Even passport, Aadhaar and voter ID cannot prove your citizenship! Know which document is the most important

New Delhi: The discussion regarding proving citizenship in India has once again intensified. Recently the Ministry of External Affairs clarified that passport cannot be considered as the final or conclusive proof of Indian citizenship. After this, the question started arising in the minds of people that which document is the most reliable proof of Indian citizenship.

Why is passport not the final proof?

It is generally believed that passports are issued only to Indian citizens. For this, police verification and many other investigation processes are completed. Despite this, a passport is not legally considered final proof of citizenship. If later the facts regarding a person’s citizenship are found to be incorrect, the government can also cancel his passport.

What is the status of Voter ID and Aadhar?

Voter ID card shows that the person is included in the voter list and has the right to vote. However, this alone is not a document proving citizenship.

Similarly, Aadhaar card is a proof of identity and residence, not of citizenship. It has also been clarified in the Aadhaar Act that this document is not valid to prove citizenship. PAN card and ration card are also made for their own purposes, but they are not considered as proof of citizenship.

How is citizenship decided?

Citizenship in India is determined under the Constitution and the Citizenship Act, 1955. A person can get citizenship by birth, descent, registration, naturalization or merger of any territory with India. In the event of a legal dispute, the courts do not rely on any single document, but evaluate several documents and circumstances jointly.

Is there any definitive document?

There is no national citizenship card in India which is issued to every citizen. Although issued under the Citizenship Act "citizenship certificate" Directly proves citizenship, but it is available only to those who have acquired citizenship through registration or naturalization.

This is the reason why one often has to resort to many documents and records to prove citizenship in India. At present there is no single universal document which can be considered as the final proof of citizenship of all Indians.