Kathmandu: The government has introduced the Nepal Citizenship (Fifth Amendment) Regulations, 2083, to make citizenship certificate services more accessible and technology-friendly.
Under the new regulations issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepali citizens can now obtain a copy of their citizenship certificate from a district other than the one in which the original certificate was issued. Applicants must submit their National Identity Card or a document containing their National Identity Number.
The Chief District Officer will be authorised to issue a duplicate certificate after verifying the applicant’s details against the Citizenship Information Management System and their biometric information against the National Identity Management Information System.
A duplicate certificate can be obtained if the original has been lost, torn or rendered unusable, destroyed by fire or water, or if the holder has relocated to another district. A replacement may also be requested when a certificate is required in a new format.
Previously, applicants had to visit the District Administration Office in the district where their citizenship certificate was originally issued to obtain a copy.
The new regulations also address citizenship applications by Nepali women who did not obtain citizenship before marriage and wish to apply using the address of their Nepali citizen husbands. Such applicants must submit their marriage registration certificate and their husband’s citizenship certificate. If the husband has died, a death registration certificate must be provided.
In these circumstances, at least one of the following individuals must be physically present to verify the applicant’s identity: the husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law, elder brother-in-law, younger brother-in-law, son or daughter.
The regulations further require authorities to maintain secure records of citizenship certificate distribution and enter the information and documents submitted by applicants into the Citizenship Information Management System.
District Administration Offices will also be required to submit monthly reports on citizenship certificate distribution to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In addition, a more systematic numbering system will be introduced for citizenship certificates, incorporating district and office codes, the year of issuance and a serial number.