Nepal

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on entry to Nepal based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Nepal does not have any HIV-related restrictions on entry.

According to the information available on the website of the Embassy of Nepal in Denmark and on the Consulate General of Nepal in New York, the list of documents required for a visitors visa does not make any reference to HIV or the general health of the applicant.

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on short-term stay to Nepal based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Nepal does not have any HIV-related restrictions on short-term stay.

Work permit required documentation does not include a medical certificate. The Labour Act contains no information on work permits, and the non-resident act does not contain information on entry for work purposes.

It is unclear whether Namibia imposes restrictions on long-term stay of people living with HIV.

Applications for a residential visa require the submission of a health certificate issued by TU Teaching Hospital. It is not clear whether this would require HIV testing or disclosure.

According to the report HIV and migration country profile 2009 Nepal, Rule 11 of the Federal Employment Regulation, 2004: Applicants applying for foreign employment must submit a health certificate recognised by the government of Nepal. The Regulation includes a list of mandatory medical tests, although HIV/AIDS testing is not mandatory by virtue of Section 2 of the Infectious Disease Act, 2020 B.S).

However, we were not able to locate that text, instead, the following laws contain no reference to such restriction:

• The Foreign Employment Rules, 2064 (2008) 
• National Employment Policy 2071

There is both a public and private healthcare service in Nepal. Public healthcare facilities in the country, except in cities, are often poorly equipped and quite limited according to international standards. The best level of healthcare is found in Kathmandu, with general hospitals and private clinics able to source modern medicines, but there are government health posts set up in rural parts of the country as well. Emergencies, however, are often transported to the capital city.

The National Centre for AIDS and STI Control (NCASC) has adopted the WHO “TREAT ALL” policy since the revision of the national HIV testing and treatment guidelines in 2017. All people diagnosed with HIV should be linked to care as soon as possible. Treatment is free for all.

HIV testing is provided free of cost to the key populations at higher risk (including migrants) and the general population all over the country.

Community-based testing has also been initiated and is provided to at-risk populations by health workers and trained lay providers at a workplace, entertainment sites, hot spots and cruising sites of KPs, border checkpoints, educational facilities or at home.

The HIV clinical services are currently provided from traditional ART centres attached to a public health facility or hospital or Community-based ART sites, mostly run by CBOs, NGOs staffed with trained medical doctors and health workers to provide ART services to specific KPs and at-risk populations. 

ART dispensing sites provide ARV refills through trained health workers. ART dispensing sites are in government-managed health posts, sites approved by the NCASC

The list of HIV treatment centres in Nepal as of 2022 is available on the website of the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control.

• UNAIDS
• US Department of State
• Embassy of Nepal in Denmark
• Consulate General of Nepal in New York
• Labour Act
• HIV and migration country profile 2009 Nepal
• National Centre for AIDS and STD Control

Migrant populations

Refugees and asylum seekers