An educational estimate from the Gazette notice and the tariff. The customs officer's valuation applies, and under §9 the Director General of Customs decides any doubt — finally.
You are treated as a labour-permit worker back after more than a year. The phone, laptop, watch and camera you actually use are free for everyone; the extra new phone needs a labour permit and 6 months; a TV up to 65 inch needs a labour permit and 12 continuous months, once in a lifetime.
Notice §1(7): because you were abroad over a year, dutiable goods (TV, phone, speaker, fridge…) worth up to रू 25,000 come in free; रू 0 of it was used here, duty falls only on the value above it.
The rupee figures are estimates: customs values goods on its own reference list, not your receipt, and applies the year's tariff; the allowances and limits are the notice's own words.
| Item | Under 6 months / visitor | Labour permit · 6–12 months | Labour permit · 12 months+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV | Duty on the whole set (≈ 49 % of its value) | Duty (first NPR 15,000 of value free) | One TV up to 65 inch free — once in a lifetime |
| Extra new mobile phone | Duty + MDMS registration | One free; a second pays duty | One free; a second pays duty |
| Phone, laptop/tablet, watch, camera you use | One each, free | One each, free | One each, free |
| Gold jewellery | Man 25 g · woman 50 g free; +100 g with duty; more is seized | Same | Same |
| Gold bars / coins | No free gram; up to 100 g with duty | Same | Same |
| Silver jewellery | 500 g free; +500 g with duty | Same | Same |
| Speaker, fridge, washing machine, fan… | Duty, one each | Free up to NPR 15,000 total value, duty above | Free up to NPR 25,000 total value, duty above |
| Used clothes, bedding, household goods | Free | Free; may also come by cargo/post | Free; may also come by cargo/post |
| Liquor | 1 bottle up to 1 L | 1 bottle up to 1 L | 1 bottle up to 1 L |
| Cigarettes | Up to 200, duty paid | Up to 200, duty paid | Up to 200, duty paid |
| Food | 7 kg free (10 kg with duty) | 7 kg free (10 kg with duty) | 7 kg free (10 kg with duty) |
| Cash | Up to USD 5,000 without declaring | Same | Same |
- Declare everything at the red channel and keep the customs slip (प्रज्ञापनपत्र) — the TV allowance is recorded against you, and the new phone is registered in MDMS with that slip.
- Carry proof of the labour permit and the exit/entry stamps: the officer counts the continuous months from them.
- Keep the purchase bills; they help, though customs may still use its own valuation.
- Gold: wear or pack jewellery only, within the grams above; never bars or coins beyond the limit.
- Only the TV in question? The "TV customs duty in Nepal" tool shows every size side by side: wtsone.app/tools/tv-customs-nepal.
- Notice of 15 Jestha 2083 (29 May 2026) on goods passengers may bring and take, Nepal Gazette part 5; it repealed the 2082 notice and its "any size TV if SSF-registered" rule.
- Gold/silver limits from Customs Tariff Act 2081 schedule 4 item 1; gold duty 20% (2083/84 budget), +3 points on the second 50 g; valuation at the price you typed.
- Duty = the tariff stack on the value above the allowance: customs, then excise on value + customs, then VAT 13 % on all of it (Department of Customs tariff search, 2026-10-18). TV customs 20 % + excise 10 % (≈ 49 % in all); speaker 0 %, music system 10 %, fridge 15 %, washing machine 20 %; extra smartphone 5 % — the TV and other-goods rates are editable under "More options".
- The value allowance is spent on the TV first, then phones, then other goods.
- Nothing you type is stored, and no figure appears in the page address.
Legal basis and official sources
| Applies to | Law / reference | Effective date | Last verified | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What a passenger may bring (TV, phones, value allowance, liquor, food, cash) | Ministry of Finance notice, Nepal Gazette part 5 vol 76 extra 15(ka), 15 Jestha 2083 — under Customs Act 2082 §20(1) and Customs Tariff Act 2081 §13(3); repeals the 2082 notice | customs.gov.np | ||
| Gold and silver quantities | Customs Tariff Act 2081, schedule 4 item 1 (as amended by the Finance Act 2083)grams read from the Department of Customs FAQ and the budget schedules; confirm at the counter | customs.gov.np | ||
| Gold customs duty 20 % | Finance Act 2083 (budget 2083/84) — doubled from 10 % | lawcommission.gov.np | ||
| Duty rates: TV 20 % + excise 10 %, speaker 0 %, music system 10 %, fridge 15 %, washing machine 20 %, smartphone 5 %, VAT 13 % | Customs tariff 2083/84 — Department of Customs tariff search (NNSW), HS 8528.72 · 8518 · 8519 · 8418 · 8450 · 8517.13 | nnsw.gov.np | ||
| Phone registration | NTA — Mobile Device Management System (MDMS) | mdms.nta.gov.np |
Dates are AD (YYYY-MM-DD). If the law or the budget has changed since the last verified date, the official source wins.
A worked example
The form starts with these figures (in NPR) so you can see how it works before typing your own. They are made up — nobody's real numbers appear here.
Questions people ask
Can I bring a 32-inch TV?
Yes, free, if you went on a labour permit and worked abroad 12 continuous months — any TV up to 65 inch, one set, once in a lifetime (notice §1(1)(cha)). Without the permit or the 12 months, a TV pays duty whatever its size.
And a 55-inch, or 65-inch?
Same rule: up to 65 inch is free for the 12-month labour-permit worker, 65 included. A 70- or 75-inch set gets no allowance at all — duty on the whole TV, not just the inches above 65.
I heard a worker registered with SSF can bring ANY size of TV.
That was the 2082 notice (in force from 29 May 2025): 32 inch for everyone, any size for a 12-month worker registered with the Social Security Fund. The 2083 notice of 29 May 2026 repealed it. Today the condition is labour permit + 12 continuous months, the limit is 65 inch, and SSF registration is not asked for.
How much gold can I bring?
Jewellery: 25 g for a man, 50 g for a woman, free. A further 100 g with duty — 20% on the first 50 g, 23% on the next 50 g, on customs' valuation. Anything beyond is confiscated. Bars, coins and biscuits are not jewellery: not one gram free, 100 g at most with duty.
I bought a speaker (music system). Can I bring it?
One music system is on the "with duty" list (§1(4)). If you were abroad 6–12 months, goods on that list worth up to NPR 15,000 come in free; over a year, up to NPR 25,000. Above that value, duty: a plain speaker or sound bar carries 0 % customs + 13 % VAT, a music system / player 10 % + VAT — pick the item in the "other goods" box.
How much duty per inch of TV?
There is no per-inch rate. The inch decides only whether the TV is free (up to 65 inch for a 12-month labour-permit worker). A set that is not free is taxed on its value: customs 20 % + excise 10 % + VAT 13 %, about 49 % — the "TV customs duty in Nepal" tool shows it size by size.
Two phones?
The phone you are using is always free. A labour-permit worker back after 6 months gets ONE extra new phone free too; everyone else pays on the extra phone (about 5% levy + 13% VAT) and registers it in MDMS. A third phone is at the customs chief's discretion.
What if I came home before 6 months were up?
Then you are a short-stay traveller: your own used phone, laptop, watch and camera, used clothes, 1 litre of liquor, 7 kg of food and the gold/silver allowance are free; a TV, an extra phone or a speaker pays duty from the first rupee.
Can I send my things by cargo?
A labour-permit worker back after 6 months may send used household goods by post or cargo, before or after arriving, duty-free — but must clear them in person. Dutiable goods sent ahead must reach the customs warehouse within 3 months of entry.
Cash?
Up to USD 5,000 (or equivalent) in foreign currency without declaring. More must be declared at the customs point.
Is the rupee figure here what I will pay?
No — it is an estimate. Customs values goods on its own reference list, applies the year's tariff and may add charges. Under §9 the Director General decides any doubt, finally. The allowances and limits are the notice's own words; only the money is estimated.
Do you keep what I type?
No. The figures are used to work out the answer and are not stored, and never appear in the page address.
These are estimates. The figures depend entirely on the numbers you enter and on assumptions that are listed on every result. They are not financial advice, and a bank, employer or authority may use different rules. Check anything important with them before you decide.
We do not keep your figures. Salary, debt and savings you type here are used to work out the answer and are not stored, and never appear in the page address. The only thing remembered is your country and language choice (a small cookie), so the currency can be suggested next time — never a figure you typed. Anonymous counters record that a calculation happened, not what it was.