High Commission of India, London

Renunciation of Indian citizenship under Section 8 of Citizenship Act of India, 1955

[Please read carefully]

If you have already been issued a naturalization certificate/ passport by another country, your Indian Citizenship stands terminated with immediate effect under Section 9 of the Indian Citizenship Act. You are NOT eligible nor are you required to apply for Renunciation of Indian Citizenship separately under Section 8 of the Indian Citizenship Act. 

In other words, renunciation service is available for Indian citizens only, NOT for those who have already given up Indian citizenship by acquiring foreign citizenship.

However, if any Indian citizen desires to renounce the citizenship of India, it is necessary to apply for both ‘Renunciation of Indian Citizenship’ and ‘Surrender of Indian Passport’. Such Indian citizen desiring to renounce citizenship of India may please note that under existing Indian laws, any person (either FATHER OR MOTHER) who renounces citizenship and thus 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 also cease to be a citizen of India under sub – section (2) of Section 8 of the Citizenship Act, 1955. Such a child or children may, however, within one year after attaining adult age (18 years), make a declaration in the prescribed form and manner to assert that he/she wishes to resume Indian Citizenship.

How to apply for a Renunciation Certificate

Any UK based Indian citizen who desires to renounce Indian citizenship may contact the High Commission of India in London directly at email id [email protected] to set up an appointment.

Please note: Any person renouncing Indian citizenship is required to apply for renunciation of Indian citizenship. Such person should also surrender their Indian passport. These are two different processes and therefore a separate fee has to be paid for each service.

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 of The Citizenship Rules, 2009. This form must be completed on the online portal of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India at ‘ https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in ’.

Fee: The fee of INR 8000 can be paid online by the applicant. This will be charged in Indian rupees. In case applicant is not able to pay online due to any technical issue, payment can be made in foreign currency offline (£75) when you submit the application.

Note: Once the application form is submitted online by the applicant, no further modifications are allowed. Therefore, applicants must 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 .

Anyone renouncing Indian citizenship and surrendering their Indian Passport must provide personal details online in the respective forms, upload relevant documents, take a print-out, and visit the VFS centers along with the following documents:

• Print-out of the MHA Renunciation application (Form XXII) submitted online.

(URL: https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in) [Declaration needs to be signed by the applicant before the Consular Officer at the High Commission or the Consulate concerned]

• Print-out of application submitted online for Surrender Certificate

(URL: https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in)

[Instructions to apply for Surrender Certificate may be seen in relevant page]

• Copy of foreign passport
• Copy of Naturalization Certificate
• Indian Passport in original
• Copy of Indian Passport (front, last and all non-blank pages)
• One photograph
• Fee for Renunciation Certificate: INR 8000/- (online payment), or

£75/- (payment at VFS Centre)

Fee for Surrender Certificate: £20/- (payment at VFS Centre)

[Both fees are exclusive of ICWF and service charges]

Note: Applicant can submit an application for Surrender of Indian passport at VFS Centre after seeking online appointment through HCI’s website. Online appointment is not available for Renunciation of Indian citizenship on HCI’s website. Applicants desiring to apply for Renunciation of Indian citizenship can seek an appointment by sending email at [email protected] .

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