KATHMANDU: The legal provision allowing Nepali citizenship to be granted in the mother’s name in cases where the father’s identity is unknown has come into effect following the government’s approval and gazette notification of the fourth amendment to the Nepal Citizenship Rules, 2006.
The amended rules, approved by the Cabinet on December 25, 2025, were published in the Nepal Gazette on January 5 and have since been implemented. The Ministry of Home Affairs has already issued a circular to all 77 District Administration Offices across the country to enforce the new provisions.
The amendment was introduced to operationalize the Nepal Citizenship (Second Amendment) Act, 2025, which was authenticated by the President on September 21, 2025, and provides for citizenship through the mother’s name. The Home Ministry said the rules were revised to ensure the act’s provisions are implemented in practice.
What does the new provision say?
Under the new arrangement, if either the father or the mother has obtained Nepali citizenship by birth and the other parent has died before acquiring citizenship or is missing, the child may obtain naturalized Nepali citizenship upon fulfilling the prescribed procedures and submitting the required documents.
Similarly, individuals born abroad to a Nepali mother who have not acquired foreign citizenship or a passport, are unable to establish the identity of their father, and are permanently residing in Nepal can also be granted naturalized citizenship.
In such cases, the chief district officer has been authorized to conduct necessary inquiries and issue naturalized Nepali citizenship. Previously, except for marital naturalized citizenship, such citizenship was granted only through a decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The amended rules also recognize self-declaration as an important basis for issuing citizenship, in addition to other required documents, and have introduced a specific format for such declarations. The revision further includes provisions related to the distribution of minor identity cards, an issue that had not been clearly addressed under earlier laws.
In addition, a new requirement has been added stipulating that foreign women married to Nepali men must have a valid and regular visa for residence in Nepal before being granted marital naturalized citizenship.
The government said the amendment aims to make service delivery easier and more effective. According to the Home Ministry, the revision reflects the interest and active engagement of Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal in addressing long-standing practical difficulties faced by citizens in obtaining citizenship.
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