Taskforce resolves citizenship issues

KATHMANDU, Nov 4: Resolving all disputes related to provisions about citizenship in the new constitution, top leaders of the political parties have agreed to issue citizenship to non-resident Nepalis who have acquired foreign citizenship after relinquishing their Nepali nationality.

This provision will be applicable only to those staying in foreign countries other than South Asian countries.[break]

Those acquiring ´non-resident Nepali citizenship´ will not be entitled to any political rights including the right to vote or be a candidate for any public post. They can, however, enjoy economic, social and cultural rights.

The leaders reached an agreement to this effect while resolving differences over the preliminary report prepared by the Constituent Assembly (CA) thematic committee for determining fundamental rights and directive principles.

The top leaders also decided to adopt a single-citizenship policy in the new constitution. After promulgation of the new constitution and restructuring the country on a federal model, both national and provincial identities will be indicated in the citizenship cards. There will be two types of citizenship-- by descent and naturalized.

The high-level taskforce also recommended providing naturalized citizenship to foreign nationals who marry Nepali nationals. "A foreign man marrying a Nepali national needs to stay in Nepal for at least 15 years on a regular basis if he wants Nepali citizenship," informed Nepali Congress (NC) leader Ramesh Lekhak.

However, a foreign woman marrying a Nepali national can acquire Nepali citizenship immediately after she produces evidence that she has started the process of relinquishing the citizenship of her previous country.
If a Nepali woman staying in Nepali territory gives birth to a child and the child´s father is unidentified, the child will be given citizenship by descent. But if the identity of the child´s father later comes to light and he is proved to be a foreign national, the child´s citizenship will be automatically converted to a naturalized one.

Naturalized citizens will not be entitled to occupy some top posts in the federal or provincial governments. The head of state, deputy head of state, prime minister, chiefs of the federal legislature [speaker] and judiciary [chief justice], chiefs of security agencies and governors and deputy governors must be citizens by descent.

However, ministers in the federal government or chief ministers of the provinces need not be citizens by descent.

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