High Commission of India
Pretoria
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 Passport. 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.
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 01.06.2010
(B) Minors who acquired foreign citizenship on or after 01.06.2010
(C) Adults and minor applicants (at the time) who acquired foreign citizenship before 01.06.2010
How to apply
2. Details of the procedure in each case are given below:
(A) Adults who have acquired foreign nationality on or after 01.06.2010:
Indian nationals who have acquired foreign nationality on or after 01.06.2010 are required to apply for the following services:
(i) Surrender Certificate: Please apply for Surrender Certificate at URL: ‘https//portal3.passportindia.gov.in/Online/index.html’
Fee:
Fee for Surrender of Indian Passport Certificate is Rand 460/-.
(ii) 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
Fee:
Fee for this service is INR 8000 (R1760/-) which covers the following:
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Registration of a declaration of intention to renunciation of Citizenship (outside India)
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INR 7000
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Witnessing the signing of an application or declaration mentioned in rule 38 of Citizenship, administering the oath of allegiance (outside India)
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INR 1000
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This 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 in Indian Rupees, Rand 1,760/- may be deposited to the concerned Indian Consulate or in case of Lesotho, to the account of High Commission of India in Pretoria.
Both (i) and (ii) above are mandatory and must be sought by any person renouncing Indian citizenship. Therefore, both processes’ fees 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 concerned Indian Consulate along with the following documents:
(URL: https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/Renounce)
(URL: https//portal3.passportindia.gov.in/Online/index.html)
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Copy of address proof
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Copy of foreign passport
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Copy of Naturalization Certificate
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Indian Passport in original
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Copy of Indian Passport (front, last and all non-blank pages)
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One photograph
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Total fees for Surrender Certificate Fee (Rand 460/-) + Renunciation Certificate Fee (1,760/-) = Rand 2,220/-.
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After submitting the requisite documents as above and applicant should sign the application/declaration in presence of Consular officer at Indian Consulates / High Commission of India in Pretoria.
(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//portal3.passportindia.gov.in/Online/index.html and submit a print-out of this application centre along with the following documents at the concerned Indian Consulate or in case of Lesotho, to the Indian High Commission in Pretoria:
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Copy of foreign passport
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Copy of Naturalization Certificate
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Indian Passport in original
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Copy of Indian Passport (front, last and all non-blank pages)
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One photograph
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Prescribed Fee: Rand 460/-
(C) Applicants who acquired foreign nationality before 01.06.2010:
All those who acquired foreign nationality (whether adult or minor at the time) before 01.06.2010 may apply for Surrender Certificate at the URL: https//portal3.passportindia.gov.in/Online/index.html and submit their applications along with the following documents at the concerned Indian Consulate or in case of Lesotho, to the Indian High Commission in Pretoria:
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Copy of foreign passport
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Copy of Naturalization Certificate
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Copy of Indian Passport (front, last and all non-blank pages)
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Indian Passport in original
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One photograph
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Prescribed Fee: Rand 460/-
Kindly note that the fees prescribed for any cases under categories (A), (B) or (C) above does not include ICWF (amounting Rand 40/-).
High Commission of India, Pretoria
Renunciation of Indian citizenship- FAQs
Question: Is the Surrender Certificate different from a Renunciation Certificate?
Answer: Renunciation of Indian citizenship and Surrender of Indian Passport are two different processes. A Renunciation Certificate and a Surrender Certificate will be issued separately to the applicant. Both processes are mandatory for those Indian nationals who acquire foreign citizenship.
As Indian Constitution does not permit dual citizenship, Indian nationals who acquire foreign citizenship are required to renounce their Indian citizenship by submitting a declaration, to be filled online through MHA portal: https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in. The printout of the declaration is to be submitted by the applicant. Separately, they are also required to surrender the Indian passport because possession of Indian passport by a foreign citizen is a cognizable offence according to the Passport Act, 1967. Online application for Surrender Certificate can be filled through portal: https://portal3.passportindia.gov.in and printout of the application is to be submitted along with requisite documents.
Question: Is it mandatory to have the Renunciation Certificate to apply for OCI?
Answer: Yes. Applicant can submit the application for OCI with the service provider along with the proof (payment receipt) showing that he/ she has submitted the application/ declaration for Renunciation Certificate.
Question: Can application/ declaration for Renunciation Certificate be submitted and paid via the Outsourced Service Provider / Indian Consulate?
Answer: Yes. If the applicant is not able to pay the fee online, he/ she can pay at the concerned Indian Consulate. In both the cases, the application / declaration is required to be submitted through concerned Indian Consulate. In case of Lesotho, payment can be made to the account of High Commission of India, Pretoria.
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