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 considering acquisition of foreign citizenship are required to apply for ‘Renunciation of Indian Citizenship and Surrender Certificate’ by surrendering their Indian Passports. Under Section 12(1A) of the Passports Act, possession of Indian passport by foreign nationals is a cognizable offence. This equally applies to Indian nationals who have acquired foreign nationality.
General Instructions:
1.Indian citizens desiring to renounce their citizenship of India may please note that if any person (either FATHER OR MOTHER) ceases to be a citizen of India under sub - section (1) of Section 8 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, every minor child of that person shall cease to be a citizen of India under sub - Section(2) of Section 8 of the Citizenship Act, 1955. However, such child may, within one year after attaining full age, make a declaration in the prescribed form and manner that he/she wishes to resume Indian Citizenship.
2.Application for Renunciation has to be applied online in the Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreigners Division) website: https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in
3.User Guide for the Renunciation of Indian Citizenship may be perused at https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/Renounce/Documents/PublicUserGuide/RenunciationPublicUserGuide.pdf
4.FAQs on Renunciation of Indian Citizenship are available at
https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/Renounce/Documents/Notice/ic_faq_16092021.pdf
5.The applicant has to click on “Declaration of Renunciation of Citizenship under Section 8 of the Act Made by a Citizen of India who is also a Citizen or National of another country”
6.The renouncer would fill all his/her details and upload relevant documents in above mentioned website, take a print-out and visit the Consulate General of India.
7.Payment proof corresponding to the MHA application reference number MUST be provided along with the application form. If application is found erroneous after review by Consulate, then no change is possible on that application and a new application form with correct details and new payment proof corresponding to the new application reference number is required. Hence, applicants are advised to fill up application carefully (the information provided in the application for renunciation needs to be exactly the same as it appears in applicant’s Indian passport) as there cannot be any refund possible from Consulate for any payment(s) done on MHA website.
8.If Applicant is unable to pay online at MHA website and chooses to pay offline then an amount equivalent of the amount to be paid to MHA is to be paid at the Consulate.
9.Once the application form is submitted online by the applicant, then no further modifications are allowed. Hence applicants are requested to carefully verify the details before submitting the online Application form.
10.Instructions and details regarding the application can be seen in the website link https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/Renounce
11.Processing Time: Issuance of Renunciation Certificate (MHA portal application) will take 60 to 90 days from the date of receipt of application at the Consulate, followed by issuance of Surrender Certificate within next 4 to 6 working days, after issuance of Renunciation Certificate.
II. Categories:
Consequently, in any instance where an Indian national seeks to renounce Indian citizenship, the case will now be processed under the following categories:
(A) Adults who acquired foreign citizenship on or after 1st June 2010
(B) Minors who acquired foreign citizenship on or after 1st June 2010
(C) Adults and minor applicants (at the time) who acquired foreign citizenship before 1st June, 2010.
III. How to apply
Details of the procedure for renunciation of Indian Citizenship and Surrender of Indian passport in each case are given below:
(A) Adults who have acquired foreign nationality on or after 01/06/2010 or Who are in the process of acquiring Passport of PRC.
They are required to apply for the following services:
Surrender Certificate: Please apply for Surrender Certificate at URL: ‘https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in’
Fee: A fee of RMB 187 for Surrender of Indian Passport.
Renunciation of Indian Citizenship: Please also simultaneously apply for renunciation of Indian citizenship by making a declaration of intention to renounce Indian citizenship, in Form XXII, as specified in Rule 23 of The Citizenship Rules, 2009. This form has to be completed on the online portal of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India at ‘https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in’.
Note: Once the application form is submitted online by the applicant, no further modifications are allowed. Therefore, applicants are requested to carefully verify the details before submitting the online application. Instructions and details regarding the application are available on the weblink:
https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/Renounce
A fee receipt of INR 8000 of the MHA website OR an amount equivalent in RMB at the time of submission for form at Consulate for Renunciation of Indian Citizenship.
Both the fees of (i) and (ii) i.e. for renunciation of Indian Citizenship and Surrender of Indian passport are mandatory and must be sought by any person renouncing Indian citizenship. Therefore, fees for both processes must be paid.
A person renouncing Indian citizenship and surrendering Indian Passport is thus required to provide personal details online in the respective forms, upload relevant documents, take a print-out, and visit the Consulate along with the following documents:
Personal presence of the applicant is required
Copy of Self-attested Chinese ID with original
Print-out of the MHA Renunciation application (Form XXII) submitted online. (URL: https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in) in duplicate
Print-out of application submitted online for Surrender Certificate (URL ‘https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in)
Copy of Foreign Passport, Copy of Naturalization Certificate
Indian Passport in original
Copy of Indian Passport (front, last and all non-blank pages)
Two recent Passport size photographs of the applicant
Total fees for Surrender Certificate + Renunciation Certificate
During submission of the application and the requisite fees at Consulate, applicant would be required to sign the application/declaration in presence of Consular officer.
(B) Minors who have acquired foreign nationality on or after 01/06/2010:
Minor applicants are not required to fill an online declaration for Renunciation of Indian citizenship through the MHA portal. They are only required to complete the online application for Passport Surrender Certificate at URL: ‘https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in and submit a print-out of this application at Consulate along with the following documents:
Personal presence of the applicant with the parents is required
Attested Copy of Chinese ID of the parents and applicant (in any) with original
Print-out of application submitted online for Surrender Certificate (URL ‘https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in)
Copy of Foreign Passport, Copy of Naturalization Certificate
Indian Passport in original
Copy of Indian Passport (front, last and all non-blank pages)
Two recent Passport size photographs of the applicant
Prescribed Fee: RMB 187
(C) Applicants who acquired foreign nationality before 01.06.2010:
All those who acquired foreign nationality (whether adult or minor at the time of acquiring the foreign nationality) before 01.06.2010 may apply for Surrender Certificate at the URL: ‘https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in and submit their applications at BLS center along with the following documents:
Personal presence of the applicant with the parents is required
Attested Copy of Chinese ID of the parents and applicant (in any) with original
Print-out of application submitted online for Surrender Certificate (URL ‘https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in)
Copy of Foreign Passport, Copy of Naturalization Certificate
Indian Passport in original
Copy of Indian Passport (front, last and all non-blank pages)
Two recent Passport size photographs of the applicant
Prescribed Fee: RMB 187
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