Do you possess genuine documents for Indian citizenship, Before you get into legal trouble, read this list of essential documents

News Topical, Digital Desk : A passport is a travel document and not a proof of citizenship, the Ministry of External Affairs clarified on Wednesday sparking a debate in the country. If neither passport, Aadhaar, PAN card and voter ID cards are proof of Indian citizenship, then which document will prove one’s Indianness?

Aadhar Card is the ultimate paper to prove that you are an Indian. Yes, you can be asked to prove your citizenship if you have a passport.

Now we will tell you the answers to all the questions related to the debate on passport, Indian citizenship and rules & regulations.

The reason the passport came up for discussion.

“Passport is a travel document, not a certificate of citizenship,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on June 24. It proves your nationality when travelling abroad, but legally a passport is not conclusive proof of citizenship.

After this statement of the Ministry of External Affairs, the biggest question that has been raised is that when the government issues passport only after thoroughly investigating the identity, address, police verification and citizenship of a person then why the passport is not being considered as proof of citizenship?

What did the government say about passport clarification

The government clarified on June 25 saying- there was an uproar on social mediaThis is not a novel rule. Indian law has never recognized the passport as the final evidence of Indian citizenship. A passport is issued to establish that the holder is a citizen of India on the basis of documents and verification at the time of issuance. But if there is a legal dispute over citizenship, the passport alone will not be the basis for the decision.

Section 20 of the Passport Act, 1967, permits the government to issue a passport to a non-citizen in the "public interest". This is not proof of citizenship.

Why Aadhaar, PAN and Voter ID cannot be the ultimate proof of citizenship?

Aadhaar Card: Aadhaar is only a proof of identity and residence. Foreign nationals can also get an Aadhaar card if they have resided in India for a specified period and satisfy the eligibility criteria.


PAN card: It is merely a tax identification number. PANs are also provided to foreign nationals who do business in India.

Voter ID: Only name of Indian citizens should be there in voter list. But, the possibility of errors or wrong entry in the voter list cannot be ruled out." Therefore a voter ID is not considered conclusive and final proof of citizenship on its own.