India Updates Citizenship Rules for Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Afghan Applicants

India has just updated its citizenship rules for certain foreign nationals applying under the Citizenship Rules, 2009. The new change mainly affects applicants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who are seeking Indian citizenship under the provisions linked to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

According to a new notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday, applicants will now need to declare the status of their passport issued by their home country.

New Passport Declaration Rule Introduced

Under the revised rules, applicants must confirm that they are not holding a valid or expired passport issued by the governments of Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh.

If an applicant still has an active passport, they must provide full details, including:

• Passport number
• Date of issue
• Place of issue
• Expiry date

The government notification also says applicants will need to surrender their passports after their Indian citizenship application is approved.

Passport Must Be Surrendered Within 15 Days

The updated rule makes it mandatory for applicants to hand over their valid or expired passports to the concerned postal authorities within 15 days after receiving approval for Indian citizenship.

The passport must be submitted to:

• Senior Superintendent of Post, or
• Superintendent of Post is concerned

This declaration requirement has now been added to Schedule IC of the Citizenship Rules, 2009.

Who Will Be Affected?

The rule applies to nationals from:

• Pakistan
• Bangladesh
• Afghanistan

It specifically covers people from the following non-Muslim communities:

• Hindus
• Sikhs
• Buddhists
• Jains
• Parsis
• Christians

These are the same communities covered under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

What the Citizenship Amendment Act Says

The Citizenship Amendment Act, commonly known as the CAA, was passed in 2019.

The law created a pathway to Indian citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

The CAA applies only to six religious communities: Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians.

What This Means for Applicants

The latest rule appears aimed at tightening documentation requirements during the citizenship process.

Applicants who still possess passports from their original country will now have to officially declare the details and later surrender those documents once Indian citizenship is granted.

For many applicants, this adds another important paperwork step to the process. Those planning to apply under the CAA-linked citizenship rules may now need to carefully review their passport status and keep supporting documents ready before submitting their applications.