APF Rank List: Armed Police Force Nepal Ranks, Badges & Class

Quick answer

The Armed Police Force (APF Nepal) lists 15 ranks: Inspector General (IG), Additional Inspector General (AIG), Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Senior Superintendent (SSP), Superintendent (SP), Deputy Superintendent (DSP), Inspector, Senior Sub-Inspector, Sub-Inspector, Assistant Sub-Inspector, Senior Head Constable, Head Constable, Assistant Head Constable, Constable and Follower.

The APF publishes more about its ranks than the Army or the Police: each rank's badge, its civil-service class and the Army rank it is at par with. Below is that list in English and Nepali, how to read the badges and where they differ from the Police's, and the 2083/84 starting pay.

On this page

APF ranks in order
How to read an APF rank badge
APF ranks beside Nepal Police ranks
Gazetted and non-gazetted APF ranks
Badges, rank by rank

APF ranks in order

Highest first, as the APF lists them, with its class and the Army rank at par. Starting pay is the basic salary a month from 1 Shrawan 2083 — the APF salary page has the grades and totals.

#	Rank	नेपाली	Class	At par with	Starting pay
1	Inspector General (IG)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी महानिरीक्षक	Gazetted Special Class	Lieutenant General	रु 79,290
2	Additional Inspector General (AIG)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी अतिरिक्त महानिरीक्षक	Gazetted Special Class	Major General	रु 79,290
3	Deputy Inspector General (DIG)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी नायब महानिरीक्षक	Gazetted 1st Class	Brigadier General	रु 67,045
4	Senior Superintendent (SSP)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी वरिष्ठ उपरीक्षक	Gazetted 1st Class	Colonel	रु 62,466
5	Superintendent (SP)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी उपरीक्षक	Gazetted 2nd Class	Lieutenant Colonel	रु 57,507
6	Deputy Superintendent (DSP)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी नायब उपरीक्षक	Gazetted 2nd Class	Major	रु 53,611
7	Inspector (INS)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी निरीक्षक	Gazetted 3rd Class	Lieutenant	रु 48,058
8	Senior Sub Inspector (SSI)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी वरिष्ठ नायब निरीक्षक	Non Gazetted 1st Class	Subedar Major/ Senior Warrant Officer	रु 45,098
9	Sub Inspector (SI)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी नायब निरीक्षक	Non Gazetted 1st Class	Warrant Officer I	रु 38,203
10	Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी सहायक निरीक्षक	Non Gazetted 2nd Class	Warrant Officer II	रु 36,142
11	Senior Head Constable (SHC)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी वरिष्ठ हवल्दार	Non Gazetted 3rd Class	Sergeant	रु 31,372
12	Head Constable (HC)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी हवल्दार	Non Gazetted 3rd Class	Corporal	रु 30,373
13	Assistant Head Constable (AHC)	सशस्त्र प्रहरी सहायक हवल्दार	Non Gazetted 3rd Class	Lance Corporal	रु 29,209
14	Constable	सशस्त्र प्रहरी जवान	Non Gazetted 4th Class	Rifleman	रु 28,690
15	Follower	फलोवर्स	Unclassified	Non Combatant Elements (NCES)	रु 27,172

How to read an APF rank badge

From the Inspector up, a badge is one device nearest the collar with up to three stars beside it — the same system as Nepal Police. Below the Inspector the APF goes its own way.

APF Nepal rank badges · सशस्त्र प्रहरी बलको दर्ज्यानी चिह्न

Inspectors General · महानिरीक्षक

IGमहानिरीक्षक
AIGअतिरिक्त महानिरीक्षक
DIGनायब महानिरीक्षक

Superintendents and Inspector · उपरीक्षक, निरीक्षक

SSPवरिष्ठ उपरीक्षक
SPउपरीक्षक
DSPनायब उपरीक्षक
INSनिरीक्षक

Sub-inspectors · नायब निरीक्षक

SSIवरिष्ठ नायब निरीक्षक
SIनायब निरीक्षक
ASIसहायक निरीक्षक

Head constables and Constable · हवल्दार, जवान

SHCवरिष्ठ हवल्दार
HCहवल्दार
AHCसहायक हवल्दार
Constableजवान
Followerफलोवर्स

careerkyt.com/guides/apf-ranks · simplified drawings

Drawn by CareerKyt from the badges on the APF's rank page, simplified: the shapes, the counts and their order are the APF's, the artwork is not.

The crest — a DIG; with one star an AIG, with two the IG.
Crossed khukuris — an Inspector; with one, two or three stars a DSP, an SP and an SSP.
Stars alone — one for an Assistant Sub-Inspector, two for a Sub-Inspector; a Senior Sub-Inspector's two stars sit between gold bars.
Bars — one for a Constable, two for an Assistant Head Constable, three for a Head Constable; a Senior Head Constable wears a chevron over three bars.
A Follower wears no badge.

APF ranks beside Nepal Police ranks

The two forces use the same rank names and, on the 2083/84 scale, the same starting pay; the APF adds the Follower. The badges are the same from the Inspector up and differ below it:

Rank	APF badge	Nepal Police badge
Senior Sub Inspector	Two stars between two gold bars	Three stars
Senior Head Constable	A chevron over three bars	Three chevrons and a bar
Head Constable	Three bars	Three chevrons
Assistant Head Constable	Two bars	Two chevrons
Constable	One bar	A blue, red and yellow band; no rank mark

Gazetted and non-gazetted APF ranks

The class is the civil service's: it says which civil-service post an APF rank stands beside. Gazetted 3rd Class is a Section Officer's (शाखा अधिकृत) and Non Gazetted 1st Class a Nayab Subba's.

Class	APF ranks
Gazetted Special Class	IG, AIG
Gazetted 1st Class	DIG, SSP
Gazetted 2nd Class	SP, DSP
Gazetted 3rd Class	INS
Non Gazetted 1st Class	SSI, SI
Non Gazetted 2nd Class	ASI
Non Gazetted 3rd Class	SHC, HC, AHC
Non Gazetted 4th Class	Constable
Unclassified	Follower

Badges, rank by rank

The same badges in words, for anyone who cannot see the drawings or wants to search for one.

Rank	नेपाली	Badge
IG	सशस्त्र प्रहरी महानिरीक्षक	The crest and two stars
AIG	सशस्त्र प्रहरी अतिरिक्त महानिरीक्षक	The crest and one star
DIG	सशस्त्र प्रहरी नायब महानिरीक्षक	The crest
SSP	सशस्त्र प्रहरी वरिष्ठ उपरीक्षक	Crossed khukuris and three stars
SP	सशस्त्र प्रहरी उपरीक्षक	Crossed khukuris and two stars
DSP	सशस्त्र प्रहरी नायब उपरीक्षक	Crossed khukuris and one star
INS	सशस्त्र प्रहरी निरीक्षक	Crossed khukuris
SSI	सशस्त्र प्रहरी वरिष्ठ नायब निरीक्षक	Two stars between two gold bars
SI	सशस्त्र प्रहरी नायब निरीक्षक	Two stars
ASI	सशस्त्र प्रहरी सहायक निरीक्षक	One star
SHC	सशस्त्र प्रहरी वरिष्ठ हवल्दार	A chevron over three bars
HC	सशस्त्र प्रहरी हवल्दार	Three bars
AHC	सशस्त्र प्रहरी सहायक हवल्दार	Two bars
Constable	सशस्त्र प्रहरी जवान	One bar
Follower	फलोवर्स	No badge

Common questions

How many ranks are there in the APF?

15 on the APF's own list: 14 from the Inspector General down to the Constable, and the Follower, who is unclassified and wears no badge.

What is the highest rank in the APF?

The Inspector General (IG), in Gazetted Special Class and at par with an Army Lieutenant General. The badge is the crest and two stars; the starting pay on the 2083/84 scale is रु 79,290 a month.

Who is top, SP or DSP?

The SP. A Superintendent (crossed khukuris and two stars) is at par with an Army Lieutenant Colonel; a Deputy Superintendent (crossed khukuris and one star) with a Major. Both are Gazetted 2nd Class; an SP starts on रु 57,507, a DSP on रु 53,611.

Is an APF Inspector a gazetted officer?

Yes: the APF lists its Inspector in Gazetted 3rd Class, the class of a civil-service Section Officer, and at par with an Army Lieutenant. The badge is crossed khukuris.

Which APF rank is equal to an Army Major?

The Deputy Superintendent (DSP), whom the APF lists at par with a Major, in Gazetted 2nd Class. Both start on रु 53,611.

Are APF and Nepal Police ranks the same?

The names and the pay are; the APF also has the Follower. The badges match from the Inspector up. Below it, the APF's Senior Sub-Inspector wears two stars between gold bars where the Police's wears three stars, and the APF's head constables and constables wear bars where the Police wear chevrons and a coloured band.

What is a Follower in the APF?

The lowest place on the APF's list: unclassified, at par with the Army's non-combatant elements, with no badge. A Follower starts on रु 27,172 a month on the 2083/84 scale.

In this topic

Salary in Nepal

The government pay scale, what each job pays, and the tax, SSF and bonus that come off or on top.

Salary in Nepal: average, minimum and government pay — the whole subject in one place

Government pay scale

Pay by job

Work it out

APF Nepal ranks in order, with every badge and the Army rank at par