Bahrain is planning to toughen laws to ensure citizenship is not acquired through fraud, forged documents or false data, according to a report.

The government has referred to parliament a draft bill amending three articles of the Citizenship Act, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

Under the draft article, the passport of a naturalised citizen can be revoked by a royal decree, following recommendations from the Interior Minister and the approval of parliament.

Such an article would apply to:

*Any naturalised citizen who acquired Bahraini passport through fraud, forged documents or concealment of essential information.

*Any naturalised citizen convicted in court cases involving honour or breach of trust within 10 years of getting the passport.

*Any naturalised citizen who regains his original passport without permission from the Interior Minister.

*Any naturalised citizen who fails to reside in Bahrain for five uninterrupted years without prior permission from the Interior Minister or acceptable excuse.

*A Bahraini would also lose his citizenship if he chooses a foreign nationality without permission from the Interior Minister.

It would also apply to any citizen who relinquishes his Bahraini passport.

Any Bahraini who acquires another GCC nationality without permission from the Interior Minister would be fined BD3,000 to BD10,000 ($7923 to $26,410).-TradeArabia News Service