{"slug":"nepal","name":"Nepal","short_name":"Nepal","iso_code":"NP","jurisdiction_type":"country","region":"Asia","subregion":"South Asia","overview":"Nepal is at an early stage of AI governance. The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT) published a concept paper on the use and practice of AI in 2024 and the Council of Ministers approved a National AI Policy in 2025 that sets objectives for AI development, ethics, data and institutional arrangements. There is no AI-specific legislation. Applicable law comes from the Electronic Transactions Act 2063 (2008), the Individual Privacy Act 2075 (2018) and its regulations, the National Cyber Security Policy 2080 (2023) and sector rules, alongside the Digital Nepal Framework.\n","regulatory_status_summary":"National AI policy adopted (2025); no binding AI-specific law; privacy and electronic-transaction laws apply. Source certainty for policy documents is medium because official English-language texts and stable document URLs are limited; every record here must be verified against MoCIT publications.\n","binding_vs_guidance":"Binding: Electronic Transactions Act 2063, Individual Privacy Act 2075 and the Individual Privacy Regulation 2077, sector rules from Nepal Rastra Bank and the Nepal Telecommunications Authority. Guidance / policy: National AI Policy 2082 (2025), the 2024 AI concept paper, Digital Nepal Framework 2019, National Cyber Security Policy 2080.\n","current_priorities":"Implementing the National AI Policy's institutional arrangements, drafting AI-related legislation and standards, data governance and digital public infrastructure, and capacity building.\n","regulators":[{"name":"Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT)","url":"https://mocit.gov.np/","role":"ICT and AI policy lead"},{"name":"Nepal Law Commission","url":"https://lawcommission.gov.np/","role":"Official repository of Acts and regulations"}],"official_sources":[{"title":"Ministry of Communication and Information Technology — publications","publisher":"Government of Nepal, MoCIT","url":"https://mocit.gov.np/","document_type":"official","tier":1},{"title":"Nepal Law Commission — Acts and Regulations","publisher":"Government of Nepal","url":"https://lawcommission.gov.np/","document_type":"legislation","tier":1}],"related_jurisdictions":["india","singapore","eu"],"url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/ai-regulation-nepal","source":{"official_source_url":"https://mocit.gov.np/","source_title":"Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Government of Nepal","source_publisher":"Government of Nepal","source_document_date":null,"source_reference":"Policy document URLs to be confirmed by reviewer","source_tier":1,"last_checked_at":"2026-09-26","last_verified_at":"2026-09-26","review_status":"verified","confidence_level":"medium","content_version":1,"change_summary":"Initial structured record; document-level links to be added.","reviewed_by":"Bhaskar Bhatt"},"policies":[{"slug":"nepal-individual-privacy-act","id":"AIPT-POL-0139","permanent_url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-POL-0139","title":"Individual Privacy Act, 2075 (2018) — Nepal","short_title":"Nepal Privacy Act 2075","jurisdiction":"nepal","instrument_type":"act","status":"in_force","is_binding":true,"ai_specific":false,"issuing_body":"Federal Parliament of Nepal","summary_plain":"The Individual Privacy Act 2075 gives effect to the constitutional right to privacy in Nepal. It regulates the collection, storage, processing, use and disclosure of personal information by public bodies and private entities, requires consent for collection and use of personal data subject to exceptions, restricts sensitive data, and provides remedies and penalties. It is the main binding law affecting AI systems that process personal data in Nepal. The Individual Privacy Regulation 2077 (2020) provides implementing rules.\n","adopted_on":"2018-09-18","in_force_on":"2018-09-18","applies_from":null,"official_source_url":"https://lawcommission.gov.np/","last_verified_at":"2026-09-26","reviewed_by":"Bhaskar Bhatt","content_version":1,"review_status":"verified","confidence_level":"medium","updated_at":"2026-10-16T13:51:22+00:00","url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/nepal-individual-privacy-act"},{"slug":"nepal-concept-paper-on-the-use-and-practice-of-artificial-intelligence-in-nepal","id":"AIPT-POL-0138","permanent_url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-POL-0138","title":"Concept Paper on the Use and Practice of Artificial Intelligence in Nepal","short_title":"Concept Paper on the Use and Practice of Artificial Intelligence in Nepal","jurisdiction":"nepal","instrument_type":"consultation","status":"superseded","is_binding":false,"ai_specific":true,"issuing_body":"Ministry of Communication and Information Technology","summary_plain":"A concept paper prepared by a ministry-appointed committee that surveys the state of AI use in Nepal, its opportunities and risks, and the gaps in existing law and infrastructure. It recommends formulating a national AI policy and strategy, addressing data protection, privacy and cybersecurity, and building governance structures. The paper was published for public suggestions and is cited in the 2025 policy as its precursor.","adopted_on":null,"in_force_on":null,"applies_from":null,"official_source_url":"https://mocit.gov.np/content/12663/12663-nepal/","last_verified_at":"2026-09-26","reviewed_by":"Bhaskar Bhatt","content_version":2,"review_status":"verified","confidence_level":"high","updated_at":"2026-10-16T13:51:22+00:00","url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/nepal-concept-paper-on-the-use-and-practice-of-artificial-intelligence-in-nepal"},{"slug":"nepal-national-ai-policy","id":"AIPT-POL-0140","permanent_url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-POL-0140","title":"National Artificial Intelligence Policy, 2082 (2025) — Nepal","short_title":"Nepal National AI Policy","jurisdiction":"nepal","instrument_type":"policy","status":"adopted","is_binding":false,"ai_specific":true,"issuing_body":"Government of Nepal, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology","summary_plain":"Nepal's National AI Policy sets the government's direction for developing and using artificial intelligence. Based on the published summaries, it aims to build AI infrastructure and skills, promote ethical and responsible AI, strengthen data governance, establish institutional arrangements for AI oversight, and prepare legal and regulatory measures. It is a policy framework, not a law, and does not itself create enforceable obligations on private organisations.\n","adopted_on":"2025-08-01","in_force_on":null,"applies_from":null,"official_source_url":"https://mocit.gov.np/","last_verified_at":"2026-09-26","reviewed_by":"Bhaskar Bhatt","content_version":1,"review_status":"verified","confidence_level":"medium","updated_at":"2026-10-15T06:46:24+00:00","url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/nepal-national-ai-policy"}]}