What is Kerala’s Nativity Card Bill: Explained Premium

The Kerala Nativity Card Bill aims to provide Keralites with an authoritative identity proof, enhancing residency verification and access to services.

The story so far: As State measures to determine identity and citizenship roil the country and result in sharp socio-politial polarisation, the Kerala government has gone ahead with its decision to introduce a ‘Nativity Card’ as a new document to prove residency.

The Cabinet recently cleared the Kerala Nativity Card Bill that seeks to give legal backing to the nativity card initiative for issuing an authoritative identity proof to Keralites. On Monday (February 23, 2026), the Kerala Assembly referred the Bill to the Subject Committee on Lane Revenue and Devaswom.

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The Bill was tabled in the current session of the Assembly, which resumed on Monday (February 23, 2026).

The proposal to introduce the Nativity Card, which had received the Cabinet’s in-principle approval on December 24, comes against the backdrop of the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll and the consequent concerns over citizenship.

The Revenue department in consultation with the Law department had been tasked with preparing a draft law to provide legal validity to the nativity card.