Renunciation/Surrender of Indian Passports

With effect from 6th September, 2010, collection of applications for surrender of Indian Passports and delivery of Certificates has been outsourced to M/s VF Services UK Ltd. Henceforth, High Commission of India, London and Consulate Generals of India, Birmingham and Edinburgh will accept applications for surrender of Indian Passports only through M/s VF Service UK Ltd.

For details on submission process of application for surrender of Indian Passport and renunciation of Indian citizenship and for downloading application form, please see link http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk.

ENQUIRY

For any information pertaining to Renunciation/Surrender of Indian Passport please check the following website http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk or email queries at info.inuk@vfshelpline.com. Alternatively, please contact VFS enquiry desk on telephone number 09057570045 (premium charges applicable) available from Monday to Friday between 0830 hrs to 1730 hrs.

APPLICATION CENTRES

M/s VFS (UK) Ltd. has opened following application collection centres:-

1.    LONDON

(a)   60-62 Wilton Road, Victoria, London SW1V 1DE;
(b)   142-148 Goswell Road, London EC1V 1DE; and
(c)    1-3 Canalside, Uxbridge Road, Hayes UB4 0JN.

2.    BIRMINGHAM

India Visa Application Centre, VF Services (UK) Ltd., No.20-21 Pemberton Street, Jewellery Quarter, Hockley, Birmingham B18 6NY.

3.    EDINBURGH

India Visa Application Centre, VF Services (UK) Ltd., 66 Hannover Buildings, Rose Street, Edinburgh EH2 2NN

4.    CARDIFF

India Visa Application Centre, c/o The India Centre, Sanquhar Street, Splott, Cardiff CF24 2AA. Working hours: 0900 - 1430 Hrs Monday-Friday

5.     GLASGOW

India Visa Application Centre, c/o Mel Milaap Centre, 134 Berkeley Street, Glasgow G3 7HY. Working hours: 0930 - 1430 Hrs Monday-Friday

6.     MANCHESTER

India Visa Application Centre, c/o Jain Community Centre, 669 Stockport Road, Longsight, Manchester, M12 4QE. Working hours: 0900 - 1430 Hrs Monday-Friday

POSTAL APPLICATIONS

All application sent by post must be addressed to:
India Visa Application Centre,
VF Services (UK) Ltd,
1-3, Canalside,
Uxbridge Road, Hayes,
Middlesex UB4 0JN.

PENDING APPLICATIONS:-

Applicants who have applied for surrender of Indian Passports/Citizenship with the High Commission of India, London before September 6, 2010 and whose application remain pending are welcome to visit the High Commission on any working day from 0915 hrs to 1300 hrs to resolve their cases.

MAIN PROVISIONS FOR SURRENDER OF INDIAN PASSPORT / RENUNCIATION OF INDIAN CITIZENSHIP:

Under Indian law, Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), who have acquired foreign citizenship, are required to surrender their Indian passports to the nearest Indian Mission/Post immediately after acquisition of foreign citizenship.

In view of these provisions, PIOs, intending to apply for OCI/PIO Cards and Visa, should surrender their Indian passports, obtain Surrender Certificates and then apply for these services. This would also be applicable to the PIOs who seek to renew their OCI/PIO Cards or seek fresh Visa.

The Surrender Certificate, once obtained, should be produced henceforth for any services from the High Commission and copy of the Surrender Certificate should be enclosed with any application in future.

PIOs, who have already acquired foreign citizenship on or before 31.5.2010, are now required to pay £ 14.00 (Pound fourteen only) towards Miscellaneous service charge plus applicable charges including Consular Surcharge of £ 2.00 and would not be required to pay any fee under Citizenship Act for surrendering their passports whether valid or expired. There could however be penalty charges on Passports expiring on or after 01.01.2005 for retention, renewal and travel.

PIOs who acquired foreign citizenship on or after 01.06.2010 will have to pay Rs.7,000/- (to be collected  in local currency at official rate of exchange fixed by Government of India) plus applicable charges including Consular Surcharge of £ 2.00 along with a declaration of renunciation of their Indian Citizenship.

The Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, does not allow dual citizenship.  Holding Indian passport/acquiring Indian passport/travelling on Indian passport after acquisition of foreign citizenship constitutes an offence under the Indian Passport Act, 1967, and attracts penalties.  The Government of India has prescribed imposition of penalty on a graded scale for the violation of Passport Rules, depending on number of trips made on Indian passport after acquiring foreign nationality (with a three month grace period from the date of acquiring foreign nationality i.e. the date of Naturalisation certificate), renewal of Indian passport after acquiring foreign nationality and retention of Indian Passport for more than 3 years after acquiring of foreign nationality. The date on the Naturalisation Certificate will be treated as date of acquiring foreign nationality and hence, it is mandatory for the applicants to produce his / her Naturalisation Certificate for obtaining Surrender Certificate.

The fee structure is given below:-

*The fee/penalty will be collected in local currency at official rate of exchange fixed by the Government of India. With effect from March 14, 2011, an additional fee of Pound two (£ 2.00) per application would be collected as ‘Consular Surcharge’ from all applicants for each individual service.

The VF Services (UK) Ltd. has been authorised to charge a service fee of £ 6.90 plus prevailing VAT charges @15% per application over and above the normal fee for surrender of Indian Passport / renunciation of Indian citizenship. Postal/Bank/agency charges, wherever applicable, will be additional, to be borne by the applicant.

Information regarding applicable fee could be viewed at www.mha.nic.in/uniquepage.asp?ID_PK=77.

Provisions on declaration of Renunciation / Surrender Certificate under different scenario:-

1. PIOs, who acquired foreign nationality on or before 31.05.2010 and produced last held Indian passport, will be issued ‘Surrender Certificate’ on payment of miscellaneous service fee of £ 14.00 plus applicable charges including Consular Surcharge of £ 2.00 and applicable charges for M/s VFS (UK). Penalty for misuse of Indian passport would be imposed if the last held Indian passport expired on or after 1.1.2005 and it is retained beyond three years i.e. not surrendered or the PIO travelled on this passport beyond the grace period of three months or the validity of the last held Indian passport was renewed after acquiring foreign nationality;
   
   
2. PIOs, who acquired foreign nationality on or before 31.05.2010 but does not produce Indian passport, will not be issued Surrender Certificate;
   
   
3. However, PIOs who acquired foreign citizenship more than ten years ago and their Indian passport also expired more than ten years ago, could be issued ‘Deemed Surrender Certificate’** if they furnish copy of Indian passport, or a letter from the Government of applicants present nationality mentioning the Indian passport detail at the time of acquisition of foreign nationality and also furnish proof of acquiring foreign citizenship more than ten years ago. It may please be noted that date of Registration or Naturalisation Certificate is to be counted as date of acquisition of foreign nationality and not the date of obtaining foreign passport. The fee for ‘Deemed Surrender Certificate’ will be £ 14.00 plus applicable charges including Consular Surcharge of £ 2.00 and applicable charges for M/s VFS (UK);
   
   
4. PIOs, who acquired foreign nationality on or after 01.06.2010 and produced Indian passport, will be issued Surrender Certificate on payment of Renunciation fee of Rs. 7,000.00 plus applicable charges including Consular Surcharge of £ 2.00 and applicable charges for M/s VFS (UK). Penalty for misuse of Indian passport would be imposed if the last held Indian passport expired on or after 1.1.2005 and it is retained beyond three years i.e. not surrendered or the PIO travelled on this passport beyond the grace period of three months or the validity of the last held Indian passport was renewed after acquiring foreign nationality;
   
   
5. PIOs, who acquired foreign nationality on or after 01.06.2010 but fail to produce Indian passport and only furnish a copy thereof, claiming to have misplaced/lost the Indian passport, will be issued ‘Renunciation Declaration’*** with remark that original Indian passport not surrendered. A fee of Rs. 7,000.00 plus application charges including Consular Surcharge of £ 2.00 and applicable charges for M/s VFS (UK) will be collected. The applicant will be additionally required to furnish a duly Notarised Affidavit in this regard and a Police report (to rule out any misuse);
   
   
6. For a child born outside India, who held Indian passport although entitled to foreign nationality but now opts for surrendering the Indian passport, the Renunciation fee will be Rs. 7,000.00 plus applicable charges including Consular Surcharge of £ 2.00 and applicable charges for M/s VFS (UK). Penalty for misuse of Indian passport would be imposed if the last held Indian passport expired on or after 1.1.2005 and it is retained beyond three years i.e. not surrendered or the applicant travelled on this passport beyond the grace period of three months or the validity of the last held Indian passport was renewed after acquiring foreign nationality.

**DEEMED SURRENDER CERTIFICATE:-

‘Deemed Surrender Certificates’ could be issued to PIOs, who are not in possession of Indian passport, if they had acquired foreign nationality more than ten years ago (from the year 2011) and their Indian passports also expired more than ten years ago (from the year 2011). ‘Deemed Surrender Certificate’ may be issued in such cases provided the PIO can furnish a copy of the Indian passport or a copy of a letter from British Home Office mentioning details of the Indian Passport held earlier by the PIO and also furnishes conclusive evidence of having acquired foreign nationality more than ten years ago (from the year 2011). The fee will be £ 14.00 plus applicable charges including £ 2.00 as Consular Surcharge and applicable charges for M/s VFS (UK).

***RENUNCIATION DECLARATION:-

For PIOs, who acquired foreign nationality on or after 01.06.2010 and their valid Indian passport has been misplaced or lost, can apply for ‘Renunciation Declaration’ by furnishing a copy of the Indian passport along with a duly Notarised Affidavit in this regard and a Police report (to rule out any misuse). The fee for Renunciation Certificate is Rs.7000/- plus applicable charges including Consular Surcharge of £ 2.00 and applicable charges for M/s VFS (UK).

CLARIFICATIONS

1. Surrender Certificate can not be issued if the last held Indian passport is not physically produced. Only exception is for those who acquired foreign nationality more than ten years ago i.e. before 2001 and whose Indian passports also expired more than ten years ago i.e. before 2001;
   
   
2. Penalty if applicable can not be waived or reduced.
   
   
3. There is no penalty in cases where the PIO opted for foreign nationality before 1.1.2005 and the last held Indian passport also expired before that date.
   
   
4. There is a grace period of three months after acquisition of foreign nationality (to be counted from the date of registration / Naturalisation Certificate and not from the date of foreign passport) for using Indian passport for travel.
   
   
5. Penalty for retention of Indian passport for more than 3 years after acquiring foreign citizenship is not imposed on applicants who could furnish proof of having obtained visa to visit India on their first foreign passport immediately after acquiring foreign nationality or if they have already obtained OCI / PIO Cards or Visa. However, if there is a gap of more than three years between acquisition of foreign nationality and obtaining OCI / PIO Cards or Visa, then applicable penalty, if any, would have to be paid.
   
   
6. PIOs who had earlier obtained OCI / PIO Cards or Visa without surrendering their Indian passports are required to surrender their last held Indian passport and obtain surrender certificates at the time of renewing their OCI / PIO Cards or for obtaining fresh visa.

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