Nepal Wants to Declare Its Flood Missing Dead After 45 Days Instead of 12 Years, Here’s What Families Need to Know

Nepal’s cabinet recommended on 7 October 2026 that people missing in a disaster can be declared dead after 45 days, instead of the current 12 years. The change follows the 26 August Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods, which killed at least 1,455 people and left 5,285 still missing, according to revised figures from Nepal’s disaster authority. It is a recommendation for an ordinance, so the detail for foreign families is not yet confirmed.

What exactly has Nepal changed?

The cabinet recommended an ordinance that shortens the waiting period for declaring a missing person dead in disaster cases from 12 years to 45 days. Government spokesperson Sasmit Pokhrel said the move was made in light of the Bhotekoshi floods. Two laws are being amended: the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act and the National Identity Card and Registration Act. Law Minister Sovita Gautam said an ordinance was being prepared because Parliament’s regular session has ended.

Why was the old rule a problem?

Without a death registration, families could not reach relief, compensation or other legal benefits. A Law Ministry joint secretary told a parliamentary committee that existing provisions were not enough to declare and register deaths after a disaster. The Civil Code does let a court declare a death where someone disappeared in a disaster, but that route is slow and case by case, which is the gap the ordinance is meant to close.

Does this affect foreign families?

It is not yet clear. The reports we could verify do not say whether the 45-day rule applies to foreign nationals or how a foreign embassy’s paperwork would be treated. Families of 54 Malaysians still missing welcomed the proposal on 8 October but asked their own government for clarity on the legal position, because the measure is still moving through Nepal’s legal process. Reports said the 45-day mark since the floods fell on 9 October.

What should you do if someone you know is missing?

Stay in contact with your own country’s foreign ministry and embassy, because they hold the casework and will learn first how Nepal’s ordinance applies. Keep identity documents, travel itineraries and any DNA-relevant contacts organised, and do not assume compensation or registration is automatic. We are not lawyers and will not guess at the process; the ordinance text, once published, is what counts.

Source: Nepal cabinet decision of 7 October 2026 as reported by DT Next and Asianet Newsable. This story is developing and we will update it when the ordinance is issued.

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