Indian passport issued after verification, but not proof of citizenship, clarifies MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday (July 14) clarified that an Indian passport is issued under the provisions of the Passports Act, 1967, to regulate the departure of Indian citizens from the country and is granted only after a prescribed verification process. The clarification comes amid an ongoing debate over whether a passport can be treated as conclusive proof of Indian citizenship.

Addressing the issue during the ministry's weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said an Indian passport is issued in accordance with the Passports Act, 1967, and the Passports Rules, 1980, following due verification carried out through an established procedure.

Role of a passport

"An Indian passport is a document that, as per the Passports Act, 1967, is issued by the Government of India to regulate the departure from India of citizens of India," Jaiswal said. He added that the legal framework governing the issuance of passports is laid down in the Passports Act and the accompanying rules.

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MEA added that while intensive background checks and police verifications are performed before issuance, the passport itself is a travel document and not standalone or conclusive proof of citizenship in legal or electoral disputes.

Jaiswal also pointed out that fewer than 8 per cent of Indians currently possess a passport, underlining that it is not a document held by the majority of the country's population.

Confusion during SIR process

The clarification follows comments made by senior MEA officials during Passport Seva Divas on June 24, when they described the passport as a travel document rather than a citizenship certificate. Responding to questions on whether passports could be used to establish citizenship during the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the officials said passport is merely a travel document.

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The ministry's position comes as the Election Commission carries out the SIR exercise in several states. Officials had clarified that commonly used identity documents, including passports, Aadhaar cards and voter identity cards, do not, by themselves, constitute conclusive proof of citizenship for the purpose of electoral roll verification.

Proof of Indian citizenship

The earlier remarks by MEA officials had triggered widespread debate, particularly on social media, with the Opposition Congress accusing the government of creating confusion over the legal status of passports as evidence of citizenship.

Also read: MEA says passport is not citizenship proof; so how do you prove you are Indian citizen?

Government officials had also referred to a 2013 Bombay High Court judgment, which observed that possession of a passport alone does not amount to proof of Indian citizenship. They further cited provisions of the Passports Act that empower the Central government to issue a passport to a non-citizen in exceptional cases if doing so is considered necessary in the public interest.