Govt to ease citizenship for children born to Nepali mothers: Home Minister

KATHMANDU: Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said the government will simplify the process of granting citizenship to children born to Nepali mothers.

Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives’ State Affairs and Good Governance Committee on Thursday, Minister Lekhak said the government is working to ease the path to citizenship based on self-declaration in cases where the mother is Nepali but the father is unknown or absent.

The discussion was part of deliberations on the Nepal Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Minister Lekhak said that while citizenship is currently issued without complications when the father’s citizenship is available, legal and bureaucratic hurdles emerge when only the mother holds Nepali citizenship. The proposed amendment, he said, aims to resolve these complexities.

He also noted that the bill addresses longstanding challenges concerning naturalized citizenship. Citizenship services are being delivered efficiently through all District Administration Offices and their local branches, with a token system in place to streamline service and provide consultations, he added.

Minister Lekhak said the bill is vital for resolving citizenship-related issues nationwide and urged the committee to advance it without delay.

The Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to revise the Nepal Citizenship Act, 2006. Over 80 amendment proposals have been registered for consideration.