Nepal — Legal Help

Police emergency is 100; the Tourist Police (hotline 1144, headquartered at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu) handle foreigner complaints in English and are the right first call for bar-bill scams and theft. If arrested, request consular notification immediately — embassies provide lawyer lists and prison visits but nothing more. Court processes are slow; pre-trial detention is common for serious charges.

The age of consent is 18 under the National Penal Code 2017, so any commercial contact with a person under 18 is statutory rape plus trafficking charges under the 2007 Act — and ages in the dance-bar sector are frequently misrepresented, which is a serious hazard. Cannabis has been illegal since 1973 despite constant street offers in Thamel; buyers are the ones who get arrested.