Passports Act

In conformity with Article 9 of the Indian Constitution, the Act does not allow dual citizenship.

Under Section 12 of the Act, a person must surrender his passport if he has acquired the citizenship of a foreign country.

Passport Officer, the Supreme Court has held that a right to travel is a Fundamental right under Article 21 of Indian Constitution and the government has no right to refuse a passport to a person who has applied for the same.

[1] It thus became necessary to regulate the issuance of passport and travel documents by law.

Prior to the act, the government had issued passports in exercise of its executive power on foreign relations.