On the MEA’s clarification that a passport is only a travel document and not proof of citizenship, lawyer Virag Gupta says, “Technically the Ministry of External Affairs is right because if you look at the Preamble of the Passport Act, 1967, it is clear that a passport is a travel document required for international travel. However, if we look at the eligibility conditions, a passport can generally be issued only to Indian citizens. Section 12 provides that if a If a non-citizen obtains a passport by fraud or by giving false information, he can be prosecuted and punished. There are also provisions in Section 20 under which passports can be issued to non-citizens, but only with the special approval of the Central Government.
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