INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 6Approval of the new Citizenship Regulations has opened the door for non-resident Nepalis to
obtain Nepali citizenship.
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The government will make
regulations and implement them according to the Citizenship Act which was amended last May.According to Under-secretary at the Citizenship
Department Krishna Bahadur Katuwal, the regulations will be published within a few days in the Nepal Gazette
Citizenship Act, 2006 was amended after President Ramchandra Paudel today approved the bill to amend the Act.
Immediately
after promulgation of the Act, the issue of granting citizenship to children of people who took citizenship in Nepal on the basis of birth
before 2015 was implemented
But due to lack of regulations, other new provisions were hindered.Now, the door has opened for implementation of other provisions too
Talking to THT, Katuwal said, "The Citizenship Regulations have been approved by the Council of Ministers
Now it will be implemented."Section 7 of the Act has provisions related to citizenship for non-resident Nepalis
Likewise, section 7 (a) 1 stipulates: "A person can obtain NRN citizenship if s/he has obtained the citizenship of a foreign country and
resided in a country other than member countries of the SAARC and acquired the citizenship of a foreign country if his/her father or mother,
grandfather or grandmother was a citizen of Nepal by descent or birth in the past."According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, there are more
than 1.5 million NRNs in various countries.Those who get such citizenship will not be allowed to vote or participate in politics, nor can
they hold government posts
However, they can do business and enjoy the right to property in both countries.The regulation has clarified the process and criteria for
obtaining Nepali citizenship for NRNs
The applicant or his/her parents or grandparents must submit a proof that they were or are citizens of Nepal
If a person has taken Nepali citizenship in the past, proof of relinquishing it and proof of citizenship of a foreign country will be
Additionally, a provision in the Act and Regulations requires commitment to comply with the constitution and laws of Nepal
An oath must also be taken.There is also a provision for revoking citizenship if a person who has taken such citizenship acts against the
independence, sovereignty, geographical integrity and national interest of Nepal.The bill also allows the applicant to obtain citizenship in
the name of the mother.Similarly, in case the birth of a Nepali mother and the identity of the father is not revealed, they will be allowed
to keep the surname and address of the mother or father.Although the majority of NRNs are happy at being able to obtain citizenship, some
non-resident Nepalis are demanding that the new citizenship should be recognised as that of descent.They said they would not take
citizenship that would break their descendants' relationship with the state.To get this citizenship, one has to submit a certificate of
relinquishment of Nepali citizenship.Since most of the non-resident Nepalis who have acquired foreign citizenship have not yet renounced
their Nepali citizenship, they must first renounce their Nepali citizenship to apply for NRN citizenship.A version of this article appears
in the print on September 07, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com