Citizenship Act, 1955
SCHEDULE III: QUALIFICATIONS FOR NATURALISATION
[Section 6(1)]
The qualifications for naturalization of a person who is not a
citizen of a country specified in Schedule I are:-
(a) that he is not a subject or citizen of any country where
citizens of India are prevented by law or practice of that country from
becoming subjects or citizens or that country by naturalization;
(b) that, if he is a citizen of any country he has renounced the
citizenship of that country in accordance with the law therein in force in that
behalf and has notified such renunciation to the Central Government;
(c) that he has either resided in India or been in the service of
a Government in India or partly the one and partly the other, throughout the
period of twelve months immediately preceding the date of the application;
(d) that during the twelve years immediately preceding the said
period of twelve months, he has either resided in India or been in the service
of a Government in India, or partly the one and partly the other, for periods
amounting in the aggregate to not less than nine years;
(e) that he is of good character;
(f) that he has an adequate knowledge of a language specified in
Schedule VIII to the Constitution; and
(g) that in the event of a certificate of naturalization being
granted to him, he intends to reside in India, or to enter into, or continue
in, service under a Government in India or under an international organization
of which India is a member or under a society, company or body of persons
established in India:
PROVIDED that the Central Government may, if in the
special circumstances of any particular case it thinks fit,-
(i) allow a continuous period of twelve months ending not more
than six months before the date of the application to be reckoned, for the
purposes of clause (c) above, as if it had immediately preceded that date;
(ii) allow periods of residence or service
earlier than thirteen years before the date of the application to be reckoned
in computing the aggregate mentioned in clause (d) above.