The Union Home Ministry has issued a new directive making it mandatory for all Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) applicants to declare their current passport status and surrender any foreign passports they may hold.
The notification, issued on Monday, aims to streamline the verification process and ensure that only eligible applicants receive Indian citizenship under the 2024 law.
What the new rules require
Applicants seeking citizenship under CAA must now submit a detailed declaration of all passports held by them or their family members, including expired or cancelled documents.
Any foreign passport currently in possession must be surrendered to the issuing authority or to Indian authorities before citizenship can be granted. Failure to declare a foreign passport will be treated as suppression of facts, leading to rejection of the application and possible legal action.
The Home Ministry has also clarified that applicants cannot hold dual citizenship. India does not permit its citizens to hold passports of another country.
Why the rule was introduced
Officials said the directive was prompted by instances where applicants failed to disclose active foreign passports or travel documents from third countries.
“Citizenship is a solemn matter. We must verify that applicants have genuinely renounced their previous nationality before being granted Indian citizenship,” a Home Ministry spokesperson said.
The CAA applies to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. The law fast-tracks their citizenship process.
Verification process tightened
Under the new rules, district-level authorities will cross-check passport declarations with data from the Passport Seva system and Interpol’s stolen passport database.
Applicants found holding valid foreign passports will be given 60 days to surrender them and provide proof. After that period, their CAA application will be automatically rejected.
The directive also requires applicants to submit an affidavit stating they have not taken citizenship of any other country after applying for Indian citizenship.
Concerns raised by legal experts
Some legal experts have raised concerns about the practical implementation of the rule, especially for refugees who may have lost contact with their country of origin’s embassy.
“Many applicants fled persecution and do not have formal surrender certificates from Pakistani or Afghan authorities. The government needs to provide a clear alternative procedure,” said constitutional lawyer Sanjay Hegde.
However, the Home Ministry has clarified that in cases where formal surrender is impossible due to lack of diplomatic relations, applicants may submit a sworn declaration along with supporting evidence of their exit from the previous country.
Current status of CAA implementation
The CAA rules were notified in March 2024, and the first set of citizenships was granted in May 2024. As of April 2026, over 8,500 applicants have received Indian citizenship under the Act.
The majority of applicants are Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The largest number of grants have been reported from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Punjab.
Penalties for non-compliance
The Home Ministry has warned that any applicant found to have willfully concealed a foreign passport will face prosecution under the Indian Penal Code for providing false information. Citizenship granted on such basis can be revoked at any time.
The new declaration form is now available on the official CAA portal. Applicants are advised to consult authorized legal aid centers before submission.
