KATHMANDU, JULY 28

The National Assembly today passed the Citizenship Bill, which will become a law when President Bidhya Devi Bhandari certifies it. The bill was sent to the Upper House after the House of Representatives passed it on July 23 through a fast-track process.

The bill will enable children of citizens by birth to obtain Nepali citizenship. It will also enable children of Nepali mothers whose fathers cannot be traced to obtain citizenship by descent. Non-resident Nepalis can also obtain citizenship and enjoy social, economic, and cultural rights, but not political rights.

Home Minister Balkrishna Khand told the House that if the citizenship bill was stalled, thousands of eligible citizens, particularly the children of citizens by birth, would continue to suffer. He said eligible citizens had not been able to open a bank account, apply for government jobs, start business, or buy even a SIM card in the absence of citizenship certificates.

Stating that differences between parties over seven-year waiting period for matrimonial naturalisation stalled the bill, the minister said the government brought the bill incorporating provisions of consensus. He said the government would continue to forge consensus on provisions related to matrimonial naturalisation even after the passage of the current citizenship bill.

Regarding children whose parents' whereabouts are not known, Khand said the bill had enough checks to ensure that only genuine Nepalis would get citizenship. He said foundlings will have to produce birth registration certificates and recommendation letters from their respective local levels. In case, they are raised by an orphanage or individuals, they should also produce documents to prove such details.

Some lawmakers, including CPN (Unified Socialist) leader Beduram Bhusal and CPN-Maoist Centre lawmaker Gopi Bahadur Sarki Achhami withdrew their amendment proposal after the home minister's clarification in the House. Lawmaker Khimlal Devkota withdrew his other amendments, but not his proposal to have five-year waiting period for matrimonial naturalisation for foreigner women. CPN-UML lawmaker Bimala Rai refused to withdraw her amendment proposal saying that seven year waiting period was justifiable for matrimonial naturalisation.

A version of this article appears in the print on July 29, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.