Press Release
Frequently Asked Questions
Under Indian law, Persons of Indian Origin, who have acquired foreign citizenship, are required to surrender their Indian passports to the nearest Indian Mission/Post within three months of acquisition of foreign citizenship. All those who acquired foreign citizenship on or after 1 June, 2010 are required to formally renounce Indian citizenship and obtain a Surrender Certificate.
It is in the interest of applicants applying for any consular service to obtain a Surrender or Renunciation Certificate*, as service may be denied without them.
(*Please see explanation at page number 5 for details) Page Number 2
1. Original Indian passport with one copy. 2. Copy of the Canadian Citizenship certificate. 3. Copy of Canadian passport, if held. 4. Fee of C$ 168 payable at the time of sending the application. If you want the cancelled Indian Passport by mail, include a post paid envelope. We do not accept any debit or credit card.
(A) Penalty for Retention of Indian Passport after acquiring Canadian citizenship for a period in excess of three years from the date of acquiring Canadian citizenship (a) if your Passport expired on or before 31 Dec, 2004 – no penalty (b) if your Passport expired on or after 1 Jan, 2005 – C$ 240
In other words, Retention Penalty of C$240 needs to be paid if both the following two conditions are satisfied: * The person held an Indian passport which expired on or after 1 January 2005; AND * The passport remained un-cancelled for a period of 3 years AFTER the acquisition of the foreign nationality. If both the above conditions are satisfied, Retention Penalty will be charged regardless of the date of expiry of the Indian Passport. Page number 3 Retention Penalty (C$240) is different from Renunciation Fee (C$ 168). The latter needs to be paid by those who acquire foreign nationality on or after 1 June, 2010. (B) Penalty for travelling on Indian Passport after acquiring Canadian citizenship is C$ 240 for each time, subject to a maximum of C$ 1,200 (C) Penalty for getting Indian Passport Renewed or Reissued after acquiring Canadian citizenship is C$ 600 for each such renewal or reissue. (D) Penalty for obtaining any miscellaneous passport service (name change/correction etc.) on Indian Passport after acquiring Canadian citizenship is C$ 240 for each such service.
1. I have already obtained an Indian visa/PIO/OCI card. Do I still need to obtain the Surrender Certificate? Yes, provided you acquired any foreign citizenship on or after 1 June, 2010. If you have an emergency travel to India coming up and hold valid visa/PIO/OCI, you may travel as of now but you should apply for Surrender Certificate at the earliest on your return as that will be required Page number 4 for future services at the Consulate/Embassy. It is advisable to get the Surrender Certificate immediately. 2. My Indian passport has already been cancelled by an Indian Mission but I was not issued a Surrender Certificate. Do I need to obtain one? No, provided you acquired foreign citizenship on or before 31 May, 2010. 3. Can I apply for Surrender Certificate and visa/PIO/OCI/Miscellaneous Consular services at the same time? It is advisable that you get your Surrender Certificate in the first instance and then apply for other consular services. 4. I have to go to Indian in an emergency. Can I obtain Surrender Certificate and the Indian visa the same day? Yes. However it is suggested that you avoid such a situation. It is a good idea that you take Surrender Certificate as soon as you acquire you Canadian citizenship. 5. I have included names of my minor children in my renunciation form. Is this sufficient for renouncing their citizenship or separate applications need to be submitted for them? You need to submit separate applications along with their Indian passports for your minor children. The fees and penalties are same as in cases of adult applicants. 6. I have to process Surrender Certificates for my whole family. Can I send all the applications in one mail and combined money order/certified check for all the fees? Yes. You can do that. Page number 5 7. What is the difference between Surrender Fee and Renunciation Fee? There is no difference. You will get a Surrender Certificate when you renounce your Indian Citizenship on acquiring foreign citizenship. If you are not in a position to surrender your Indian Passport (you have lost it or discarded it long time back), you will not be given a Surrender Certificate but a Renunciation Certificate. However, the effect is same. 8. Where Can I apply for Surrender Certificate ?
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A Surrender Certificate Form is attached for use by the public.
This form is also available at VFS Centres in Surrey and Vancouver.
Last Updated (Wednesday, 03 November 2010 17:06)