Nepal's amended citizenship bill paves way to acquire citizenship in mother's name- even if father's identity is unknown

Kathmandu [Nepal], June 28 : Nepal on Saturday endorsed the Nepal Citizenship Bill (Second Amendment), which paves the way to acquire citizenship in the mother's nameeven if the father's identity is unknown. The bill was endorsed by a majority of the lawmakers who took part in the deliberation.

The significant move is being hailed as a step towards ensuring equality in citizenship rights, as lawmakers endorsed it in the House of Representatives (HoR). The bill, tabled by Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, seeks to end years of uncertainty for children born to Nepali mothers by allowing them to acquire citizenship in their mother's name.

While presenting the bill, Minister Lekhak stated that this long-awaited legislation addresses legal loopholes and incorporates several landmark court verdicts that had instructed the government to ensure citizenship rights through either parent.

He emphasized that the bill will particularly benefit children born abroad to Nepali women working overseas who, upon returning to Nepal, often find their children rendered stateless due to the lack of legal recognition.

"It is a matter of granting Nepali citizenship to the children who were born in a foreign country or to our Nepali females who went abroad for employment and returned with their children or in a condition of pregnancy," the Home Minister said.

The passage of this bill marks a major milestone in Nepal's legislative history and offers hope to thousands who have long waited for legal recognition of their citizenship through their mothers.

Lawmakers welcomed the bill, calling it a step forward in ensuring no genuine Nepali is denied citizenship while also maintaining safeguards to prevent non-citizens from acquiring it fraudulently.

Lawmaker Prakash Jwala expressed confidence that the bill would finally open the path to citizenship through the mother's name, a long-standing demand rooted in the principle of gender equality. He underlined that this law strikes a balance between granting rightful citizenship and protecting national interest.

"We are creating a situation where a child can become a citizen by getting the citizenship, mentioning the mother's name or only the mother's name. That's a positive step. I once again would extend wishes to all the mothers and thank the children," Jwala said.

Lawmaker Jwala Kumari Sah highlighted that the new law has been carefully designed not to compromise Nepal's national security, unity, or sovereignty. She added that the provision would bring relief to children born to Nepali mothers and foreign fathers, many of whom have remained stateless despite their strong ties to Nepal.

"The status of a woman, as the citizenship is being issued only in the name of the mother, was absent in the bygone days. There used to be a mandatory presence of the father. Now with this endorsement, the mothers are also set to get the recognition equal to that of fathers. I would like to thank the proposers of this bill," lawmaker Sah said.

According to the new provision, such children born to Nepali mothers abroad, residing in Nepal, who have not acquired foreign citizenship or a passport, and whose father's identity is unknown, will now be eligible for naturalised Nepali citizenship upon self-declaration, as per specified procedures. The bill also includes a provision to issue minor identification cards to children under the age of 16 if either parent is a Nepali citizen.

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