Nearly 3,000 Individuals Obtain Citizenship Through Mother's Name Following New Regulation

Since the issuance of the Nepal Citizenship (Fourth Amendment) Regulation, 2082, 2,948 individuals have acquired citizenship through their mother's name. The Ministry of Home Affairs stated that this number of people have received citizenship under the new provisions since the new regulation was enacted.

The Nepal Citizenship Regulation, amended for the fourth time, was published in the Nepal Gazette. The Council of Ministers, in its meeting on Poush 11, had decided to approve the Nepal Citizenship Fourth Amendment Regulation.

Rule 3 of the Nepal Citizenship Regulation, 2063, has been amended. Similarly, Rules 5, 7, 8, and 14 of the original regulation have been amended. Rule 16 (A) has been added to the original regulation, and the schedule of the original regulation has been amended.

Under the new provision, in cases where one parent (father or mother) obtained Nepali citizenship by birth and the other parent died before obtaining citizenship, or if the father's whereabouts are unknown, and for children born abroad to Nepali mothers whose fathers are unidentified but who permanently reside in Nepal, the Chief District Officer can grant naturalized Nepali citizenship after necessary investigation.

In addition to the documents specified by the regulation during citizenship issuance, a self-declaration will also be considered a significant basis. The amended regulation has provided the necessary format for this. Previously, naturalized citizenship, other than marriage-based, was granted only upon the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Under the new legal arrangement, this authority can be delegated to the Chief District Officer, which increases the role and responsibility of the local level in the citizenship distribution process.

The amendment also incorporates the issue of distributing minor identity cards, which the previous law did not clearly cover. Furthermore, it has been clarified that for foreign women marrying Nepali men, their Nepal stay permit (visa) must be regular before granting marriage-based naturalized citizenship.