Aerial view of Border crossing with (1) Biratnagar ICD, (2) Biratnagar Customs Office, (3) Jogbani Railway Station
Overview
The city of Biratnagar is 7 kilometres (4 mi) north of Nepal's southern border with Bihar state, India. Indian and Nepalese nationals cross freely as the border is open for local movement. The checkpoint is under the joint oversight of Armed Police Force along with Local Police unit for overall security and Biratnagar Customs Office for administrative and record keeping responsibilities.
Jogbani town in Araria District is on the Indian side, where a rail line ends at Jogbani Station (JBN) under Katihar Division of Northeast Frontier railways. Nepal’s eastern border of Kakarbhitta lies at a distance of 108 kilometres (67.5 mi) from the city and can be reached via frequent buses running half-hourly from the city's bus park.
Biratnagar is the 4th largest border crossing point, with 11.04% share of total import value (ref: Dept of Customs, 2019/20).
|
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
|---|---|
|
Name of Border Crossing |
Rani, Biratnagar – Nepal side Jogbani, Bihar – India Side |
|
Province or District |
Province-1, Morang |
|
Nearest Town or City |
Biratnagar |
|
Latitude |
26.40250 |
|
Longitude |
87.26583 |
|
Managing Authority/Agency |
Biratnagar Customs Office, Armed Police Force |
|
Contact Person |
Shiva Prasad Bhandari (Customs Officer) Biratnagar Metropolitan Ward No. 21, Rani, Morang Mob: 9852037345 Tel: 021-436297 Fax: 021-436323 E-mail: biratnagar@customs.gov.np |
|
Travel Times |
|
|
Nearest International Airport |
Baghdogra, India |
|
Nearest Port |
Kolkota, India |
|
Nearest Major Market |
Siliguri, India |
|
Other Information |
4 Lane highway to the market at Siliguri |
|
Hours of Operation |
|
|---|---|
|
Mondays |
06:00 – 21:00 |
|
Tuesdays |
06:00 – 21:00 |
|
Wednesdays |
06:00 – 21:00 |
|
Thursdays |
06:00 – 21:00 |
|
Fridays |
06:00 – 21:00 |
|
Saturdays |
06:00 – 21:00 |
|
Sundays |
06:00 – 21:00 |
|
National Holidays |
Generally, 3 days during Dashain (Nepal national festival) and
up to another 7 days / year at Government’s discretion. |
|
Seasonal Constraints |
None |
Daily Capacity
- Maximum trucks: 400 / day
- Daily average: 250 / day
- Average Clearing time: 2½ hours / truck (30 minutes minimum)
- There is rarely a backlog. All trucks are cleared daily.
- It is an open border to Nepali / Indian foot traffic. Estimated volume is 3,000 passengers / day.
Customs Clearance
For information on Nepal customs, please see the following link: 1.3 Nepal Customs Information.
Other Relevant Information
- 90% of goods traffic is from India to Nepal.
- Easy access to both sides of the border (no bridges or other potential hazards).
- There is a single road for the first 20 kms on the India side before the 4-lane highway starts. This can lead to congestion. However, as this section of road is across a flat plain, it does not present major logistics issues in case of accidents or breakdowns as traffic may be diverted around a scene without too much trouble. India has plans to rectify this situation by extending the highway (unconfirmed)
Biratnagar Inland container Depot (ICD) is in proximity of the Border crossing, thus it is efficient process when it comes to flow of goods in and out of the country.
- Truck parking capacity: 80 trucks
- Warehousing space: 30 x 40ft Container
For more information on government agency contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Nepal Government Contact List.
Border point
Truck parking
Warehouse storage
