Before you start

Passport
A copy of your visa page or entry stamp
A passport-sized photograph
A Kathmandu address, for fixed broadband

Step-by-step

1
Buy the SIM at the airport or an operator's store
NTC, Ncell and Smart Cell all register foreign nationals with a passport, a visa page or entry stamp copy, and one passport photograph. Activation is usually within fifteen minutes. Bring spare photographs — they are asked for constantly in Nepal, for SIMs, permits and forms.
In personWho: YouDay 1
2
Know that two SIMs is the ceiling for a foreign national
Foreign nationals may hold up to two SIMs in total, in any combination across NTC, Ncell and Smart Cell. If you want a work line and a personal line, that is your entire allowance and there is nothing left for a data-only device.
In personWho: You
3
Take NTC for coverage outside the valley
Nepal Telecom's coverage in the hills and on trekking routes is generally better than Ncell's, which matters more here than in most countries because so much work and travel goes outside Kathmandu. Ncell is often faster in the valley. Residents who travel for work commonly hold one of each — which uses the whole two-SIM allowance deliberately.
In personWho: You
4
Get fixed broadband — it is better than the country's reputation
Fibre from WorldLink, Vianet, Subisu and others covers most of the Kathmandu Valley at prices that are low by international standards, with genuinely usable speeds. This is one of the pleasant surprises of moving here and it makes remote work realistic in a way older accounts of Nepal do not suggest.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1–2
5
Do not budget for an inverter and battery bank
Scheduled load shedding ended in 2018 and national electricity consumption has roughly tripled since. Short unscheduled outages still happen and a small UPS on the router is sensible, but the elaborate battery installations that older guidance recommends are no longer part of ordinary life in the valley.
In personWho: You
6
Register a mobile wallet
eSewa and Khalti are used widely for utility bills, top-ups, merchant payments and transfers, and registration is tied to your Nepali number. Getting the SIM sorted in the first days unlocks this, which affects daily life more than the bank account does in the early weeks.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Copy of the visa page or entry stamp
Passport-sized photograph
Proof of Kathmandu address, for fixed broadband

Things most newcomers don’t know

Two SIMs is the whole allowance for a foreign national, so choose the pair deliberately.

Foreign nationals in Nepal may hold up to two SIMs in total across all operators. Because Nepal Telecom's coverage outside the valley — in the hills and on trekking routes — is generally better than Ncell's, while Ncell is often faster inside Kathmandu, the standard arrangement among residents who travel for work is one of each. That uses your entire allowance, which means there is nothing spare for a data-only tablet or a second handset. Plan the pair rather than buying whichever is at the airport counter.

Source: Nepal Telecommunications Authority; operator practice

Load shedding ended in 2018, and this is the most commonly repeated stale fact about Nepal.

For years Kathmandu ran on published load-shedding schedules of many hours a day, and the practical advice that grew up around that — inverters, battery banks, planning your evening around the timetable — is still in circulation. Nepal declared the country free of load shedding in May 2018 and annual electricity consumption has since roughly tripled. Short unscheduled outages happen and a UPS on a router is prudent, but budgeting for a battery installation is spending money on a problem that was solved eight years ago.

Source: Nepal Electricity Authority; press reporting

Fixed broadband in the valley is genuinely good, and this surprises people.

WorldLink, Vianet, Subisu and others have built out fibre across most of the Kathmandu Valley at prices low by international standards and with speeds that comfortably support video calls and remote work. Nepal's reputation as a place with poor infrastructure is largely earned outside the valley and largely out of date inside it. For anyone weighing Kathmandu against other South Asian bases on connectivity grounds, this is a stronger card than the country's reputation suggests.

Source: community-reported

Bring passport photographs — a lot of them.

Nepali administration runs on passport-sized photographs. SIM registration wants one, visa extensions want them, trekking permits want them, the labour permit file wants them, and so does almost every form you will fill in. Photo shops in Thamel and Lazimpat produce them cheaply and quickly, but arriving with a dozen removes a recurring small friction from your first month. It is a trivial piece of advice and it is genuinely useful.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying two SIMs from the same operator and having no coverage outside the valley.
Budgeting for an inverter and battery bank that 2018 made unnecessary.
Assuming Nepali internet is poor and choosing another base on that basis.
Arriving with no passport photographs.
Leaving the SIM until after the bank account and delaying mobile wallets by weeks.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.