards on duty, logs each issue and return, and stores arms in an approved armory between shifts. Individual security guards do not hold personal licences for these arms; the corporate licence covers the weapon, but the guard must be on duty to carry it.

Yes. The CDO can suspend or cancel a licence on grounds including criminal conviction, breach of public-place ban or other licence conditions, mental-health deterioration, loss of secure-storage capacity, or grounds of public safety. Cancellation requires the holder to deposit the weapon at the DAO armory. The cancellation order can be appealed to the High Court within the statutory window. Wilful cancellation by the holder is also available — deposit the weapon at DAO and surrender the licence.

The Arms Act 2019 governs licensing and administrative arms regulation. The Penal Code 2074 Chapter 6 (Sections 129–137) provides criminal penalties for offences relating to arms and ammunition — including illegal possession (Sec 132, up to 10 years), unlicensed manufacture (up to 15 years), use in commission of crime (additional penalty), and trafficking. The two regimes are charged in parallel in most prosecutions, with the Public Prosecutor leading the charging decision. The heavier penalty governs sentencing.

MoHA is the policy ministry. It issues fee schedules and updated regulations, approves the restricted-category licence applications (pistols / revolvers / centre-fire) referred by the CDO, gazettes prohibited-area notifications (as in September 2024), and supervises Nepal Police on arms-investigation matters. MoHA email control@moha.gov.np and gunaso@moha.gov.np handle the regulatory and complaint sides. Major policy decisions — calibre prohibitions, fee revisions, prohibited-area expansions — are issued from MoHA, gazetted, then implemented through DAO.

Carry outside the home requires a travel permit from the CDO. The permit specifies the route, dates, and destinations; carry on public transport is restricted under the 2024 public-places ban. For inter-district travel by private vehicle with the weapon in secure transit (unloaded, locked case), the permit allows passage but not carry-on-person in public spaces. Air travel with personal firearms requires advance arrangement with the airline and TIA authority; ammunition is typically transported separately under strict rules.

At the point of any arms-related investigation — police search, seizure, arrest, public-place ban breach. Also when a licence is being refused or revoked at DAO / MoHA level (the appeal route is administrative then judicial); when an inheritance transfer needs to be effected onto a new licence; when a foreign national finds themselves in arms-possession exposure; and when a Penal Code Chapter 6 prosecution is on the table. A lawyer handles the bail stage, the parallel Arms Act + Penal Code charging, and the eventual trial and appeal.