How to Set Up FonePay QR for Your Shop in Nepal: A Complete 2026 Guide

If you run a shop in Nepal, you have probably noticed customers reaching for their phones instead of their wallets. "QR cha?" (Do you have QR?) has become one of the most common questions at the counter. The reason is simple: a single FonePay QR code lets a customer pay you from almost any banking app, eSewa, or Khalti just by scanning. No POS machine, no card swipe, no cash to count at closing time.

This guide walks you through getting a FonePay QR set up for both your physical counter and your online store, the documents you actually need, and how to avoid the small mistakes that cause failed payments and reconciliation headaches.

What FonePay QR actually is

FonePay is Nepal's interbank payment network. The QR you stick on your counter is part of the NepalPay QR standard, which means it is interoperable: a customer using Nabil, NIC Asia, Global IME, Siddhartha, eSewa, Khalti, or almost any other supported app can scan the same sticker and pay you directly into your account. You do not need a different QR for each app.

There are two kinds you should know about:

• Static merchant QR — a printed code linked to your bank account. The customer scans, types the amount, and pays. Best for most small shops.
• Dynamic QR — generated per transaction with the amount already filled in. This reduces typing errors and is what you want for online checkout and busy counters.

Before you start: what you need

FonePay merchant QR is issued through banks and payment partners, so the requirements mirror opening a business banking relationship. Have these ready:

• A bank account in your business or personal name (a current/business account is ideal, but many micro-shops start with a savings account).
• Your PAN (or VAT registration if your turnover requires it). Registered businesses settle disputes and limits far more smoothly.
• A business registration certificate (from the ward/municipality, Company Registrar, or Cottage & Small Industries, depending on your structure).
• A citizenship copy of the account holder and a passport-size photo.
• Your shop name, address, and a mobile number tied to a smartphone — this is where you will receive payment alerts.

If you operate informally without a PAN, you can still often get a personal QR through your mobile banking app, but for anything beyond a tiny side hustle, register properly. It protects you and makes higher transaction limits and VAT-compliant billing possible.

Step-by-step: getting your in-store QR

1. Talk to your bank. Visit your branch or open your mobile banking app. Most banks have a "Merchant QR" or "FonePay QR" request option. Tell them you want a NepalPay merchant QR for your shop.
2. Submit your documents. Hand over the PAN, registration, and citizenship copies listed above. The bank links the QR to your settlement account.
3. Receive your QR. The bank issues a printed standee or a digital QR image, usually within a few working days. It carries your shop name so customers see it confirmed on their screen before paying.
4. Set up payment alerts. Enable SMS or app notifications, or ask for a merchant app (many banks and FonePay offer one) so you get an instant confirmation sound and message for every payment. This is non-negotiable at a busy counter.
5. Display it where customers can reach it. Counter height, well lit, not behind the glass of a locked display. Add a small printed line: "Scan to pay — confirm shop name before paying."

Test before you trust it

Before you rely on it, do a real Rs. 10 transaction yourself from a different app. Confirm three things: the money lands in the right account, the shop name shows correctly to the payer, and you receive the alert. A QR linked to the wrong account is the single most expensive mistake here, and it is silent until you go looking for money that never arrived.

Accepting QR payments online

QR is not only for the counter. For online sales you want a checkout that generates a dynamic QR with the order amount pre-filled, alongside eSewa, Khalti, and bank options, so customers are not fat-fingering totals on their phones.

If you are selling through social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) and collecting payment by sending a static QR screenshot, you will quickly run into the same problems every Nepali seller hits during a Dashain or Tihar rush: customers paying the wrong amount, duplicate payments, no automatic record of which order matches which payment, and hours lost to manual reconciliation.

This is where a proper store platform earns its keep. With Saauzi, you can connect FonePay alongside eSewa, Khalti, and bank transfer at checkout, so each online order gets the correct amount tied to it automatically and your payments reconcile against orders without a spreadsheet. The same product catalog then powers your in-store POS, so online and counter sales live in one place.

Fees, limits, and settlement

A few practical realities to plan around:

• Cost to merchants is low — getting a merchant QR is typically free or near-free, which is a big part of why QR has spread so fast among small shops. Confirm any charges with your bank in writing.
• Per-transaction and daily limits apply under the NepalPay QR rules and your bank's policy. For high-value items (electronics, jewellery), check your limit in advance so a sale does not stall at the counter. Registered merchants generally get higher limits than personal accounts.
• Settlement is usually same-day or next working day into your linked account. Know your bank's timing so your cash-flow planning is accurate, especially during festival weeks.

Staying clean for VAT and accounting

Digital payments leave a trail, which is good for you. If you are VAT-registered, remember that QR collections are still taxable sales — issue proper VAT invoices and reconcile your QR settlements against your sales records every week, not once a year when the auditor calls. Keeping a daily count of QR payments versus your sales total takes five minutes and catches errors while they are still fixable.

Don't drop cash and COD entirely

QR adoption is high, but Nepal is not cashless. Outside Kathmandu valley, and for older customers, cash and cash-on-delivery through couriers like Pathao, Aramex, or local delivery partners still matter. Offer QR, eSewa, Khalti, and COD. Forcing one method costs you sales.

Your action plan

Set up FonePay QR this week:

1. Gather your PAN, registration, and citizenship copies today.
2. Request a merchant QR from your bank and turn on instant payment alerts.
3. Run a Rs. 10 test from another app and confirm the account, shop name, and alert.
4. For online sales, move off screenshot QRs to a checkout that ties each payment to an order — and keep COD as a fallback.
5. Reconcile QR settlements against sales weekly so your VAT records stay clean.

Get the QR on the counter, test it once properly, and connect it to a system that records what you sold. That turns digital payments from a convenience into a real advantage — just in time for the next festival rush.