Government Mandates Surrender of Foreign Passports for Minority Migrants
The Indian government has announced a new rule requiring minority migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to declare and surrender their foreign passports within 15 days after receiving Indian citizenship. This update aims to address the issue of dual citizenship, which is not allowed under Indian law.
In a notice released on Monday, authorities emphasized that migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian communities must provide details about their foreign passports. This includes the passport number, the place and date of issuance, and the expiration date.
This requirement is part of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019, which offers a quicker route to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim migrants who entered India before December 31, 2014. The new provision has been added to Schedule IC of the Citizenship Rules.
Additionally, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is also pushing for modernization across various processes. Earlier this month, it introduced digital changes affecting Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and citizenship applications. The MHA also specified that children born to Indian citizens outside the country cannot hold passports from other nations if they have an Indian passport.
This move reflects the government’s broader strategy to streamline citizenship and immigration processes.
