Information related to Citizenship of India

 


Information related to Citizenship of India



The conferment of a person, as a citizen of India, is governed by Articles 5 to 11 (Part II) of the Indian Constitution.

  1. Apart from the above Articles of the Indian Constitution, citizenship is also deeply connected with the Citizenship Act, which is passed by the Indian Parliament in 1955.
  2. Citizenship Act 1955 speaks about the citizenship of India after the commencement of the Constitution. It is an act to provide for the acquisition and termination of Indian citizenship.
  3. The legislation related to this matter is the Citizenship Act 1955, which has been amended by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 1986, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 1992, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2003, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2005, and the Citizenship (Amendment Act, 2019).
  4. Acquisition of Indian Citizenship as per Citizenship Act 1955: Indian Citizenship can be acquired under the following ways : (1) Citizenship at the commencement of the constitution of India (2) Citizenship by birth: NB – This provision has different clauses for different periods (3) Citizenship by descent (4) Citizenship by registration (5) Citizenship by naturalization.
  5. Termination of Indian Citizenship as per Citizenship Act 1955: One can lose citizenship of India in three ways – Renunciation, Termination and Deprivation
  6. Persons domiciled in the territory of India as on 26 November 1949 automatically became Indian citizens by virtue of the operation of the relevant provisions of the Indian Constitution coming into force. (Citizenship at the commencement of the constitution of India.)
  7. Any person born in India on or after 26 January 1950, but prior to the commencement of the 1986 Act on 1 July 1987, is a citizen of India by birth.  [Citizenship by birth]
  8. A person born in India on or after 1 July 1987 is a citizen of India if either parent was a citizen of India at the time of the birth. [Citizenship by birth]
  9. Those born in India on or after 3 December 2004 are considered citizens of India only if both of their parents are citizens of India or if one parent is a citizen of India and the other is not an illegal migrant at the time of their birth. [Citizenship by birth].
  10. Indian nationality law largely follows the jus sanguinis (citizenship by right of blood) as opposed to the jus soli (citizenship by right of birth within the territory).
  11. Article 9 of Indian Constitution says that a person who voluntarily acquires citizenship of any other country is no longer an Indian citizen. Also, according to The Passports Act, a person has to surrender his Indian passport if he acquire citizenship of another country, it is a punishable offense under the act if he fails to surrender the passport.
  12. Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Card: A PIO card applicant has to be a person of Indian origin who is a citizen of any country, other than Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan, China and Nepal; or a person who has held an Indian passport at any time or is the spouse of an Indian citizen or a person of Indian origin;
  13. Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card: OCI Card is for foreign nationals who were eligible to become a citizen of India on 26.01.1950 or was a citizen of India on or after that date. Applications from citizens of Bangladesh and Pakistan are not allowed.
  14. Overseas Indian Card: A new Bill is pending in Parliament [The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill], which seeks to do away with the existing overseas citizen of India (OCI) card and the person of Indian origin (PIO) card, and replace them with a new overseas Indian card.
  15. While PIO cardholders do not require a separate visa and can enter India with multiple entry facility for 15 years; the OCI card is multiple entries, multi-purpose lifelong visa for visiting India. OCI card-holders have parity with non-resident Indians in respect of economic, financial and educational matters except in acquiring agricultural land.
  16. A PIO cardholder is required to register with local Police authorities for any stay exceeding 180 days in India on any single visit.
  17. OCI is not dual citizenship. There are no voting rights for an OCI cardholder.
  18. The President of India is termed the first Citizen of India.

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