Health insurance updates: National ID mandatory and new digital portal
Starting December 16, 2026, the national identity card becomes mandatory for health insurance services, while a new digital portal simplifies local-level enrollment.
The Health Insurance Board has announced two changes to the national health insurance program: a national identity card requirement, and a digital enrollment service for provincial and local governments. From December 16, 2026 (Poush 1, 2083), citizens who have completed 16 years of age will be required to provide their national identity card number to enroll in, renew or receive health insurance services.
According to Techpana and Ratopati, the Board made this decision on Asoj 12, 2083 (September 28, 2026). Techpana and Nepal Khabar report that the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration has issued a circular to all local governments asking them to implement it. Although the requirement covers everyone who has completed 16 years of age, Techpana and Ratopati report that the Board has exempted citizens over 90 and people with severe disabilities.
Insured families can use the Board's official HIB e-portal for new enrollment, renewal and updating their existing details (KYC). The Board has said that insured people who did not give their national identity card number when they enrolled can provide it at the health institution when they seek care, and that from Poush 1 they must carry the number with them when they go for health insurance services. Ratopati reports that the Home Ministry had earlier published a notice in the Nepal Gazette making the national identity card mandatory for the program from July 17, 2025 (Shrawan 1, 2082); according to Techpana, the Board has now set Poush 1 as a new deadline for putting that decision into effect.
Digital shift for local governments
According to Onlinekhabar, the Board has started a digital group enrollment and renewal service on the HIB e-portal for provincial and local governments. Using a user ID issued by the Board, a local government can enter the details of citizens and families from its own dashboard and enroll them in the program as a group.
Previously, when provincial and local governments enrolled targeted groups, poor citizens, staff or other beneficiaries from their own budgets, they had to collect details through registration assistants, fill in forms, submit them to the district office and then pay the contribution separately. In the first phase, the Board has given access to Gokarneshwor Municipality in Kathmandu and Kapilvastu Municipality in Kapilvastu as institutional users. Under the new arrangement, details are submitted online, the insurance card is produced by the system, and the contribution is calculated and paid through the same portal.
Board information officer Bikesh Malla told Onlinekhabar that the system was developed to make things easier for provincial and local governments that enroll citizens using their own resources. He said it would particularly help local governments in remote areas, which previously had to travel to the district headquarters or pay through a bank to deposit contributions. The Board says paying digitally will reduce administrative hassle and time.