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July 3, 2026e-Paper

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If a passport is not proof of citizenship, then what is? | Explained

The MEA in a statement said that a passport is a travel document, not a citizenship document. What does the law actually say?

Updated - July 03, 2026 06:32 am IST

Rizmi Lia M.
The government’s Passport Manual says that “a passport provides evidence of the holder’s nationality, but this is placed in the same category as any other evidence of the citizenship status of an individual”. (Representational image)

The government’s Passport Manual says that “a passport provides evidence of the holder’s nationality, but this is placed in the same category as any other evidence of the citizenship status of an individual”. (Representational image) | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Indian passport is a “travel document” and not a “citizenship document”, a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday (June 24, 2026). The purpose of the Indian passport is to help Indians transit and travel through foreign ports and territories, and it should not be compared to other documents that are used to establish citizenship rights, the official said.

In response to whether the Indian passport could be used to challenge an exclusion from the voter list through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls that is currently underway in 16 States, a senior official replied, “Passport is a travel document, not a document of citizenship, and theoretically speaking, that distinguishes a passport from other documents. Even though while travelling abroad, passport attests to your nationality, yet it is not a document of your citizenship.”

Published - June 25, 2026 03:22 pm IST

Related Topics

Citizenship / law / The Hindu Explains

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