Government To Implement System To Record Activities Of Foreign Nationals From January 1
पुस ७, २०८२ १२:१४
Kathmandu: From the beginning of the English New Year, the government will implement a system to record the activities of foreign nationals visiting Nepal. The Immigration Department has started preparations to implement the Foreign National Management Information System (FNMIS) from January 17.
According to the department, the system will be implemented in phases. In the first phase, it will be applied to star hotels within the Kathmandu Valley from January 17. From March 17, the system will be expanded to all star hotels, airlines, tour and travel companies, and money exchangers across Nepal. After that, the government plans to gradually implement the system in all types of hotels, guest houses, and services provided by other public and private organizations.
Once the system is implemented, the Immigration Department will have a systematic record of where foreign nationals visiting Nepal stayed and where they traveled. The department said the data will be useful for managing the arrival and movement of foreign nationals and for ensuring search, rescue, and security during emergencies.
Santosh Kumar Shah, a computer engineer at the department, said the system is meant for management, not surveillance. He said only limited information related to movement and stay will be recorded.
He said, “Service providers offering services to foreign nationals must be registered in the system using passport details. If a foreign national checks into a hotel, the hotel must enter the passport number. The same must be updated at checkout. Domestic air travel details will also be recorded. Based on this, only information about where they went and stayed will be available. This will help in immediate rescue during disasters.”
Sah said the passport number must be updated in the system after the service is provided. He said since only passport numbers are recorded, the privacy of foreign nationals will not be affected. He added that access to the data will remain with the Immigration Department. Other government agencies can use the data only with the department’s permission.
The department had initially planned to implement the system from 17 September. However, implementation was delayed due to the Gen-Z movement of September 8 and 9. The department now plans to make the system mandatory from January 1.
This Is How Service Provider Registration Will Be Done
To participate in the system, service providers offering services to foreign nationals must register their organization on the Immigration Department’s ‘Service Provider’ portal.
After clicking on ‘Apply for Registration,’ service providers must submit the required details. The Immigration Department will then verify the information.
Once verified, the department will grant login access. Service providers can then enter the details of foreign nationals through the ‘Service Provider Portal.’
Currently, the data must be entered manually. However, the department plans to upgrade the system so that hotels can register data directly through their own portals using the department’s API, Shah said.
The Immigration Department has already informed district monitoring committees in all 77 districts about the implementation of the system. It said public and private institutions providing services to foreign nationals are being monitored at the district level to ensure registration in the system.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: जेठ १८, २०८३ ०:४
