Document Fraud and Forgery Law in Nepal 2026

Section 277 punishes the knowing use of a forged document by someone who did not create the forgery — up to 3 years' imprisonment and NPR 30,000 fine.

District Court as a State Case under the Criminal Procedure Code 2074, with appeal to the High Court.

Sec 276 covers four document tiers — private (contracts, letters), government (civil servant papers, citizenship documents, DAO / municipality documents), judicial (court orders and judgments) and Presidential-authenticated documents. The penalty rises by tier: 5, 7, 8 and 10 years respectively. An accompanying fine applies (NPR 50,000 for the private tier), plus a fine equal to the value of any property obtained through the forgery where the property has been disposed of and cannot be recovered.

Sec 276 is forgery proper — making, signing, sealing or altering a document with intent to deceive. Sec 279 is fraud by false statement — making a false statement or representation that does not meet the strict forgery test but is still deceptive (lying on a form, false declaration, false certification). Sec 276 carries the graduated 5-10-year ladder; Sec 279 carries up to 3 years. The two are often charged together where the conduct is mixed.

A fake citizenship certificate is a forged government document under Sec 276 of the Penal Code 2074 — up to 7 years' imprisonment plus a fine, and possible enhancement where property has been obtained via the document. Using a fake citizenship (Sec 277) carries up to 3 years. Additional consequences include cancellation of any property registration, contract, marriage or other transaction completed on the false document, and a separate Citizenship Act offence. The DAO and CIB jointly investigate.

Counterfeiting currency falls under Chapter 22 of the Penal Code 2074 (Sec 256-266) and the Nepal Rastra Bank Act 2058 Section 61. Counterfeiting itself, possession of counterfeit currency and possession of counterfeiting equipment all carry significant imprisonment terms and fines, with confiscation of the counterfeit items and equipment. The CIB Cyber Bureau / counter-currency unit investigates. The currency definition is broad — banknotes, cheques, drafts, traveller's cheques, bonds, credit cards and NRB-notified instruments all fall within scope.

Counterfeiting stamps under Section 267 of the Penal Code 2074 carries up to 5 years' imprisonment and NPR 50,000 fine. Reusing a used stamp (Sec 269) carries up to 1 year and NPR 10,000. Removing a stamp from a document (Sec 270) carries up to 6 months and NPR 5,000. The chapter-specific limitation under Sec 272 is 1 year from discovery, which is shorter than other Penal Code limitations — prompt complaint matters once the forgery is discovered.

Yes. The Electronic Transactions Act 2063 (2008), Sec 44 and related provisions criminalise the forging of electronic records — digital signatures, e-PDFs, electronic cheques, manipulated databases. The ETA penalty runs in parallel with Penal Code Sec 276 / 277 — a forged scanned signature on a PDF can be charged under both Acts. The Cyber Bureau of CIB Nepal Police investigates electronic-document offences and works with the public prosecutor on the dual charging.

The Penal Code 2074 schedule sets specific limitation periods by chapter. For stamp offences (Chapter 23), Section 272 sets 1 year from the date of discovery. For other Penal Code chapters including Chapter 25 forgery, the schedule is more complex and depends on the maximum penalty — broadly, serious-imprisonment offences attract longer limitations. Consult the Penal Code limitation schedule against the specific charging section, or check with counsel — relying on a generic figure can miss a chapter-specific rule.

Yes. A criminal conviction under Penal Code Sec 276 / 277 / 279 does not bar a separate civil claim for damages under the Civil Code 2074. The civil claim covers the financial loss, restitution of any property obtained by forgery, and consequential damages. The criminal and civil claims run in parallel — a successful criminal conviction is strong evidence in the civil claim. Where the forgery has caused a transaction to be void, the civil court can order restitution of the property and accounts.

The Nepal Police investigates with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) handling complex, cross-district or high-value matters. The Cyber Bureau under CIB handles forgeries with an electronic component. Where banking instruments are involved, NRB and the Banking Offence and Punishment Act 2064 framework engage. Where citizenship / immigration documents are involved, the Department of Immigration and the DAO cooperate. The public prosecutor (Sarakari Wakil) files the charge at the District Court as a State Case under the Criminal Procedure Code 2074.

Sec 276's ladder already builds in aggravation for government and judicial documents. Where a public servant is the offender — using their office to produce or attest a forged document — additional aggravation applies under the general Penal Code provisions on offences by public servants, and parallel anti-corruption offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act 2059 may attach. The combined exposure can be materially higher than the headline Sec 276 maximum.

Forged cheques, fake account-opening documents, and counterfeit banking instruments engage both Penal Code Chapter 22 / 25 and the Banking Offence and Punishment Act 2064. The Banking Offence Act 2064 covers a range of banking misconducts — false documents, fraudulent loans, misappropriation of funds — and operates as a specialised statute alongside the general Penal Code. In a typical cheque-forgery case the public prosecutor may charge both Acts in parallel, with the heavier penalty governing.

A document proved to be forged cannot be relied on as evidence of the underlying transaction it purports to record — that is the central effect of a forgery finding. However, the forged document is itself crucial evidence in the criminal prosecution of the forger and the user, and the original (or seized copy) becomes a court exhibit. Forensic comparison of handwriting, signature, paper, ink and seal is often used; the Department of Forensic Science Laboratory under Nepal Police runs the analysis.

The Department of Forensic Science Laboratory under Nepal Police conducts handwriting comparison, signature analysis, document examination (paper, ink, seal), and electronic forensic examination of digital records. The lab report is admissible at the District Court and is often the decisive evidence in a forgery prosecution. The complainant or the public prosecutor requests the examination; the lab issues a written finding with reasoning, and the analyst can be called as an expert witness at trial.

File an FIR at the nearest Nepal Police station with the supporting documents — the suspected forged document (original where possible), evidence of the original genuine document (specimen signatures, official seals, comparison documents), evidence of the resulting loss (transactions completed on the basis of the forgery), and any communications with the suspect. For electronic forgery, the Cyber Bureau under CIB. For banking-instrument forgery, the bank's compliance team alongside Nepal Police. For citizenship forgery, the DAO of the relevant district.

Yes. Once a document is proved to be forged through criminal conviction or a civil finding, the receiving authority (Land Revenue Office, DAO, court registry, bank) can cancel the registration / record made on its basis. Property registrations on forged deeds are reversed; marriages on forged citizenship are reconsidered; bank transactions on forged signatures are reversed against the forger and the user (with restitution from them, not from the deceived counterparty). The cancellation order typically follows the conviction or civil judgment.

Bail in forgery cases depends on the document tier and the surrounding aggravation. Lower-tier forgery (private document, Sec 276 with 5-yr max) is generally bailable subject to the court's discretion on flight risk and evidence tampering. Higher-tier forgery — Presidential, court order, government documents — and stacked charges (Sec 276 + 277 + 279 together, or with currency / banking offences) may be effectively non-bailable in practice because the court treats the conduct as harming public trust. A lawyer drives the bail application based on the specific facts.

Immediately on contact from the Nepal Police, CIB or Cyber Bureau; on receipt of a complaint from a counterparty or institution alleging document fraud; when a document submitted in a property, court or banking transaction has been challenged as forged; and when an electronic-document offence is alleged under the ETA 2063. A lawyer represents the accused at the police, public prosecutor and District Court stages; for the complainant, the lawyer drafts and files the FIR and supports the public prosecution through trial and appeal.