Have you been waiting for a dollar card to make foreign currency payments, product subscription or any other services? The wait is over now as Nepal has now permitted banks to issue prepaid dollar cards for their customers. Here is the complete guide for you covering the overall aspects of dollar cards and how to get a dollar card in Nepal.
What is a Dollar Card?
A dollar card is a payment card issued by a bank to its customers to make payments in foreign currency. It is generally based on the US Dollar as it is the leading currency of the world. In Nepal, you can get a dollar card from your respective bank from which you can make annual transactions up to $500.
It can be used in any of the ATMs for cash withdrawal, balance enquiry or purchase of goods & services. It can be used by various merchants like department stores, hospitals, retail shops etc. throughout Nepal and Worldwide for national and international transactions.
Features & Benefits of Dollar Card
With a dollar card in your hand, you can do various international online transactions that were previously not possible via cards issued by Nepali banks. Some of the useful features of dollar card are:
- You can purchase things from Amazon, Alibaba, Flipkart, and others.
- You can boost your social media post and pages on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- You can sign up for streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, Apple Music, etc to watch movies and TV shows.
- You book international hotels, flights, etc easily using a dollar card.
- You can make payments for different international services like Streaming platforms, web/server hosting, security certificates.
- You can buy online courses from various platforms like Coursera, udemy, etc.
- You can apply for online advertisements and business promotions.
- It is fully secure, convenient and hassle-free to use.
- You can exchange currencies up to USD 500 or equivalent.
- You can deposit the income you receive from international outlets of up to USD 5,000 annually.
Dollar Card in Nepal
Nepal Rastra Bank granted the issuance of prepaid dollar cards on 21st March 2021. After the circulation from NRB to issue prepaid dollar cards, the different bank has introduced their Dollar Prepaid Cards.
Dollar Prepaid Cards can have a maximum balance of USD 500 per year for doing transactions. However, those who have earnings on international currency will have higher limits. The following Class A and Class B commercial banks have started issuing the card.
Class A Commercial Banks in Nepal
| Agriculture Development Bank | Himalayan Bank | Nepal Bank | Prabhu Commercial Bank |
| Bank of Kathmandu | Kumari Bank | Nepal Commerce and Credit Bank | Rastriya Banijya Bank |
| Century Commercial Bank | Laxmi Bank | Nepal Investment Bank | Sanima Bank |
| Citizens Bank International | Machhapuchchre Bank | Nepal SBI Bank | Siddhartha Bank |
| Civil Bank | Mega Bank | NIC Asia Bank | Standard Chartered Bank |
| Everest Bank | Nabil Bank | NMB Bank | Sunrise Bank |
| Global IME Bank | Nepal Bangladesh Bank | Prabhu Bank |
Class B Development Banks in Nepal
| Corporate Development Bank | Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank | Muktinath Bikash Bank | Shangri-la Development Bank |
| Excel Development Bank | Karnali Bikash Bank | Narayani Development Bank | Shine Rasunga Development Bank |
| Garima Bikas Bank | Lumbini Bikash Bank | Sahara Bikas Bank | Sindhu Bikas Bank |
| Green Development Bank | Mahalaxmi Bikash Bank | Salapa Bikash Bank | |
| Jyoti Bikas Bank | Miteri Development Bank | Saptakoshi Development Bank |
How to make Dollar card in Nepal?
You can easily apply for a Dollar card in Nepal from the bank providing this service. You are allowed to take prepaid dollar cards from a single bank only. Applicants need to hold NPR accounts in their respective banks to be eligible for this service. In addition, the following documents are mandatory:
- Card issuance form from respective bank
- Know Your Customer (KYC) Form
- Personal Identification Number (PAN)
- A declaration stating, he/she has not taken this facility from any other banks
Note: If you haven’t issued your PAN card yet, you can get it easily online in a few minutes using Nagarik App. I have already written an article on it. Check out this article if you need help.
How to Register PAN Using Nagarik App?
After meeting the above criteria, the customer will also need to mention the purpose of the card. Once the customer submits the complete document and form, the bank will create a dollar account. You will get your dollar card within 4-5 days depending upon the condition.
If the applicant wants to make a card without his name printed, it is issued on the same day as applying. The card with the customer’s name printed can take up to three to four working days. This account will be linked to your main account.
Charges & Exchange Rates for Dollar Card
As NRB has not fixed any charge for the dollar card, the charges may vary from bank to bank. In general, the loading fee is Rs. 500, the customers have to pay this charge each time they load money into their dollar account. You may need to pay subscription fees, security fees, re-issue fees as per the respective banks.
The bank will deposit your requested amount (up to USD 500) in that account using the exchange rate of the day to load the cash into the card. Similarly, if the customer wants to withdraw the money due in the card, the bank will deposit the cashback into the customer’s account at the prevailing exchange rate of the day when it has to be returned.
Limitations of Dollar Card
- You can store a maximum amount of up to USD 500 annually.
- You cannot purchase goods or services other than an online platform.
- You are not allowed to use two-dollar cards from one or two banks at the same time.Â
- You cannot purchase capital goods, any property or prohibited goods or services.
- You cannot export goods and services other than an online platform.
This is all about getting a dollar card in Nepal. You can also apply for the dollar card following the above steps and enjoy international transactions in foreign currency.
The annual limit of $500 might seem to be small but it is all about the starting phase. Let’s hope NRB will increase the annual limit of dollar cards and many other features. If you have any queries regarding this article, do comment to us.
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