KUALA LUMPUR - A total of 2,948 people have acquired citizenship in their mother’s name following the implementation of Nepal’s revised citizenship regulations.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the figure reflects those granted citizenship under the new provisions introduced through the Nepal Citizenship (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2082 BS, as reported by The Himalayan.

The amended regulations were published in the Nepal Gazette after receiving cabinet approval on Dec 26, 2025.

The revisions mark the fourth amendment to the Nepal Citizenship Regulations, 2063.

Several provisions have been updated under the changes.

These include amendments to Rules 3, 5, 7, 8 and 14 of the original regulations.

A new provision, Rule 16(a), has also been introduced.

The schedule of the original regulations has been revised as part of the update.

Under the new rules, citizenship may be granted in the mother’s name under specific circumstances.

This includes cases where one parent has acquired Nepali citizenship by birth and the other parent has died without obtaining citizenship.

It also applies where the father’s identity is unknown.

The provisions further cover children born abroad to a Nepali mother whose father’s identity is not known.

Applicants must be residing permanently in Nepal to qualify under this category.

Authorities said Chief District Officers are empowered to grant naturalised citizenship following due investigation.

The process applies to eligible applicants under the revised criteria.

In addition to required documentation, self-declaration will now be considered a key basis for citizenship applications in the mother’s name.