KATHMANDU, June 28: In a significant move toward ensuring equality in citizenship rights, the House of Representatives (HoR) on Saturday passed the Nepal Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill, 2082 BS by a majority vote. The bill, tabled by Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, seeks to end years of uncertainty for children born to Nepali mothers by allowing them to acquire citizenship in their mother’s name—even if their father’s identity is unknown.
While presenting the bill, Minister Lekhak stated that this long-awaited legislation addresses legal loopholes and incorporates several landmark court verdicts that had instructed the government to ensure citizenship rights through either parent. He emphasized that the bill will particularly benefit children born abroad to Nepali women working overseas who, upon returning to Nepal, often find their children rendered stateless due to the lack of legal recognition.
The passage of this bill marks a major milestone in Nepal’s legislative history and offers hope to thousands who have long waited for legal recognition of their citizenship through their mothers. According to the new provision, such children—born to Nepali mothers abroad, residing in Nepal, who have not acquired foreign citizenship or a passport, and whose father's identity is unknown—will now be eligible for naturalized Nepali citizenship upon self-declaration, as per specified procedures. The bill also includes a provision to issue minor identification cards to children under the age of 16 if either parent is a Nepali citizen.
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Lawmakers welcomed the bill, calling it a step forward in ensuring no genuine Nepali is denied citizenship while also maintaining safeguards to prevent non-citizens from acquiring it fraudulently. Lawmaker Prakash Jwala expressed confidence that the bill would finally open the path to citizenship through the mother’s name, a long-standing demand rooted in the principle of gender equality. He underlined that this law strikes a balance between granting rightful citizenship and protecting national interest.
Lawmaker Jwala Kumari Sah highlighted that the new law has been carefully designed not to compromise Nepal’s national security, unity or sovereignty. She added that the provision would bring relief to children born to Nepali mothers and foreign fathers, many of whom have remained stateless despite their strong ties to Nepal.
Similarly, another lawmaker Prem Suwal pointed out that border populations have been especially vulnerable to documentation challenges and suggested that while the provision of granting citizenship through the mother is commendable, there should still be efforts to identify the father where possible.
Similarly, lawmaker Ram Krishna Yadav said the bill could help resolve many of the long-standing citizenship problems in the Tarai region, where a significant number of people have been left stateless and denied access to state services. He expressed confidence that the new provisions will help bring these people into the legal fold.
Lawmaker Ranju Kumari Jha remarked that the bill was in line with a previous Supreme Court order instructing the government to grant citizenship through the mother and its passage would ensure the legal implementation of that ruling.
However, a section of lawmakers are skeptic about its provisions. Lawmaker Chitra Bahadur KC expressed concern that while the bill addresses internal legal and administrative issues, it may not be sufficient to resolve the more complex citizenship-related disputes that arise due to Nepal’s open border with India. He stressed that those challenges require additional political and diplomatic attention.
During the discussion, several other lawmakers including Rupa Chaudhary, Sher Bahadur Kunwar, Madhav Sapkota, Mukta Kumari Yadav, Narayani Sharma, Purna Bahadur Gharti, Bhagawati Chaudhary, Amrit Lal Rajbanshi, Kantika Sejuwal, Sushila Thing and Amrita Devi Agrahari also shared their views, reflecting a broad consensus on the need for reform.
