Guide · NOC · 3 min read
NOC for study abroad from Nepal: the online steps, the fee and the common rejections.
A No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Nepal's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is what lets your bank send tuition and other study fees abroad. You apply online on the ministry's NOC portal, pay Rs 2,000, and download a certificate with a QR code your bank scans, usually within 1 to 5 working days. Get it after your offer and before you pay any deposit. On one day in September 2025, 177 of 431 applications were sent back for incomplete documents.
The short version
- The NOC lets your bank send study fees abroad. Without it, the deposit can't leave Nepal.
- Apply online on the Ministry of Education's NOC portal; fee Rs 2,000, paid online.
- Usually 1 to 5 working days; longer before the February, July and September intakes.
- Order: offer, then NOC, then deposit. Changing university means a new NOC.
- Most rejections are incomplete documents: 177 of 431 were sent back on one day in September 2025.
Where the NOC fits
| Step | Why this order |
|---|---|
| 1. Offer or admission letter | The NOC is issued for a specific institution and course |
| 2. NOC | Your bank needs it to send money abroad for study |
| 3. Deposit or tuition transfer | Through your bank, with the NOC |
| 4. CoE, CAS, or the permit application | Needs the payment receipt |
Paying a deposit another way before the NOC can cause problems later with your bank and your remittance record.
The online steps
- Register on the Ministry of Education’s NOC portal with your details.
- Fill the application: your education, the foreign institution, the course, the country, the fee.
- Upload documents exactly as the portal asks: clear scans, the right file types.
- Pay Rs 2,000 online.
- Track the application. If it’s sent back, read the reason, fix that document, and resubmit.
- Download and print the NOC. It carries a QR code your bank scans.
The documents
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Passport | Photo page |
| Academic transcripts and certificates | SEE, +2, bachelor’s as relevant |
| Offer or admission letter | From a recognised foreign institution |
| Fee details | The invoice or the fee section of the offer |
| Other documents the portal lists | For your course type and country |
Why NOCs get sent back
On one day in September 2025, Kantipur reported that 177 of 431 NOC applications were returned for incomplete documents. The reasons we see most:
- A blurry or cropped scan.
- The offer letter missing the fee or the course details.
- Names that don’t match across the passport, transcripts and offer.
- The wrong institution selected in the form.
A support desk opened at the NOC section in December 2025 for applicants with problems.
Timing
| Situation | Plan for |
|---|---|
| A quiet month | 1 to 5 working days |
| Just before February, July or September intakes | Longer; apply as soon as you accept the offer |
| A returned application | Days more, after you fix it |
What may change
In April 2026 the government proposed reforming the NOC process, including limiting foreign exchange to “priority” subjects. As of 20 October 2026 it’s a proposal, not in force, and no subject list has been published. We check the portal and news monthly and will update this guide if it changes.
From our files. Prabesh, our visa file lead, checks every NOC application before submission against the four reasons above. It’s a 10-minute check, and it’s the difference between a 2-day NOC and a 2-week one before a deposit deadline.
