The NRN Handbook: Shipping from Nepal in 2026 | Complete Guide

This is for the four million Nepalis living abroad — and the families back home who want to send things to them. We pick up from Kathmandu (your family drops off, or we collect), clear customs, and deliver door-to-door in 3–4 days to most NRN destinations.

Pay in whatever currency is easiest: USD, GBP, AUD, AED, or NPR. The price you see at quote is the price you pay — including duties where they apply.

How it works (from Nepal out)

Three steps:

1. Quote. Book on our site or call our Kathmandu office (98XX-XXXXXX). Tell us what's going, where, and how heavy. We give you an all-in price in your currency, customs included where applicable.
2. Hand-off in Nepal. Your family drops off at our Kathmandu warehouse (Kalimati / Lazimpat / Pulchowk pickup also available). We pack, document, and prepare for export.
3. Delivery abroad. 3–4 days door-to-door to USA, UK, Australia, UAE, Canada, Singapore, and 70+ other countries. We send you tracking from pickup to your front door.

Pay either when your family drops off, or when you confirm the quote — whichever is more practical for the family arrangement.

What people actually ship

Pattern across the most-shipped categories on this lane, in rough order:

• Festival sweets and tea — Dashain mithai, masala chiya, pure Ilam tea. Properly sealed for international transit
• Pashmina and shawls — genuine Nepali pashmina is hard to source abroad and ships flat
• Documents — original certificates, passports, legal papers. Track-every-step service
• Spices and lentils — timur, jimbu, gundruk, dal varieties unavailable in most NRN cities
• Handicrafts — Thangka, statues, Newar jewelry, wooden carvings
• Clothing — daura suruwal for festivals, gunyo cholo for kids, custom tailoring orders
• Medicines and Ayurveda — many NRN families ship Nepali brands their parents trust. (Some require declaration; we'll flag what does)

We can't ship perishable raw foods (fresh meat, raw dairy, certain fresh produce) or high-volume liquids (no large alcohol shipments). For everything else, we'll usually find a way.

Country-specific customs

Each destination has its own duty thresholds and VAT/GST rules. We pre-calculate so the landed price you pay is final, but here's the lay of the land:

For gifts, several countries (Canada, Australia, EU) honour higher gift thresholds when the parcel is correctly declared as "gift." We declare correctly by default — but if it's commercial, tell us upfront.

Festival timing

Dashain, Tihar, Lhosar, Chhath, and Holi all bring shipping spikes. Plan around them:

• Dashain (October) — book pickup at least 10 days before to ensure delivery before festival. Sweet/mithai shipments especially crowded
• Tihar (early November) — similar pattern, slightly less volume than Dashain
• Lhosar (Tibetan/Sherpa New Year, varying dates) — moderate volume, usually fine to book 5–7 days ahead
• Pre-monsoon (May–June) — handicraft volume spikes from outbound tourist orders. Book ahead for bulk
• Post-monsoon (October–November) — generally fast, normal lead times

If something is time-critical (wedding paperwork, gift for a family event), book Air Express and tell us the deadline. We'll route accordingly.

Common questions

Can I send sweets and food? Sealed, dry, factory-packaged sweets and snacks usually ship fine. Fresh, perishable, or homemade may not — depends on destination customs. Ask before booking.

What documents do I need to send? For commercial: invoice with HS codes (we prepare). For gifts: nothing from you — we declare correctly. For documents: original PDF/scan of the contents we're shipping (helps if customs asks).

Does my family in Nepal need an account? No. They drop off, we tag the parcel to your booking. If you book under your foreign details, we trace it to you for delivery and tracking.

Pickup outside Kathmandu? We have pickup partners in major cities — Pokhara, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Butwal, Dharan. Add 1–2 days to transit for non-Kathmandu pickups.

What if customs holds the parcel? We pre-pay any duty above your quoted threshold (rare, but happens for misclassified goods). For items needing your direct response (signature, ID), we coordinate with you in real time.

How do payments work in foreign currency? USD, GBP, AUD, AED via Stripe, PayPal, or Airwallex. NPR via eSewa, Khalti, FonePay, ConnectIPS. The same final price either way — pay whatever's easiest.