Passport not proof of citizenship, only a travel document, says Centre

A passport is a travel document and not proof of citizenship, the Hindustan Times quoted officials from the Ministry of External Affairs as saying on Wednesday.

The clarification was issued on the occasion of the 14th Passport Seva Divas. “A passport is issued after a lot of due diligence, and it is based on documents from several government agencies,” an unidentified official was quoted as saying.

The Supreme Court and different High Courts have, over the years, held that documents such as Aadhaar card, voter identity card, permanent account card and a certificate issued by the Gram Panchayat Secretary, as well as ownership of a bank account or property, are not evidence of citizenship.

There is no one single single document that proves Indian citizenship. Only foreign nationals who take up Indian citizenship are granted actual citizenship certificates. People born in India do not have any such document.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray described the external affairs ministry’s statement as “absurd”.

“If the [Ministry of External Affairs] believes passport is not a document of citizenship why do the police verify before granting a passport,” Thackeray wrote on social media. “Does our country give passport as travel documents to non Indians as well?”

He added: “Wouldn’t this announcement create doubts in the minds of...

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