High Commission of India, London
Surrender of Indian passport
Indian nationals considering acquisition of foreign citizenship must note that the Indian Citizenship Act 1955 does not provide for dual citizenship. Thus, Indian nationals who have acquired foreign citizenship are required to surrender their Indian passports by applying for ‘Surrender Certificate’. 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, and who fail to surrender their Indian passports.
How to apply for a Surrender Certificate
Please apply for a Surrender Certificate at URL: ‘ https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in ’
Duly filled application for Surrender of Indian Passport is to be submitted at a VFS service centre along with following documents:
- Print-out of application submitted online for Surrender Certificate
(URL: https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in)
- Copy of foreign passport (i.e. of new citizenship)
- Copy of Naturalization Certificate
- Indian Passport in original
- Copy of Indian Passport (front, last and all non-blank pages)
- One photograph
- Prescribed Fee: £ 20 [excluding ICWF and Service Charges]
Please note: You will need to fix an appointment before you visit VFS Centre for this service. You can do so here: https://www.hcilondon.gov.in/appointment_home/ .
Important: If you have already acquired citizenship of a foreign country, your Indian citizenship is terminated with immediate effect (under Section 9 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955). Therefore, in such cases, it is not required to apply separately or in parallel for Renunciation of Indian Citizenship (under Section 8 of the Indian Citizenship Act 1955). However, your Indian passport must be returned and “surrendered” through the process outlined above.
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