India Passport, Citizenship and PIO card: Surrender + Renunciation + Application

[thevar]

Hello there,

Can the surrender and renunciation of India passport be done in one shot? Or is a 'Surrender certificate' needed prior to applying for renunciation?

Secondly - for a PIO card application, are both 'Surrender certificate' and 'Renunciation Certificate' needed?

Thanks for your answers and guidance in advance.

[BashirB]

Can the surrender and renunciation of India passport be done in one shot? Or is a 'Surrender certificate' needed prior to applying for renunciation?

You could. Depends on getting appointment from VFS. I know for sure in other countries its done at the same time by default. There are users who have managed to get appointments in the same session using the receipt from surrender to proceed with renunciation. The different appointment issue is to do with VFS, not a HCI issue.

Secondly - for a PIO card application, are both 'Surrender certificate' and 'Renunciation Certificate' needed?

PIO cards are no longer issued. So this query is redundant. Those with existing PIO cards can still use them till 31 December 2024 and not valid after that date. There is currently a reduced fee to "upgrade" PIO to OCI for those who have it. It is not clear what happens after 31 December 2024 and whether the reduced fee will still be there.

[thevar]

Can the surrender and renunciation of India passport be done in one shot? Or is a 'Surrender certificate' needed prior to applying for renunciation?

You could. Depends on getting appointment from VFS. I know for sure in other countries its done at the same time by default. There are users who have managed to get appointments in the same session using the receipt from surrender to proceed with renunciation. The different appointment issue is to do with VFS, not a HCI issue.

Secondly - for a PIO card application, are both 'Surrender certificate' and 'Renunciation Certificate' needed?

PIO cards are no longer issued. So this query is redundant. Those with existing PIO cards can still use them till 31 December 2024 and not valid after that date. There is currently a reduced fee to "upgrade" PIO to OCI for those who have it. It is not clear what happens after 31 December 2024 and whether the reduced fee will still be there.

Thanks BashirB for the response to both queries.

For the 2nd question, I meant to ask OCI card (rather than PIO card). So the correct question is: For the OCI card, are both 'Surrender certificate' and 'Renunciation Certificate' needed?

[BashirB]

Yes, both are needed now due to new rules.

VFS can accept an application for renunciation with only receipt for surrender for ease of administration, but in the background, the surrender is issued first and then on basis of that the renunciation happens.

[thevar]

Yes, both are needed now due to new rules.

VFS can accept an application for renunciation with only receipt for surrender for ease of administration, but in the background, the surrender is issued first and then on basis of that the renunciation happens.

Perfect. Very clear. Thanks BashirB

[domink27]

Similar question so adding to the thread if that's ok,


I've submitted by Surrender application today and have the renunciation one early next week. One of the required docs is original Indian passport but obviously I don't have that since its been surrendered.

Is the receipt from surrender enough as I don't have the indian passport

[BashirB]

Similar question so adding to the thread if that's ok,


I've submitted by Surrender application today and have the renunciation one early next week. One of the required docs is original Indian passport but obviously I don't have that since its been surrendered.

Is the receipt from surrender enough as I don't have the indian passport

Yes, VFS will accept it and deal with the admin. Have a cover letter ready to explain that just in case.

As outlined above, HCI will process your surrender and pass on the certificate details to the relevant team that deals with renunciation. You may receive both at the same time, but in background, they will be done one after the other.

[vineet17]

Hello there,

Can the surrender and renunciation of India passport be done in one shot? Or is a 'Surrender certificate' needed prior to applying for renunciation?

Secondly - for a PIO card application, are both 'Surrender certificate' and 'Renunciation Certificate' needed?

Thanks for your answers and guidance in advance.

Hello thevar,

Just following up on your question here, were you able to ascertain if you can do both Surrender and Renunciate certification together?

I live outside London and want to avoid multiple trips to attain my OCI so grateful if anyone can share their experience.

Thank you.