When and How can one renounce Indian Citizenship? Home Ministry notifies simplified rules

In a bid to simplify the renunciation of Indian citizenship, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on September 16, 2021, issued new guidelines for applicants to upload documents online with an upper limit of 60 days for the completion of the renunciation process. Between 2015 to 2019, more than 6.7 lakh Indians renounced their Indian citizenship, the Lok Sabha was informed in February 2021.

The year-wise break-up of the number of Indians renounced their citizenship is 1,41,656 (2015), 1,44,942 (2016), 1,27,905 (2017), 1,25,130 (2018), and 1,36,441 (2019).

Home Ministry notifies simplified rules to renounce Indian citizenship – Significance

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued new guidelines to renounce Indian citizenship to ‘reduce the compliance burden’, simplify the process of renunciation of Indian citizenship, and check fraudulent documents.

When and How can one renounce Indian Citizenship?

As per the new guidelines issued by MHA, one has to download, fill, sign, and submit the form at the District Magistrate office if the applicant is in living in India or at the nearest Indian Mission if the applicant is in a foreign country.

The District Magistrate will interview the applicant for issuing the certificate. The applicant needs to submit proof of address and proof of payment of fee other than the passport.

After the submission of the copy of the form and verification of documents, the issuance of the renunciation certificate will take 60 days.

As per the guidelines on the renunciation of Indian citizenship, when a person ceases to be a citizen of India under Section 8(1) of Citizenship Act, 1955, “every minor child of that person shall thereupon cease to be a citizen of India”. The child after attaining the legal age limit can apply for resuming his or her Indian citizenship.

As per the 2009 Citizenship Rules, an applicant in India needs to pay a fee of Rs 5,000, and an applicant through an Indian Mission in a foreign country needs to pay a fee of Rs 7,000 to renounce his or her Indian citizenship.

In 2018, for the first time, the revised Form XXII under the Citizenship Rules for Declaration of Renunciation of Citizenship under Section 8 of the Act Made by a Citizen of India included a column on “circumstances or reasons due to which applicant intends to acquire foreign citizenship and renounce Indian citizenship”.