A DDA letter before the unit ships
Nepal's medical equipment and pharmaceuticals both come under the Department of Drug Administration (DDA). Equipment counts as a health technology product under a 2017 directive. The list includes X-ray, CT, and C-arm units; ultrasound, MRI, and endoscopy systems; ventilators and lab kits; and accessories such as lead glass. Nepal imports medical equipment only against a DDA letter, which the importer must hold. Since mid-October 2026, applications have been made through the Nepal National Single Window. Used, old, repaired or rebuilt units cannot be imported. So the letter comes first, and the freight follows.
Healthcare buyers in more than 80 countries get quotes, documents and freight from us, MediGear, a medical equipment distributor whose company is registered in England and Wales. For Nepal, we look for verified makers whose healthcare technologies we can supply as new units, with the product data your DDA application needs. Your biomedical team and buyers then see a quote built around the points below. Requests come in through the buyers page, without any account.
Teaching hospitals, national centres and private groups
Requests for medical supplies in Nepal reach us from:
- Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu
- Bir Hospital in Kathmandu and BPKIHS in Dharan
- Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre and BPKMCH in Bharatpur
- Private hospitals such as Grande International and imaging centres
- Civil Service Hospital in Kathmandu
- The Department of Health Services, which buys essential supplies for the provinces
- Importers who hold DDA recommendation letters, and firms that distribute medical supplies in Nepal
Among government hospitals in Kathmandu, Bir Hospital is the central hospital of the National Academy of Medical Sciences. Hospitals publish their own tenders, among them Civil Service Hospital in Kathmandu. Recent notices have covered a colour Doppler ultrasound system, CT films and theatre equipment. Public procurement across Nepal's health system follows the Public Procurement Act, monitored by the Public Procurement Monitoring Office, which runs e-GP training. A private clinic that needs one unit can send us the model, and so can laboratory equipment suppliers who hold a DDA letter.
The DDA directive, national standards and testing
The Directive on Health Technology Product and Equipment sets the rules. Before a product is sold in Nepal, the producer or importer applies to the DDA, which checks it against the national standard. A product that fails the standard cannot be imported, and the producer or importer pays for the tests. The National Bureau of Standards and Metrology carries out the quality tests. Recommendation letters and certificates are valid for one year, and renewal is due a month before expiry.
Firms that run medical device wholesale register with the DDA, and the holder of a DDA letter may import through its own authorised agent. We found no labelling-language rule in the directive. Nothing here makes us a Nepali importer or agent, and regulatory advice is outside our role, but each quote sets out the certificates behind the unit.
The 2020 Radiation Act and what to confirm
A digital X-ray unit needs the DDA letter like other products, and so do CT and C-arm units. Radiation use falls under the Radioactive Materials (Usage and Regulation) Act of 2020 and its later rules. We could not confirm which office now issues licences for medical X-ray, so check this with the ministry before ordering an X-ray machine.
We could not find published test intervals or room design rules for X-ray either. So we ask makers for their acceptance test and service schedules and send them with the quote. The Department of Health Services also issued a directive on managing biomedical equipment in August 2026.
230 V, type D sockets and service schedules
The maker settles these with us first:
- Supply and plugs. Nepal runs on 230 V at 50 Hz, and the IEC lists plug types C, D and M, so we confirm the plug and power module.
- New units only. The directive bars used, old, repaired or rebuilt units, so every unit we quote for Nepal is new.
- Service schedule. We ask the maker for its service intervals, and spare parts and consumables can travel with the unit.
- Product data. Your DDA application lists the country of manufacture, the exporting country and the quantity of each product, so we send these details early.
Open points go to the maker in writing before we quote, because the DDA letter is issued for the products and quantities you list. If any detail changes, we tell you before the order is placed.
ASYCUDA World, the single window and transit
The Department of Customs clears imported medical supplies on ASYCUDA World, where the declarant lodges the goods declaration electronically. Permits, declarant registration, and import codes run through the National Single Window, and the DDA also submits customs check-pass requests there. Air cargo is cleared at the customs office at Tribhuvan International Airport. We found no official list of documents, so each order is sent with:
- A commercial invoice and packing list for the DDA letter
- Transport papers for the sea and rail legs
- A certificate of origin from the exporter
- HS codes for every product line
- The CE file and the maker's certificates
The National Centre for Plant Quarantine and Biosecurity is the plant protection body. The IPPC holds no ISPM 15 report for Nepal, and we found no national rule on wood packaging, so we ask makers for heat-treated, stamped crates.
Kolkata, Birgunj and Tribhuvan airport
- Model and hospital. Send the model, quantity and hospital by RFQ form or email, and say whether your DDA letter is in hand.
- New-unit quote. For catalogue items, a quote usually follows within 48 hours, setting out certification, lead time, the route and the DDA papers.
- Order confirmed. We order from the maker only once you confirm the quote in writing.
- Rail or air. Sea freight lands in Kolkata, Haldia or Visakhapatnam and moves by rail to Birgunj or Biratnagar, while air freight brings medical equipment to Kathmandu through Tribhuvan International Airport.
Our part of the healthcare supply chain ends at the gateway you nominate, such as the Birgunj dry port or the airport, where your declarant lodges the declaration in ASYCUDA World. The last leg, to the hospital, is yours, and hill and mountain sites need extra planning. Nepal's other dry ports include Kakarbhitta, Bhairahawa and Chobhar near Kathmandu.
Single units, provincial hospitals and new-only supply
A clinic in Pokhara that needs one monitor or one digital X-ray unit can quote on most catalogue lines. For larger projects, see hospital setup, and cardiac units can browse Cardiology Equipment. Our refurbished range cannot serve Nepal. The 2017 directive says equipment used once in any country, old, repaired or rebuilt, cannot be imported, so every quote for Nepal is for a new unit. Far from the cities, a new hospital building in Humla, in Karnali Province, had its foundation stone laid in June 2026.
Disclaimer
This page brings together general information for buyers in Nepal from the official sources we could access, and it is not an offer to supply or legal, regulatory or customs advice. Official material is limited in places, so confirm the current rules with the DDA and the relevant ministry before ordering. A quote reflects what the maker can supply, and nothing is ordered until both sides confirm in writing. Your importer and declarant handle clearance and the regulatory side, since we are not a Nepali importer or agent.
Has the DDA issued your import letter?
Health technology equipment enters Nepal against a DDA import recommendation letter, now applied for through the National Single Window. Send the model and the site, and we'll quote a new unit with the product data for your application and the route.
Frequently Asked Questions
Email connect@medigear.uk or fill in the RFQ form on our buyers page. A model number or specification is enough, and you will not need an account. We quote for teaching and national hospitals, private groups, the Department of Health Services, importers holding DDA letters, and medical equipment suppliers.
No. The 2017 directive says a health technology product used once in any country, old, repaired or rebuilt, cannot be imported, and it sets no exemption route. Every quote for Nepal is therefore for a new unit, and buyers can confirm the position with the DDA.
It is the Department of Drug Administration's permission to bring in a health technology product, and a Nepali import of medical equipment needs one. The application lists the country of manufacture, the exporting country and the quantity of each product, and letters are valid for one year. Since mid-October 202,6 applications go through the National Single Window.
The Radioactive Materials (Usage and Regulation) Act of 2020 provides for a regulatory body and licences, but we could not confirm which office issues them for medical X-ray today. Check with the ministry before ordering, alongside the DDA letter that X-ray units also need.
Nepal receives medical supplies by sea through Kolkata, Haldia or Visakhapatnam, and the cargo moves by rail to Birgunj or Biratnagar under Indian transit rules. Smaller items can fly into Tribhuvan International Airport. Our delivery stops at the gateway you choose, and onward transport is your side.
The declarant lodges the goods declaration electronically in ASYCUDA World, and permits and import codes run through the National Single Window. We send the invoice, packing list, transport papers, origin papers, HS codes and the model's certificates with each consignment.
Yes. Single units, such as a chest X-ray machine or a monitor, are quoted on most catalogue lines, and our first reply flags any minimum order from the maker. The unit must be new, and your DDA letter must list it; we confirm this before quoting.
Usually, the papers: the DDA letter, a missing product detail or the radiation licence for X-ray. The transit leg through India and the last leg to the hospital matter too, and the quote states the lead time and route.