Citizenship in India Notes for SSC Exams

Citizenship is an important chapter of Indian Polity for SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS, GD and other exams. Questions are asked on the articles of Part II, the ways of acquiring and losing citizenship, the Citizenship Act of 1955 and its amendments, OCI and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019. These notes are written in a clear, point-wise way, with tables and practice questions, as a Polity teacher would revise the chapter.

Meaning of Citizenship

• A citizen is a member of the state who enjoys full civil and political rights, such as the right to vote and to hold public office, and who owes allegiance to the state.
• An alien is a person who is a citizen of a foreign state. Aliens may be friendly aliens (citizens of states with friendly relations) or enemy aliens (citizens of a country at war with India). Enemy aliens enjoy fewer rights.
• India has single citizenship: there is only one citizenship for the whole country, unlike the dual citizenship of the USA where a person is a citizen of both the country and the state.
• The Constitution deals with citizenship in Part II (Articles 5 to 11).

Constitutional Provisions (Articles 5 to 11)

• These articles tell who was a citizen on 26 January 1950. After that, citizenship is governed by the Citizenship Act, 1955, made by Parliament using Article 11.
• The Constitution does not give a permanent or complete list of citizens. Parliament can add or change the rules.

Citizenship Act, 1955: Ways of Acquiring Citizenship

Ways of Losing Citizenship

Amendments to the Citizenship Act

Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)

• OCI is not dual citizenship. An OCI cardholder is a citizen of another country who is of Indian origin.
• Benefits: a lifelong multiple-entry visa to India, no need to register with the police for long stays, and parity with NRIs in some economic and educational matters.
• An OCI cannot vote, cannot hold constitutional offices like the President, Vice President, judge or Governor, and cannot get government jobs in general.

Rights Available Only to Citizens

• Right against discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth (Article 15) and equality of opportunity in public employment (Article 16).
• Six freedoms of Article 19: speech and expression, assembly, association, movement, residence and profession.
• Cultural and educational rights of minorities (Articles 29 and 30).
• Right to vote in elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, and to be elected (Articles 326 and 84).
• Eligibility for holding offices such as President, Vice President, judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, Governor, Attorney General and Advocate General.
• Fundamental rights like Article 14, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 to 28 are available to all persons including aliens (with some exceptions for enemy aliens).

Related Topics

• National Register of Citizens (NRC): updated in Assam, final list published on 31 August 2019. It was meant to identify genuine citizens in Assam.
• Domicile means permanent residence of a person in a state. It is different from citizenship.
• Passport Act, 1967 governs issue of passports. Foreigners Act, 1946 governs the entry and stay of foreigners in India.
• The voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 years by the 61st Constitutional Amendment (1988).
• Citizenship of the people of Puducherry (merged in 1962) was provided under the Citizenship (Pondicherry) Order, 1962.

Practice Questions With Answers

1. Which part of the Constitution deals with citizenship? Answer: Part II
2. Which articles deal with citizenship? Answer: Articles 5 to 11
3. Which article gives Parliament the power to make laws on citizenship? Answer: Article 11
4. The Citizenship Act was passed in: Answer: 1955
5. How many ways are there to acquire citizenship under the Act? Answer: Five
6. Which article says that a person who voluntarily acquires foreign citizenship will not be an Indian citizen? Answer: Article 9
7. Dual citizenship is allowed in India: Answer: No
8. By which amendment were the PIO and OCI schemes merged? Answer: 2015
9. The final NRC of Assam was published in: Answer: 2019
10. The voting age was reduced to 18 years by which amendment? Answer: 61st Amendment (1988)

Next, study the Union and its Territory notes (Articles 1 to 4) and practise with our previous year papers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which part and articles of the Constitution deal with citizenship?

Part II of the Constitution (Articles 5 to 11) deals with citizenship. These articles describe who were citizens at the commencement of the Constitution (26 January 1950) and give Parliament the power to make laws on citizenship.

What does Article 5 say?

Article 5 says that at the commencement of the Constitution, every person who had domicile in India and who was born in India, or whose either parent was born in India, or who had been ordinarily resident in India for at least five years, became a citizen of India.

What do Articles 6 and 7 deal with?

Article 6 deals with the rights of citizenship of persons who migrated to India from Pakistan, and Article 7 deals with persons who migrated to Pakistan from India after 1 March 1947 but later returned with a permit for resettlement.

What do Articles 8, 9, 10 and 11 deal with?

Article 8: persons of Indian origin residing outside India. Article 9: a person who voluntarily acquires the citizenship of a foreign state is not an Indian citizen. Article 10: continuance of the rights of citizenship. Article 11: Parliament has the power to regulate the right of citizenship by law.

Under which Act is citizenship governed in India?

The Citizenship Act, 1955 provides for the acquisition and termination of Indian citizenship after the commencement of the Constitution. It has been amended in 1986, 1992, 2003, 2005, 2015 and 2019.

In how many ways can Indian citizenship be acquired?

There are five ways: by birth, by descent, by registration, by naturalisation and by incorporation of territory.

Who is a citizen by birth?

Born in India on or after 26 January 1950 but before 1 July 1987: citizen irrespective of the nationality of parents. From 1 July 1987 to 2 December 2004: if either parent is a citizen of India at the time of birth. On or after 3 December 2004: if both parents are Indian citizens, or one parent is a citizen and the other is not an illegal migrant.

What is citizenship by descent?

A person born outside India on or after 26 January 1950 is a citizen by descent if the father (and from 1992, either parent) was a citizen of India at the time of birth, subject to registration at the Indian consulate within a prescribed time.

Who can get citizenship by registration?

Persons of Indian origin who are ordinarily resident in India for seven years before applying, persons married to Indian citizens (seven years), minor children of Indian citizens, and certain Commonwealth citizens can apply for citizenship by registration.

What is citizenship by naturalisation?

A foreigner can become an Indian citizen by naturalisation after living in India for 12 months immediately before the application and a total of 11 years in the previous 14 years, along with other conditions such as good character. The residence requirement is relaxed to five years for the six communities covered by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

What is citizenship by incorporation of territory?

When a foreign territory becomes part of India, the Government of India notifies the persons of that territory who become citizens. For example, Pondicherry (Puducherry) was merged in 1962 and its people became Indian citizens.

In how many ways can citizenship be lost?

Three ways: renunciation (voluntary giving up by a declaration, Section 8), termination (automatically when a person voluntarily acquires the citizenship of another country, Section 9) and deprivation (compulsory termination by the Central Government, Section 10).

Does India allow dual citizenship?

No. India provides single citizenship for the whole country, unlike the USA. Dual citizenship is not allowed. However, the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card gives some benefits to foreign citizens of Indian origin but does not give voting rights or the right to hold public office.

What is the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019?

The CAA 2019 makes it easier for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India on or before 31 December 2014 to get Indian citizenship. The rules were notified on 11 March 2024.

Which rights are available only to citizens?

Right against discrimination (Article 15), equality of opportunity in public employment (Article 16), freedom of speech and other freedoms (Article 19), and cultural and educational rights (Articles 29 and 30). Only citizens can also hold offices like President, Vice President, Governor and judge of the Supreme Court and High Courts.

Which topics of citizenship are asked in SSC exams?

The articles 5 to 11, the five ways of acquiring citizenship, the three ways of losing it, important amendments, OCI and the CAA 2019 are asked repeatedly. Use the tables in these notes for revision.