On the occasion of Passport Seva Diwas, a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) created a furore when he stated that that a passport is “a travel document, not proof of citizenship.” Naturally the remark became a hot topic of discussion on social media and was also widely reported by different media. It sparked off furious debates from opposition leaders, legal commentators, and public figures because people are now anxious about how to prove their citizenship? Although External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar did not make this specific statement but because he was present at the function and did nothing to correct the official, every Indian is now non-plussed. Across the world the passport is a document to prove one’s identity and nationality. In India we have a plethora of documents to prove citizenship ranging from the Aadhar to the EPIC, to the PAN Card and those in service have their Government identity cards too.
According to MEA officials Section 20 of the Passports Act, 1967, states that the Central Government may in exceptional circumstances and in public interest, issue a passport or travel document to a person who is not an Indian citizen. And because the law allows such exceptions, a passport is not considered a conclusive proof of Indian citizenship. This has caused consternation to Indians across the board. Interestingly the government’s position is that a passport is primarily a travel document and a strong indication that the passport holder is an Indian citizen. The crux of the matter however is that the Indian passport is not the ultimate legal determination of citizenship status. So if not the passport then what is that document which conclusively determines a person’s Indian identity. Until June 25, most Indians who have valid passports lived with the illusion that those passports were enough to prove their citizenship. Now they realise that more documents are needed to prove their citizenship – the birth certificate. Further reading states that India does not have a single universal citizenship certificate for all citizens. Citizenship is usually established through a combination of documents depending on how citizenship was acquired—birth records, parental records, citizenship certificates (for naturalized citizens), and other supporting evidence under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
While the MEA’s statement is correct, the ambiguity lies in that most citizens don’t read the fine print of the law whether it is the Citizenship Act or the Indian Passports Act 1967. Most citizens possess documents proving identity, residence, voting eligibility, or travel rights, but there is no single universally accepted document that conclusively proves citizenship for every Indian. That gap is what has made the remark so controversial. So what next? It is important for the Government of India to now make public its views on the exact nature of Indian citizenship and to clear all doubts in the minds of citizens as to what is that single document that will be proof of Indian nationality. As of now every Indian who was until June 25th 2026 sure of his/her Indian citizenship is today is groping around in the darkness of uncertainty.
