Renunciation of Indian Citizenship and Surrender of Indian Passport

Indian nationals considering acquisition of foreign citizenship are reminded that
the Indian Citizenship Act does not provide for dual citizenship. Thus, Indian nationals who have acquired foreign citizenship are required to apply for “Renunciation of Indian Citizenship/surrender Certificate” by surrendering their Indian Passports. Under section 12(1A) of the Passport Act, possession of Indian passport by foreign nationals is a cognizable offence. This equally applies to Indian nationals who have acquired foreign nationality.

Consequently, in any instance where an Indian national seeks to renounce Indian Citizenship, the case will now be processed under the following categories:

• Adults who acquired foreign citizenship on or after 1^st June 2010.
• Minors who acquired foreign citizenship on or after 1^st June 2010.
• Adults and Minors applicants (at the time) who acquired foreign citizenship before 01/06/ 2010.

How to apply

Details of the procedure in each case are given below:

• Adults (18 years and above) who acquired foreign citizenship on or after 1^st June 2010.

Indian nationals who have acquired foreign citizenship on or after 01/06/ 2010 are required to apply for the following services:

• Surrender Certificate: Please apply for Surrender certificate at URL:  https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in  (Mandatory in respect of valid of expired Indian passport holders)

Fee: Fee for this service is US Dollar 25.00.

• Renunciation of Indian Citizenship: Please apply for renunciation of Indian citizenship by making a declaration of intention to renounce Indian citizenship, in Form XXII, as specified in Rule 23(1) of the Citizenship Rule 2009.

1. Cases where witnesses done by a Consular Officers:

Declaration Form XXIIprescribed u/s 8 of the Citizenship Rule 2009, duly filled in by the applicantwhich can be signed by the applicant before the Consular Officer in the Embassy of India, Paramaribo.

Fee: A fee for this service is INR 8000.00 (equivalent to USD 96.00) which cover the following:

OR

2. Cases where another Indian citizen testifies for the applicant:

Declaration Form XXIIprescribed u/s 8 of the Citizenship Rule 2009, duly filled in by the applicant. This form duly filled inand can be signed by the applicant before an Indian citizen known to him/her who is holding valid IndianPassport and residence permit. The 2nd part of the Declaration Form signed by the Indian citizenand the application will be submitted along with self-attested copies of the IndianPassport and residence permit.

Fee: A fee for this service is INR 7000.00 (USD 84.00) which cover the following:

Both (i) Surrender Certificate and (ii) Renunciation of Indian Citizenship are mandatory and must be sought by any person renouncing Indian citizenship. Therefore, both processing fees must be paid.

A person renouncing Indian citizenship and surrendering Indian passport thus required to visit in person in the Embassy who are residing in Suriname and applicants residing in   Saint Lucia, Barbados and Saint Vincent and Grenadines may be sent by courier along with the following documents:

1. Applicant to fill online application on https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in. This will generate the Application Reference Number (ARN) and PDF file. The print-out of the saved PDF file of online passport application be submitted.
2. Renunciationform (Kindly note that PARTICULARS part (page 2) of the renunciation form has to be filled and duly signed by another Indian national known to the applicant).
3. Three Photographs of2-inch x 2 inch (51 mm x 51 mm)(More details on photo specifications may please be seen).
4. Original latest Indian passport for cancellation.
5. Self-attested copy of Indian passport (first and last page).In case the passport dates back to the 80s and 90s a copy of the first 4 pages is required.
6. Copy of Naturalization certificate or registration of present citizenship specifying the date when the applicant became a foreign citizen.(If the same is in foreign language other than English, a translation copy duly notarized by the local authorities may be provided).
7. Self-attested copy of the foreign passport.

Total Fee:

1. Total fees (option-1): US Dollar 123.00 [Surrender Certificate Fee USD 25.00 + Renunciation of Certificate Fee USD 96.00 and USD 2.00 ICWF Fee/charges].
2. Total Fees (option 2): US Dollar 111.00 [Surrender Certificate Fee USD 25.00 + Renunciation of Certificate Fee USD 84.00 and USD2.00 ICWF Fee/charges].

Please see note below.

• Minors (below 18 years) who have acquired foreign nationality on or after 1^st June 2010.

Minor applicants are not required to fill declaration form for Renunciation of Indian Citizenship. They are only required to complete the online application for Passport surrender Certificate at URL:  https://embassy.passportindia.gov.inand submit a print-out of application in the Embassy along with the following documents:

1. Applicant to fill online application onhttps://embassy.passportindia.gov.in. This will generate the Application Reference Number (ARN) and PDF file. The print-out of the saved PDF file of online passport application be submitted.
2. Three Photographs of2-inch x 2 inch (51 mm x 51 mm) (More details on photo specifications may please be seen).
3. Original latest Indian passport for cancellation.
4. Self-attested copy of Indian passport (first and last page)
5. Copy of Naturalization certificate or registration of present citizenship specifying the date when the applicant became a foreign citizen.(If the same is in foreign language other than English, a translation copy duly notarized by the local authorities may be provided).
6. Self-attested copy of the foreign passport.

Total fees for Surrender Certificate Fee USDollar 25.00 andUS Dollar 2.00 ICWF Fee/charges.

Please see note below.

• Applicants (18 years and above)who acquired foreign citizenship before 1^st June 2010.

All those whorequired foreign nationality (whether adult or minor at the time) before 01.06.2010 may applyfor Passport surrender Certificate at URL:  https://embassy.passportindia.gov.inand submit a print-out of application in the embassy along with the following documents:

1. Applicant to fill online application onhttps://embassy.passportindia.gov.in. This will generate the Application Reference Number (ARN) and PDF file. The print-out of the saved PDF file of online passport application be submitted.
2. Three Photographs of2-inch x 2 inch (51 mm x 51 mm) (More details on photo specifications may please be seen).
3. Original latest Indian passport for cancellation.
4. Self-attested copy of Indian passport (first and last page)
5. Copy of Naturalization certificate or registration of present citizenship specifying the date when the applicant became a foreign citizen.(If the same is in foreign language other than English, a translation copy duly notarized by the local authorities may be provided).
6. Self-attested copy of the foreign passport.

Total fees for Surrender Certificate Fee USDollar 25.00 and USDollar2.00 ICWF Fee/charges.

Photo Specification

Renunciation Form

Note: -Bank charges - US$5.00 with all the services if the fee is paid through bank draft/banker’s cheque in favour of Embassy of India, Paramaribo.

Return Airway bill may be enclosed with 'paid' stamped on it for applicants residing in Saint Lucia, Barbados and Saint Vincent and Grenadines.

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