Passport is a travel document, not document of citizenship: MEA

A passport is issued only to Indian citizens. However, the Ministry of External Affairs has now clarified that a passport is not a document that establishes citizenship. The MEA chose the 14th Passport Seva Divas to make the announcement.

The statement has triggered a widespread debate on X on what exactly constitutes conclusive proof of citizenship. It is a grey area that has not been clearly tackled by the Centre.

On Wednesday, the MEA stated that passports are primarily travel documents issued by the government to facilitate international travel. It flags the irony of the situation as passports are not issued to non-citizens. This has been explained very well by India Today Group Consulting Editor BV Rao in this article.

In fact, receiving a passport does not mean that it is owned by you. A note on the back flap of passports mentions that it is the "property of the Government of India" and shall be surrendered if and when the government so orders.

Earlier this year, during the hearing on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, the Supreme Court affirmed that Aadhaar was not conclusive proof of citizenship. It is just a document of identity.

A voter ID card is also not considered a citizenship document. It is primarily an identity and residence document and allows one to exercise his/her franchise during elections.

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