Passport Regulates Indians' Departure, Not Meant To Prove Citizenship: MEA

Last Updated:July 15, 2026, 07:17 IST

The clarification comes days after senior MEA officials, speaking during Passport Seva Divas on June 24, described the passport as a travel document

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said an Indian passport is a document issued by the government to regulate the departure of Indian citizens from the country, amid an ongoing political debate over whether it can be used as proof of citizenship.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said passports are issued only after due verification under an established process and are governed by the Passports Act, 1967, and the Passports Rules, 1980. He also noted that fewer than eight per cent of Indians currently hold a passport.

“An Indian passport is a document that, as per the Passports Act, 1967, is issued by the Government of India to regulate the departure from India of citizens of India," Jaiswal said while responding to queries on the issue.

“It is issued after due verification laid out by an established process. The issue of passports to Indian citizens or any other individual is governed by the Passports Act, 1967 and Passports Rules, 1980," he added.

The clarification comes days after senior MEA officials, speaking during Passport Seva Divas on June 24, described the passport as a travel document and not a document to establish citizenship.

The officials were responding to questions on whether a passport could be accepted as proof of citizenship during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out in several states.

They had said that while a passport is issued for international travel, it is not intended to serve as proof of citizenship.

The remarks sparked a political controversy, with several Opposition parties, including the Congress, questioning how a passport issued by the Government of India could not reflect the holder’s citizenship.

The Congress accused the Centre of attempting to lay the groundwork for arbitrarily denying citizenship rights to certain Indians and criticised the MEA’s position on the issue.

Reiterating the government’s stand, Jaiswal said passports are issued strictly in accordance with the legal framework and after due verification, while highlighting that only a small proportion of Indian citizens currently possess the travel document.

About the Author

Abhro Banerjee

Covering day-to-day national and international news for the last nine years across print and digital. Associated with News18.com as Chief Sub-Editor since 2022, covering innumerable big and small even...Read More

News india Passport Regulates Indians' Departure, Not Meant To Prove Citizenship: MEA

Read More