Pokhara at a glance — Pokhara Metropolitan City, Kaski district, Gandaki Province.
- Pvt. Ltd. company: registered at the Office of Company Registrar via CAMIS, online. Same process, fees and timeline as anywhere in Nepal.
- Firm (sole proprietorship / partnership): registered locally — through Pokhara Metropolitan City or the district Cottage and Small Industries office, depending on the activity.
- Business licence and ward registration: Pokhara Metropolitan City, across its 33 wards.
- PAN / VAT: Inland Revenue Department, through the tax office serving Kaski.
What Is Actually Local, and What Is Not
Most pages about registering a company in a particular Nepali city imply the whole process is local. It is not, and knowing which half is which saves real time.
| Step | Handled where | Does Pokhara change it? |
|---|---|---|
| Name reservation & Pvt. Ltd. incorporation | OCR, via CAMIS (online) | No |
| MOA / AOA | Prepared by you, filed on CAMIS | No |
| Firm registration | Local — Pokhara Metropolitan City / district office | Yes |
| PAN, and VAT if applicable | IRD office serving Kaski | Yes (which office) |
| Business licence & ward registration | Pokhara Metropolitan City | Yes (fees differ) |
| Sector licence (food, tourism, health…) | Varies by sector and tier | Sometimes |
Why Pokhara Businesses Ask Different Questions
Pokhara’s business mix is unlike anywhere else in Nepal: it is overwhelmingly tourism and the trades that feed it. That matters for registration because the tourism businesses Pokhara specialises in are exactly the ones that carry an extra licence on top of registration. A trekking agency, a travel agency, a hotel, a resort, a homestay and a restaurant are five different licensing paths, and founders routinely register the company, celebrate, and only then discover that the Department of Tourism wants paid-up capital and a bank guarantee before they may sell a single trek.
The guides that usually apply here
- Trekking and travel agencies
- Hotels, resorts and homestays
- Cafes and restaurants
- Adventure and tour operators
If your line of business is not above, the directory of 104 business types shows which licence chain applies to each one.
Your Ward and the Local Business Licence
Pokhara Metropolitan City covers 33 wards and a very wide area, from the lakeside tourist strip to farmland. A lakeside premises and a premises in an outer ward are treated quite differently for signage, tourism and food licensing, so confirm with the ward before you sign a lease on a tourist-facing location.
Two practical points that apply in every municipality. The ward that matters is the one your registered office sits in, not where you live. And local business licence fees are set by the municipality, so a figure quoted for another city — or for Pokhara two years ago — is a guide and not a quote.
Cost and Timeline
| Item | Indicative cost (NPR) | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pvt. Ltd. registration (OCR, all-in) | 15,000 – 35,000 | 7 – 12 working days |
| Firm registration (all-in) | 5,000 – 20,000 | 2 – 5 working days |
| PAN | No government fee | With incorporation (CAMIS) |
| Pokhara Metropolitan City business licence | Set locally | A few days |
| Sector licence, if any | Varies widely | Varies widely |
The full breakdown of entity types, fees and documents is in our company registration guide.
Registering in Pokhara? Tell us what you are starting and which ward you will be based in. We will tell you which steps are actually local for you, what Pokhara Metropolitan City will ask for, and what the whole thing costs — then handle the filing.
Register my business in Pokhara“UdhamSathi helped me build my company.” — UdhamSathi client
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I register a trekking agency in Pokhara, or must it be in Kathmandu?
You can register and operate it from Pokhara. The company itself is incorporated through the OCR’s CAMIS portal from anywhere, and the Department of Tourism licence is issued centrally rather than per-city, so a Pokhara address is no obstacle. What does not change by being in Pokhara is the substance: the Travel and Trekking Agency Rules 2062 still require the paid-up capital and the bank guarantee in the Ministry’s name before the licence is issued.
Do I need a separate licence to run a hotel or homestay in Pokhara?
Yes, and which one depends on size. Larger hotels and resorts deal with the Department of Tourism, including star classification above a certain size, while smaller lodges and all homestays are handled at the local level — for Pokhara that is Pokhara Metropolitan City. Any of them that serves food also needs a food business licence from the local level under the Food Hygiene and Quality Act 2081, and a liquor licence on top if alcohol is served.
Do I have to travel to Kathmandu to register a company from Pokhara?
No. Pvt. Ltd. incorporation is filed on the CAMIS portal and the PAN now issues through CAMIS too, so the company side is done online. What still needs someone locally is the ward registration and the Pokhara Metropolitan City business licence — and, for a firm, the local registration itself. We handle all of it remotely for clients across Nepal.
About this page. Pokhara Metropolitan City is a metropolitan city in Kaski district, Gandaki Province. Local business licence fees, ward requirements and office locations are set locally and change; the figures here are indicative and the national steps come from our main registration guide. We confirm the current local requirement before filing.
Starting a Business in Pokhara?
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