# India notifies CAA rules, lists documents for citizenship applicants 2026-09-17T17:32:25+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Indian government on Monday notified the rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, specifying documents applicants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan can submit to prove their country of origin and date of entry into India. Applicants can submit any of nine documents, including a valid or expired passport, identity documents, school certificates, land records, or a document proving a parent or grandparent was a citizen of one of the three countries, to establish nationality. To prove they entered India on or before December 31, 2014, applicants can submit any of 20 documents, such as a visa with immigration stamp, Aadhaar card, ration card, driving licence, bank account details, or a certificate from an elected rural or urban body member or revenue officer. Applicants must also provide an eligibility certificate from a community institution confirming they belong to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community, and must declare they irrevocably renounce their existing citizenship and intend to make India their permanent home. The rules implement the CAA, which fast-tracks citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. Documents will be admissible even beyond their validity period, the rules state. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The notification of rules brings the CAA, passed by Parliament in December 2019, closer to operationalisation after a delay of over four years. The act was challenged in the Supreme Court, which has not yet delivered a final verdict on its constitutional validity. The rules now specify a decentralised application process through an online portal, with district-level committees empowered to grant citizenship. The government has not set a deadline for applications, but the next step to watch is how many eligible migrants apply and whether the Supreme Court hearing resumes this year. Under the Citizenship Act of 1955, illegal migrants are barred from applying for Indian citizenship. The CAA creates an exception for six non-Muslim communities from the three neighbouring countries, a provision that has been criticised as discriminatory on religious grounds. ## Coverage - khaleejtimes.com Tags: Citizenship Amendment Act, Ministry of Home Affairs, Supreme Court Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/india-notifies-caa-rules-lists-documents-for-citizenship-applicants/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/india-notifies-caa-rules-lists-documents-for-citizenship-applicants/#story-in-brief