The federal government has issued strict new regulations on foreign citizenship for civil servants and their dependents through an Establishment Division gazette notification titled Civil Servants (Disclosure and Regulation of Foreign Citizenship) Rules 2026. The rules require clear disclosure of any foreign citizenship or foreign travel documents at the time of appointment and impose penalties for concealment or false information, including annulment of appointment and termination of service.
Under the new provisions every civil servant must submit an annual declaration to their cadre administrator detailing their own and their dependents’ foreign citizenship status, any foreign travel documents held, and information on marriages to foreign nationals. Current employees are given a 90-day window from the notification to file these details in the prescribed form with the Establishment Division.
The rules prohibit acquiring foreign citizenship or holding foreign travel documents without prior approval from the relevant appointing authority. Approval will not be granted where the foreign citizenship relates to a country in which the employee is serving or has served on diplomatic assignment. Those already holding another nationality by birth or descent are exempt from prior approval requirements, but must still disclose their status.
The notification also mandates that civil servants and their dependents who are citizens of a country where the employee has been or is posted on diplomatic duty must surrender or renounce such foreign citizenship or travel documents as required. Matters relating to marriage to foreign nationals will continue to be handled under the existing Government Servants (Marriage with Foreign Nationals) Rules, 1962.
The Establishment Division has made clear that previously contradictory instructions are to be treated as superseded with immediate effect. Officials say the measures aim to strengthen transparency in the civil service, protect national security interests, and maintain an accurate record of foreign citizenship among public servants.
