Centre mandates surrender of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Afghan passports after Indian citizenship approval

The Union Government on Monday made it mandatory for the religious minority from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh to declare and subsequently surrender their foreign passports. This update modifies the previously notified framework to prevent the illegal possession of dual passports, which is strictly prohibited under Indian law. They will be required to submit details including the passport number, place and date of issuance, and expiry date, the notification stated. They will be required to submit their foreign passports within 15 days to their designated post master, within 15 days of approval of their citizenship.

The new provision has been inserted under Schedule IC of the Citizenship Rules, which applies to Afghan, Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities seeking Indian citizenship. The move comes under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which provides an expedited pathway for non-muslim immigrants from countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who migrated to India before December 31, 2014.

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The shift comes alongside a wider modernisation push by MHA. Earlier this month, it introduced a digital shift across various processes for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and citizenship applications. It added a provision for children born outside the country: "the minor child cannot at any time hold the passport of any other country while also holding the Indian passport".