‘CAA Applicants Must Declare Passport Status’: MHA Notifies Stricter Rules After Bengal Polls

Key points

• ‘CAA Applicants Must Declare Passport Status’: MHA Notifies Stricter Rules After Bengal Polls Reported By, Last Updated: May 19, 2026, 13:58 IST “The amendment aims to strengthen procedural clarity in citizenship (CAA) applications involving individuals from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan," say MHA officials Rapid Read So far, passport disclosure was not explicitly included in Schedule IC/Form IIIA of the Citizenship Rules.
• (PTI File) Weeks after the Bengal polls, the Union Home Ministry has notified amendments to the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
• The CAA was an electoral issue in the Bengal elections.
• PASSPORT STATUS MADE COMPULSORY A gazette notification dated May 18, 2026 said the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026, published under Section 18 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, have inserted a new paragraph into Schedule IC of the 2009 rules.
• “The new provision, paragraph (iiiA), obliges applicants to state whether they hold a valid or expired passport issued...