Citizenship Rules Amendment 2026: Pak, Bangladesh, Afghan Passport Surrender Mandatory

Constitutional Framework

Article 11 of the Constitution grants Parliament plenary power to regulate citizenship by law. The Citizenship Act, 1955 is the parent statute. Section 5 covers registration (PIOs, OCI converts, spouses), Section 6 deals with naturalisation (ordinarily 11 years’ aggregate residence), and Section 9 provides that voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship automatically terminates Indian citizenship. The Foreigners Act, 1946 governs entry, presence and departure of foreigners.

CLAT Angle

Pairs naturally with CLAT prompts on (i) Article 14 reasonable classification — does singling out three nationalities for additional surrender obligations pass the twin test of intelligible differentia and rational nexus?, (ii) the CAA 2019 regime granting fast-track citizenship to six minority communities from these very three countries, and (iii) India’s non-accession to the 1954 and 1961 UN Statelessness Conventions. Expect a passage-based question blending the amendment with the pending CAA challenges before the Supreme Court.

Key Facts

Mnemonic — “PASS-IC”

Pakistan / Afghanistan / Surrender within 15 days / SSP-or-JS-MHA / IC Schedule / Citizenship Act Sec 5 & 6.

Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions

Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.