We provide expert help to assist you in Indian Passport Surrender, obtaining your Renunciation Certificate and Surrender Certificate to assist you in securing an OCI Visa for a Lifetime Visa to India. Navigating the complexities of Indian citizenship renunciation, obtaining a Surrender Certificate, and applying for an OCI can be an overwhelming process. Reload Internet OCI Help Service in Paddington can handle your application with VFS every step of the way with expertise and care.
Our team will complete all of the Surrender Certificate application forms while you wait, and we also include your Indian passport photos within our fees. After completing your paperwork, we will also book and manage your appointment at VFS with a guaranteed pass service, or we will redo it for you free of charge.
If you have an Indian Passport, then you must surrender it & then apply for your OCI Visa:
Reload OCI Help Service can manage this whole process for you:
Here is the complete process that we will assist with:
Step 1: Surrender your Indian Passport and obtain a Surrender certificate
At Reload OCI help service, we will fill in all the required forms and take passport photos for you in-store.
We will manage your booking at VFS and ensure you obtain your surrender certificate the first time.
Step 2: Obtain a Renunciation Certificate for your Indian Citizenship
This is just a declaration that you do not have a connection with India. This process can take up to 6 months, and you can not obtain an OCI without this renunciation certificate. However, at Reload OCI help service, we will complete all necessary forms, obtain a booking at VFS, and ensure you can apply for your OCI immediately.
Step 3: Complete your OCI application for you:
We will complete your OCI application and surrender certificate simultaneously, saving you time with just one visit to Reload. We will also manage all 3 VFS appointments for you.
Complete OCI Visa Help Price List
| Service: | Price per applicant | Passport Photos Included? | VFS Booking included |
|---|---|---|---|
| INSTORE: Fresh OCI Help | £99.99 1st applicant £79.99 per applicant thereafter | YES | YES |
| INSTORE: Surrender Certificate | £99.99 per applicant | YES | YES |
| INSTORE: Renunciation Certificate NEW Requirement 2024 We will advise if necessary | £50.00 per applicant | YES | YES |
So why wait?
Make a booking to visit us in Paddington below:
Book our complete service. Indian passport Surrender and then we will apply for your OCI Visa and manage everything for you. Our team will also let you know if you need a Renunciation Certificate and complete that instore when you book to visit us.
- Documents required for this whole process will be provided as soon as you make a booking with us:
BOOK THE COMPLETE SERVICE: SURRENDER + RENUNCIATION + OCI VISA HELP SERVICE
Surrender Certificate Help Service ONLY
In case you would only like to surrender your Indian Passport and this is all you require please make a booking on the link below.
- Documents required for a Surrender Certificate will be provided to you as soon as you make a booking with us:
BOOK SURRENDER CERTIFICATE HELP SERVICE ONLY
CAN NOT VISIT US IN PADDINGTON?
Use our Nationwide Remote service with no visit required
- Use our Nationwide OCI update remote help service if you are unable to visit us in Paddington
- We will complete your OCI update REMOTELY via email and post/email everything to you (if required) including photos
- We will book you into your nearest VFS Center whether it be London Hounslow or London Goswell or anywhere else in the UK (if required)
- Our fee starts from £250 per applicant, but saves you visiting us in Paddington
Please click here to use our REMOTE SERVICE and a member of our team will get back to you.
Can you not visit us in Paddington? Want a REMOTE Help Service?
Please click the button below and fill out this form. We will manage your whole application remotely via email without you needing to visit us. Our remote service is more expensive than visiting us in Paddington due to the time taken to correspond. If you visit us in-store, we can swiftly answer all questions and get on with filling in the whole application on your behalf.
REMOTE SURRENDER SERVICE – NO VISIT REQUIRED
Please call us on 02072624111 or email us help@reloadinternet.com if you have any questions
If you have lost your Indian passport or have already handed it to an embassy, please follow the link.
Indian Citizenship Renunciation – Further information on this mandatory requirement 2024
Struggling to navigate the complex renunciation of Indian citizenship procedures? Let us handle the paperwork and bureaucracy while you focus on your future.
Did you know obtaining foreign citizenship often requires the formal renunciation of your Indian citizenship? Don’t stress – Reload Internet Passport Photos and OCI Help Services is your one-stop solution for a smooth surrender and renunciation process. Our Paddington experts offer:
Comprehensive Guidance: Explain the steps involved to avoid confusion and mishaps.
Form and Application Support: Meticulous assistance with complex government forms to ensure accuracy and speed up the process.
Passport Photo Services: On-site, regulation-compliant passport photos for your application.
Time-Saving Convenience: Streamlined services for a hassle-free experience, saving you valuable time and frustration.
Key Benefits of using Reload OCI help service in Paddington
- Avoid Costly Delays: Minimise errors that could slow down your renunciation.
- Peace of Mind: Relax knowing your application is handled by professionals.
- Dedicated Customer Service: Personalized support throughout the process.
Ready to renounce your Indian citizenship with confidence? Book your consultation now and simplify the journey!
Why choose Reload OCI?
A Complete Guide To Surrendering the Indian Passport For British Citizenship
This article will answer all your questions on the surrender certificate process.
As many of our clients know, the reason they use a service like Reload OCI is that the VFS guide is sadly inadequate, and the information contained is not at all helpful.
We have had our consultants review the VFS guidelines and consult several immigration lawyers regarding the entire procedure for cancelling the Indian passport and obtaining a surrender certificate, and we have documented the entire procedure.
Here is a step-by-step analysis of the procedure for obtaining a surrender certificate following the cancellation of your Indian passport.
So, first things first: If you have an Indian passport, you must have a surrender certificate before you can apply for an OCI card online.
There is no way around this. You will need to Surrender your Indian passport when you get foreign citizenship, and the embassy will issue you with a Surrender certificate at this time. A surrender certificate is a mandatory document for your online OCI application form.
Why must I surrender my Indian passport?
We regularly receive this question from clients, and I am sure you’re wondering why you need to surrender your Indian passport in the first place.
Here is the official reason set forth by the Indian High Commission:
According to the 1955 Indian Citizenship Act, people of Indian origin are not allowed dual citizenship.
The law requires you to surrender and surrender your Indian passport at the nearest Indian mission in order to renounce your Indian citizenship.
You’ll need to surrender your Indian passport and obtain a Surrender Certificate as evidence of your cancelled passport before you can apply for Consular Services/Visa or OCI Card.
We hope this clears up this question!
Renouncing your Indian Citizenship
Your British Naturalization certificate is issued to you when you have your final ceremony and this is the proof of your British Citizenship.
After receiving your Naturalization certificate, you must renounce your Indian passport and acquire a Surrender certificate.
This article is a comprehensive guide on the procedures involved in surrendering your Indian passport when acquiring British citizenship. This detailed guide will teach you everything you need to know about cancelling your Indian passport when you obtain foreign citizenship.
How to surrender your Indian passport and apply for OCI simultaneously
If you already have a British passport and intend to apply for an OCI card, there is usually no way to apply for a surrender certificate and OCI simultaneously, even if you are planning to travel to India on short notice due to family issues. However, you can always try contacting VFS personally.
If you apply for a Surrender Certificate, it will take a minimum of 5 working days for it to be processed. This does not include the period that your application is in transit to and from the High Commission or the Consulate General. You must send your valid Indian passport. If you have an expired Indian passport, you will not need to send this.
Processing time for a surrender certificate
According to the website, processing times may vary depending on the case. Some applications might require more processing time than others, and the process takes 5 to 10 business days.
Timeline for Surrender Certificate and Indian Passport
You must surrender your Indian passport within 90 days of obtaining any foreign nationality (or else face penalties).
The date affixed to your naturalization is the date you acquired British citizenship, not the date your British Passport was issued.
Am I still allowed to travel with my Indian passport when I have not surrendered my Indian passport?
Your Indian passport is still valid for travel three months after you obtain your British Citizenship. The three-month period of grace starts from the date you acquire foreign citizenship, which is the exact date your Naturalization certificate was issued.
The 1967 Indian Passport Act penalises travelling with an Indian passport after the expiration of the three-month grace period.
Penalties on Surrender Certificate and Indian Passport
You should be aware that you travel on your Indian Passport – after 90 days, you will be fined for each journey you make. The penalty can go up to over £1000.00
We have had clients who have kept their Indian passports after acquiring a foreign nationality (and renewing them when they expire) and travelling with them.
Travelling with an Indian passport after the three-month grace period expires once you acquire another citizenship is a criminal offence.
It is a punishable offence. The penalty is calculated using a grade scale, which depends on how many trips the offender undertakes on the Indian Passport after acquiring foreign citizenship.
The Penalty for misuse of an Indian passport would be imposed if the last held Indian passport expired on or after 1 January 2005 and it is retained beyond three years, i.e. not surrendered or the PIO travelled on this passport beyond the grace period of three months, or the validity of the last held Indian passport was renewed after acquiring foreign nationality
If you’re under any of the categories above, you must address a written declaration to the Indian High Commission in the UK with a detailed explanation of your reasons.
According to the rules provided on the VFS website, the penalty cannot be reduced or waived.
Renunciation Declaration for Surrender Certificate
A person who has lost or misplaced his/her Indian Passport and cannot produce it on demand cannot be issued a Surrender Certificate because he/she needs to provide the passport before he/she can be issued a surrender certificate.
In cases like this, you must apply for a “Renunciation Declaration” and a copy of your Indian passport. There must be a remark to the effect that you failed to surrender your original Indian passport.
You must also provide a police report and a Notarized Affidavit so you don’t commit passport misuse.
Deemed Surrender Certificate
You must provide a copy of your first British passport and a photocopy of your last Indian passport if you want to apply for Deemed surrender. This list is changing, and for us to give you accurate information, you must instruct us for the service by booking in an appointment.
If you already have a Surrender Certificate and want to start the OCI Process, please click this button or watch the video below on how Reload OCI can help you with your OCI application.
OCI Help Service
Please call us on 02072624111 or email us help@reloadinternet.com if you have any questions
Surrender Certificate Passport Photo Specification
Included in our service, we will provide you with a Surrender Certificate Passport Photo. If you just want these, we charge £14.99 instore.
- The surrender certificate Application requires 2 x Indian passport photos on a white background, each 2 inches x 2 inches. These photos are available at Reload OCI in Paddington.
OCI Photo and Surrender Certificate specifications
- Full frontal position that includes the height of the face between 50 – 70%.
- The colour photograph will be 2 inches x 2 inches (51 mm x 51 mm) and printed on the highest-grade photo paper available.
- We use an Indian passport-approved background, which is a plain light-colored background. By the way, the Indian Embassy prefers grey.
- We will ensure that your photos do not have distracting shadows on the face or in the background—this can cause your Indian passport application to be declined.
- Your Head coverings will be permitted if they are for a religious reason—this means Turbines and hijabs are allowed—but we will ensure that your ears do show.
- No smiling ever. The expression on the face should look natural. This is because teeth – reflect light!
Once you obtain your Surrender Certificate, you can use the Reload OCI Service to obtain your OCI Visa. The rules are getting more and more complicated and Reload OCI keeps up to date with the VFS guidelines so you do not have to.
We guarantee you will pass for your OCI the first time around, or we will redo the whole application for you completely free of charge. No other OCI Consultant in London or in the UK can offer this.
How do you self-attest your copy for your surrender certificate application?
Make a photocopy of the original document
Write the statement on the photocopy: “True copy of the original”
Sign below this statement.
Submit the self-attested photocopy with the application.
Retain the original.
Applying for a surrender certificate
Your application for Indian citizenship renunciation has to go through the VFS, not the High Commission.
You can also submit your application personally at any of the VFS centres.
You must book an appointment before applying, which is very sacrosanct as your application will not
be considered if you don’t book ahead.
Here are the VFS centres for you to choose from:
- VFS London-Goswell
- VFS London-Hounslow
- VFS Belfast
- VFS Birmingham
- VFS Bradford
- VFS Cardiff
- VFS Edinburgh
- VFS Glasgow
- VFS Leicester
- VFS Liverpool
- VFS Manchester
The Surrender Certificate application process
There’s a security personnel at the entrance to attend to you when you arrive at your centre of choice. The security personnel then conducts preliminary checks on your filled application form, your appointment letter, after which you’ll be issued a token number.
Next, you take a seat, while you wait for your number to appear on a screen in their waiting room. Reload OCI always advises its clients to take a tablet or something to entertain you for an hour. There can be a long wait.
After that, you’ll be asked by the officer in front of the counter to submit all the necessary documents and then pay a passport surrender fee. You’ll then be advised on all the tentative timelines, and then you’ll be given a payment receipt.
The officer at the counter will take down your email address and phone number to update you about your application.
Costs for Surrender Certificate and Ways to pay at VFS
Payments for your surrender of your Indian passport can be made in the following ways:
Cash is accepted at the VFS India Visa Application Centre
Bank drafts or postal orders can be made at the visa application centres made payable to “VF Services UK Ltd”
Credit cards & Debit Card – Visa Electron, Maestro and Solo are also accepted at VFS centres.
According to the rules of the High commission, an applicant cannot make his/her payment by cheque.
Surrender Certificate payment methods for Postal Applications
This will have to be checked with VFS when you are posting your application, but at the time of posting from a post office, you can make a postal order through Royal Mail. Do not send cash or credit card details along with your application via post. If a family is applying together, you can pay the fees and the service charges for all the members by one draft or postal order.
Fee for surrender of passport/ renunciation of Citizenship
The VFS Service fee for all surrender applications is £7.44 inclusive of applicable VAT. All the applicants are requested to include the service fee while organising their payments. There is no online payment facility available for Surrender of Indian passport service.
Mode of payment could be Cash, Debit (we do not accept credit cards), Postal Order or Bank Draft payable to “VF Services UK Ltd”
The Government of India has fixed a fee for renouncing the Indian Citizenship / Surrender of Indian Passport based on the date, the Person of Indian Origin, has acquired British/Foreign Citizenship.
- British citizenship obtained on or before the 31st of May 2010: The required fee is £22 (and it covers Consular Surcharge and Misc service charge). You don’t have to pay any passport surrendering fee. Yu will be charged £7.44 (VAT inclusive) by VFS for services making it a total of £29.44.
- British citizenship obtained on or after the 1st of June 2010: Here there is a passport surrender fee of £119, which includes £117 embassy fee and £2 consular charges. It also includes a £7.44 VFS service fee (VAT inclusive), making a total of £126.44.
- Obtained British citizenship and has a passport that expired ten years ago: A “Deemed Surrender Certificate” will be issued to you in this case, and it will cost you about £20 including a £2 Consular Surcharge and £7.44 as VFS service fee, amounting to £29.44 for your Deemed surrender Certificate.
| SERVICE RENDERED | FEE IN GBP | SERVICE CHARGE IN GBP | TOTAL IN GBP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Service fee for surrender of passport / renunciation of citizenship (for applicants who have already acquired foreign citizenship till 31.5.2010) | 22 | 7.44 | 29.44 |
| Fee for surrender of passport/ renunciation of Citizenship (for applicants who acquire foreign citizenship with effect from 1.6.2010) | 119 | 7.44 | 126.44 |
*Please Note:
All High Commission/Consulate/fees once tendered are non–refundable
The fee in the table is inclusive of the £2 Consular Surcharge.
More information can be found here
Collecting your Surrender Certificate / renunciation certificate
The renunciation certificate / surrender certificate will be sent to you by courier/post as soon as the request is processed.
When applying for your surrender certificate, you must provide a self-addressed A4 envelope (Special Delivery) for return delivery.
You can also ask the advisor at your application centre for available delivery courier services, but it is better to go with the Special Delivery envelope, as it is more affordable and can easily be tracked via Royal Mail website.
Lost your Indian Passport – How do you obtain a Surrender Certificate?
Please follow this link to our article on what to do if you have lost indian passport
Is Reload OCI Help service Affiliated with the High Commission of India or VFS Global?
Reload Internet is NOT affiliated with the Indian Embassy, High Commission of India or VFS Global.
We provide consultancy services and OCI application form filling help for the OCI and Indian form filling process. We can not offer refunds as we are service based. Our guarantee ensures that we will redo the whole application for you without charge should you be declined for any reason and we are always willing to make right anything that needs doing. We can not be held responsible for the distance travelled or travel expenses. By using our service, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Reload Internet and its staff and no warranties are given.
This service is managed by Atomic Internet Limited
*Our fee excludes VFS and Local Government fees. Should you fail for any reason, or should VFS require more documents from you, we will redo the whole application for you without charge.
* 20% discount only applies to OCI applications NOT surrender applications. We do not offer refunds, but we will redo any errors for you without charge.