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The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the Citizenship (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026, transferring the authority to process and decide certain citizenship applications under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act, 1955 from Empowered Committees to District Collectors in specified States and Union Territories. The amendment came into force on 19 August 2026.

What has Changed?

A new Rule 11A(6) has been inserted into the Citizenship Rules, 2009. District Collectors are now the competent authority to receive, scrutinise and dispose of applications for registration or naturalisation under Section 6B. Pending applications with the earlier committees are also to be transferred to the concerned Collectors.

Collector’s powers include:

• Receiving applications electronically and generating an electronic acknowledgement.
• Verifying documents and conducting necessary enquiries.
• Assessing the applicant’s eligibility under Section 6B and suitability as a “fit and proper” person.
• Administering the Oath of Allegiance.
• Granting citizenship if eligibility and suitability are established.
• Rejecting an application if the applicant, despite reasonable opportunities, fails to appear personally, subscribe to the application or take the Oath of Allegiance.

CAA, 2019 — Who is Eligible?

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 inserted Section 6B and provides a special route to citizenship for persons belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who entered India on or before 31 December 2014, subject to the statutory conditions.

Areas Covered

The new Collector-based mechanism applies to applicants ordinarily residing in:

Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

However, it does not apply to tribal areas of Assam and Tripura covered by the Sixth Schedule, or areas protected by the Inner Line.