The DOI Business Visa recommendation is the supporting-agency stage, not the visa itself. DOI reviews the relevant investor, authorised representative or dependant file and, where appropriate, recommends the case. The Department of Immigration then makes the visa issuance or extension decision. For the wider route, see business visa in Nepal.
What DOI reviews
DOI's visa-recommendations service says it may recommend a Business Visa for foreign investors, their authorised representatives and dependants. It identifies assessment factors including investment level, financial performance, employment generation, income tax paid and investment area. Those factors are not a public pass/fail formula or a promise of recommendation.
DOI's One Stop Service Center at Tripureswor also describes visa recommendations for foreign investors, authorised representatives and foreign experts. The precise office or recommendation path should still be checked against the facts of the file.
Core recommendation documents
DOI's live Business Visa list identifies the passport copy with latest visa, proof of company investment, industry-registration certificate, industry progress report or current status, and investor contact details. It adds an authorisation letter and passport copy for an authorised representative, and relationship evidence for a dependant.
These are DOI's published recommendation materials. They are not a complete substitute for the later Immigration application list, and officials can require an accurate, consistent record for the particular file.
New request and extension: keep the stages separate
The DOI page separately lists documents for Immigration extension: three passport photos, DOI recommendation, tax-clearance copy, passport copy with latest visa and applicant biodata. Immigration's public Business Visa page additionally lists an online application, concerned-agency recommendation, FDI acceptance, company/PAN-or-VAT/share/industry records, passport/latest visa and renewal progress or monitoring material.
That split matters: a DOI recommendation does not itself issue, renew or extend the visa. After recommendation, submit the Immigration-side application and check the visa actually issued.
Operating and not-yet-operating industries
DOI's Citizen Charter publishes separate renewal-stage lists. Both tracks identify the prescribed application, banking-channel foreign-investment proof, tax-clearance and audit material, notarised passport/latest-visa copy, current share register and industry progress or status material.
For an operating industry, the Charter also lists an industry inspection report and infrastructure ready for operations. For a not-yet-operating industry, use that distinct status-specific list rather than assuming the operating-industry evidence applies unchanged. A representative needs an appointment letter and company decision; a dependant needs notarised relationship proof.
Timing and service standard
DOI's Citizen Charter lists the recommendation service as immediate and free. This is a DOI administrative service standard, not a guarantee that the recommendation and the later Immigration decision will be completed immediately. Missing documents or verification can affect the outcome.
DOI's published foreign-investment visa guidance advises filing an extension application 30 days before the existing visa expires. That is DOI administrative guidance, not a statutory Rule 9 deadline. Start early enough to reconcile records before expiry.
What to check before DOI submission
- Match the applicant's role to the file: investor, authorised representative or dependant.
- Reconcile names, passport details, company/industry information, shares and investment records.
- Use the operating or not-yet-operating checklist that matches the actual status.
- Keep tax, audit, progress and inspection material current where the published list calls for it.
- Confirm the Immigration application requirements after recommendation; a DOI letter is only one stage.
For the underlying investment workflow, see foreign direct investment in Nepal. The DOI One Stop Service Center guide provides related service context.
Official Sources and Further Reading
- Department of Industry: Visa Recommendations — DOI role, assessment factors and documents.
- Department of Industry: Citizen Charter — status-specific recommendation lists and service standard.
- Department of Industry: One Stop Service Center — OSSC service context.
- Department of Industry: foreign-investment visa guidance — 30-day administrative extension guidance.
- Department of Immigration: Visa Information — Immigration-side Business Visa requirements.
