The Kerala Legislative Assembly has passed the Nativity Card Bill, 2026, giving legal approval for issuing nativity cards to people of the state. The Bill was cleared on Tuesday during the ongoing Assembly session. The legislation aims to provide an official document that helps people prove they are natives of Kerala.

The Bill was passed on a day when the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) boycotted the proceedings. The opposition stayed away from the House over issues related to the Sabarimala gold loss case. Because of their absence, several items listed for the day were taken up and passed without discussion.

Speaker A N Shamseer informed the House that after discussions with leaders of different parties, it was decided to take up and pass the remaining demands for grants and other legislative business together. Since the opposition members were not present, the Bills were approved without debate.

Along with the Nativity Card Bill, the Assembly also passed the Abkari (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Kerala Advocates’ Clerks Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Kerala Advocates’ Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Though some changes suggested by legislators were accepted, there was no detailed discussion on these Bills in the House.

After the Nativity Card Bill was passed, Finance Minister K N Balagopal described it as a “historic moment” for the state. He said the law would help protect minority communities and make it easier for people to establish their identity as Keralites. Criticising the opposition for not being present, he said, “But they did not want to see this Bill passed. They wanted to create a controversy. They took the same stand with regard to the financial business of the House.”

The Bill was introduced in the Assembly a day earlier, when UDF members were also absent. The state government said the purpose of the law is to allow people from Kerala to identify themselves officially through a nativity card. The card will serve as a permanent, photo-embedded identity document for natives of the state.

According to the government, the idea of issuing nativity cards was approved in principle by the state Cabinet in December last year. The Bill now gives legal backing to that decision. The government said that the card would make it easier for people to prove their origin and avoid difficulties in establishing their nativity.

Revenue Minister K Rajan had earlier explained that the proposal for the nativity card came after the Centre implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act “unilaterally”. He said that once the nativity card is issued, a person can proudly say they are Malayali, even if they are living outside the state.

The law defines who can be considered a native of Kerala. It includes anyone born in Kerala who has not acquired foreign citizenship. It also includes those whose parent or ancestor was born in Kerala, as long as the person has not taken foreign citizenship. In addition, people born outside Kerala will also be treated as natives if their parents were working outside the state at the time of their birth.

The government has stated that the nativity card system will follow rules similar to the existing nativity certificate system in the state. However, the new card will act as a permanent identity document with a photograph, making it more useful and easier to carry.

The proposal had earlier drawn criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The party described the move as “dangerous separatist politics.” This shows that there are political differences over the idea of issuing nativity cards.

Despite the opposition boycott and criticism from the BJP, the state government went ahead with the legislation. With the Assembly’s approval, the Nativity Card Bill, 2026, has now been passed, paving the way for the introduction of nativity cards for eligible residents of Kerala.

The passage of the Bill marks an important legislative step for the state government, which says the move will strengthen identity recognition for Keralites and provide clarity regarding nativity status.