Kathmandu, November 15
Children born abroad to Nepali mothers whose fathers have not been identified can now obtain naturalised Nepali citizenship through a formal self-declaration process.
The provision has come into implementation following the fifth amendment to the Nepal Citizenship Regulations, 2026, which includes prescribed formats for self-declarations by both the applicants and their mothers.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has made the amended regulations public, outlining the declarations required from individuals seeking citizenship under this provision.
According to the prescribed format, applicants must declare that they were born abroad to a Nepali citizen mother, have permanently resided in Nepal, have not acquired foreign citizenship or a passport, and have no identified father.
Section 5(5b) of the Nepal Citizenship Act, 2006, provides for naturalised citizenship for individuals who meet these conditions and whose mothers also make the required self-declaration.
Although the provision was already included in the Act, the formal procedure and prescribed format for the declarations had not been clearly established. The fifth amendment to the Citizenship Regulations addresses this gap by incorporating the format in Schedule 7(c).
Under the amended regulations, applicants must provide their full name, date of birth, signature and the date of declaration. They are also required to provide their right and left thumbprints. The authorised official overseeing the declaration must likewise record their name, designation, signature and date.
The regulations also prescribe a separate declaration format for mothers. They must confirm that their child was born abroad to a Nepali citizen mother, has permanently resided in Nepal, has not obtained foreign citizenship or a passport, and that the child’s father remains unidentified.
Mothers are required to provide their citizenship certificate number, issuing district, date of issue and national identity number.
Both the applicant and the mother must affirm that the information provided is true and acknowledge that they will be liable under the law if their declarations are found to be false.
The prescribed format for the declarations is linked to Rule 7(1b)(e) of the amended regulations.
