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How to get Indian citizenship

March 15, 2024

1959

This article has been written by Ashutosh. This is an exhaustive article which deals with how to get an Indian Citizenship, and it focuses on all the aspects of getting an Indian Citizenship. Other than that, this article widely covers information about the various ways and steps through which Indian Citizenship can be obtained, terminated, designated, etc.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Are you someone who wants to get Indian Citizenship and want to permanently shift to India to carry on your business or to pursue your dreams in the land of vast resources and opportunities? Then don’t worry, we have got your back and you have landed at the right place.

Indian citizenship can be obtained in various ways such as by birth, by descent, by naturalisation etc. and the Ministry of Home Affairs is the body which deals with the matter of granting Indian Citizenship to non-residents of India. Foreigners can get Indian Citizenship under Section 5 and Section 6 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 if they fulfil all the eligibility criteria and have all the required documents with them. Read the whole article to get all the insights about getting Indian Citizenship.

What is the Citizenship Act, 1955

People seeking to get Indian citizenship must have a brief knowledge of the Citizenship Act 1955 (hereinafter referred to as the Citizenship Act). The Citizenship Act 1955 is an Act that provides all kinds of rights and duties to an Indian citizen.

This Act makes sure that all the individuals of the country hold a position as an Indian National. (hereinafter referred to as the Citizenship Act) it consists of 19 sections and each section has its importance in providing Indian Citizenship.

Brief introduction of Indian Nationality Law

The Indian Nationality Law talks about the conditions through which a person holds Citizenship of India. Under this law, there are two main pieces of legislation which govern all the essential requirements to get Indian Citizenship and those two legislations are the Citizenship Act and the Indian Constitution.

Under the Section 3 of the Indian Nationality law, all the individuals who were born in India between the period of January 26th and July 1st 1987 were automatically granted Indian Citizenship by virtue of their birth no matter what the nationalities of their parents were. All the individuals who were born between the period of July 1st 1987 and December 3rd 2004 were granted the Citizenship of India only if any of the parents was a citizen of India. But all the persons who are born in India after this period have received the Citizenship of India during their birth only when both the parents are citizens of India, or only if one of the parents is an Indian Citizen and the other one is not an illegal migrant.

According to the Indian Nationality Law, foreigners are also entitled to get the Citizenship of India through the process of Naturalisation, if they stay in India for 12 years and if they renounce their previous nationalities. Some of the minority communities from the neighbouring countries of India such as Bangladesh and Pakistan have received a reduced requirement, that is those people belonging to minority communities can avail of the Citizenship of India if they stay in India for 6 years.

Foreigners can also get an Indian Citizenship through registration by applying an online application form under their category form, available on the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs. We will be dealing in detail with all the ways through which Indian Citizenship can be obtained further in this article, so keep reading this article till the very end if you want to know more about it.

Difference between Citizenship and Nationality

Nationality and Citizenship are two different words with completely different meanings. The main difference between Citizenship and Nationality is that nationality indicates the ancestral place of birth of an individual (the place in which a person is born). On the other hand, Citizenship indicates the place of registration.

An individual can not have more than one nationality but an Individual can become a citizen of more than one country.

What is Indian citizenship

Indian Citizenship simply means the relation of an Individual with India, and legally speaking, Indian Citizenship provides recognition to an individual of the right to vote, to be a member of the polity of India, to seek public office, and to enjoy all kinds of rights guaranteed under the Constitution of India.

The Citizenship Act in India along with all its amendments gives a clear picture and the legal understanding of the Indian Citizenship and also of its acquisition, resumption, cessation and delineation. On a simpler note, Indian Citizenship provides all kinds of responsibilities and rights to its citizens such as a passport, access to all kinds of social welfare schemes, etc. Thus, it provides a legal status to all its citizens.

Provisions pertaining to citizenship in Part II of the Indian Constitution

Article 5 to Article 11 of the Indian Constitution talks about the concept of Citizenship.

Article 5– This Article talks about the citizenship of those people who were citizens of India during the commencement of the constitution (26th January 1950). Under this Article citizenship is provided to those people who have their domicile in India and-

who was born in India,
whose either of the parents were born in India

Article 6– This Article talks about the citizenship of those persons who have migrated from Pakistan during the commencement of the Constitution.
Article 7– This Article deals with the rights of those people who had migrated to Pakistan after 1st March, 1947 but later came back to India.
Article 8– This Article talks about the citizenship of those persons who live outside India
Article 9– This Article talks about how people who voluntarily acquire citizenship in any other country will not be considered Indian citizens.
Article 10- Any individual who is considered an Indian citizen under any of the provisions of this part will continue to be an Indian citizen.
Article 11- This Article talks about the right of parliament to regulate the right of citizenship by Law.

What are the benefits of Indian Citizenship

There are multiple benefits of getting Indian Citizenship, and some of the major benefits of getting Indian Citizenship is mentioned below.

Job Opportunities– The citizens of India get unrestricted access to all the employment sectors in India, and also to all the governmental positions and various public services that are limited only to Indian citizens.
Voting Rights– All the citizens of India have a legal right to participate in all kinds of democratic voting processes, by voting in any state, national and local elections happening in India.
Right to own property– The citizens of India have an exclusive right to deal with their property. They can sell, hold, and transfer their property according to their will, no restrictions can be placed upon them.
Benefits of Social Security– All the citizens of India have ultimate access to all kinds of social schemes which are being run by the Indian Government for the benefit of their citizens.
Legal Protections– The citizens of India get access to all kinds of legal protections and constitutional rights. Such as the right to freedom of speech, right to equality and right to personal liberty.
Holding Public Office– All citizens with Indian citizenship have a right to political representation and stand for public office positions.
Cultural Connection– The citizens of India have a right to explore Indian culture and feel a sense of connection with the culture, traditions, history and heritage of India.

How can Indian citizenship be acquired

There are multiple ways through which Indian Citizenship is granted under the provisions of the Indian Citizenship Act, of 1955, such as:

Indian Citizenship is granted by Birth under Section 3
Indian Citizenship granted by Descent under Section 4
Indian Citizenship granted by Registration under Section 5(1)
Indian Citizenship is granted by Registration under section 5(4) (minors)
Indian Citizenship is granted by Naturalisation under Section 6
Indian Citizenship granted by the Corporation of Territory under Section 7

Now let us understand all these sections in detail, further in this article.

Indian Citizenship by birth

Section 3 of the Indian Citizenship Act, of 1955 deals with the categories under which individuals are considered as citizens of India by birth. So section 3 of the Indian Citizenship Act provides that.

Any individual who is born in India between the period of January 26th 1950, and July 1st, 1987 will be considered a citizen of India by birth. Even if the parents of the child are not Indian nationals the child can still be considered as an Indian Citizen.
Any individual who is born in India between the period of July 1st 1987, and December 3rd 2004, will be considered an Indian Citizen by birth if any of his parents is an Indian National during the time of birth. It is not necessary for both parents to be of Indian Origin if the child is born during this period.
Any individual who is born in India on or after the period December 3rd 2004, will be considered a Citizen of India only if both the parents of such child are an Indian national, Or if one of the parents is an Indian National and the other one is not an illegal migrant.

Please Note

According to Section 2(1)(b) of the Citizenship Act, any foreigner who enters the premises of India without a valid passport ID and other valid travel documents is considered an illegal migrant. Also, those persons who have all the valid documents and Passport IDs but stay in India for more than the permitted period are also considered as illegal migrants.

Tabular Representation of Section 3 of Indian Citizenship Act, 1955

Date of Birth	Place of Birth	Conditions required
Born between the period of 26.01.1950 and the period of 01.07.1987	India	No required conditions other than is required
Born between the period of 01.07.1987 and the period of 03.12.2004	India	Either the parent of such a child should be an Indian National during the time of birth
Born between the period of on or after 3rd December 2004	India	Both the parents of such a child should be an Indian National at the time of birth. OrIf not, then one of the parents should be an Indian National and the other one should not be an illegal migrant during the time of birth.

Indian citizenship by descent

Section 4 of the Indian Citizenship Act, of 1955 deals with the categories under which individuals are considered as the citizens of India by Descent. Section 4 of the Indian Citizenship Act provides that.

Any individual who is born outside the premises of India on or after January 26th 1950 but before the period of December 10th 1992, will be considered an Indian National by Descent only if the father of such individual was an Indian National by birth during the period of his child’s birth. In case the father of such a person was also an Indian citizen through Descent only then in such cases that person not be considered as an Indian citizen. But if the birth of such a person was registered with an Indian Consulate (office of a consul) within one year from the date of his birth or if there was permission by the end of Central Government, after the expiry of the given period then in such cases it will be applicable.
Any individual who is born outside the premises of India on or after December 10th 1992, but before the period of December 3rd 2004, will be considered an Indian National by Descent if any of his parents were a citizen of India by birth during the period of his birth. But in case any of the parents of such an individual were a citizen of India by Descent and not by birth then such a person will not be considered an Indian National, until and unless the birth of such a person was registered with an Indian Consulate within one year from the date of his birth or if there was a permission by the end of Central Government, after the expiry of the given period.
Any individual who is born outside the premises of India on or after December 3rd 2004, will not be considered an Indian Citizen, unless any of the parents of such child declare that their child (minor) does not hold a passport of any other nation and his birth is also registered with an Indian Consulate within one year from the date of his birth or if there was a permission by the end of Central Government, after the expiry of the given period.

Please Note

The parents of such a child will have to give an undertaking in writing, stating that their minor child does not hold a passport from any other country. And the applications for such kind of registration of birth have to be made in Form 1.

Tabular Representation of Section 4 of Indian Citizenship Act, 1955

Date of Birth	Place of Birth	Conditions required
Born between the period of 26.01.1950 and 10.12.1992	Outside the premises of India	Father should be an Indian National by birth. If the father is also an Indian National by descent, then the birth of the child should be registered with an Indian consulate within the duration of one year from the time of birth.
Born between the period of 10.12.1992 and 03.12.2004	Outside the premises of India	Any of the parents should be Indian nationals by birth. But if the parents were also an Indian National by Descent then the birth of the child should be registered with an Indian consulate within the duration of one year from the time of birth.
Born on r after the period of 03.12.2004	Outside the premises of India	A written declaration by the parents should be submitted stating that the minor does not hold a passport from any other country. The birth of their child is registered with an Indian consulate within a duration of one year from the time of birth

Indian citizenship by registration under Section (5 (1))

Section 5 of the Indian Citizenship Act deals with various categories of people (not illegal migrants) who can be registered as Indian Citizens through the process of registration.

Any individual who is of Indian origin and has been living in India for more than seven years before making the application in Form I under section 5 (1) (a) of the Citizenship Act.
Any individual who is of Indian origin, but is a resident in any other nation or place outside the premises of undivided India under section 5 (1) (b). And individuals who are married to an Indian citizen, who has ordinarily lived in India for seven years before filling out an application under section 5 (1) (c). In such cases, the application must be filed in Form II.
A minor child whose both parents are of Indian origin under section 5 (1) (d). In such cases, the application has to be made by the parents under Form III.
Individuals who are of full age and both their parents are of Indian origin under section 5 (1) (a) or 6 (1), those individuals can obtain the citizenship of India under Section 5(1) (e). In such cases, the application should be filed in Form III-A.
Any individual who is of full age and any of the parents of such individual were a citizen of Independent India and lived in India for one year before filing the application under Section 5 (1) (f). Here the application shall be filed in Form III- B.
Any individual who has obtained full age and has also been registered as an OCI (which means Overseas Citizen of India) for a period of 5 years just before filing an application under section 5(1) (g). Here the application should be filed in Form III-C

Please Note

Only those persons are considered as people of Indian origin, who themselves or any of their parents were born in undivided India or in any other territory which later became part of India after the period of 15th August 1947.

Tabular representation of Section 5 (1) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955

Section	Persons who can apply
Section 5 (1) (a)	Any adult Foreigner who or any of his parents were born in undivided India and the applicant is also ordinarily an Indian citizen for the duration of seven years before filing his application form for registration
Section 5 (1) (c)	Any adult foreigner who has married an Indian citizen and has lived for seven years in India before filing his application form for registration
Section 5 (1) (d)	A minor child having both parents of Indian origin
Section 5 (1) (e)	Any adult foreign individual whose parents are registered as Indian citizens under section 5(1) (a) or section 6(1)
Section 5 (1) (f)	Any adult foreign individual who was a citizen of India, or any of his parents were a citizen of India, and have lived in India for one year before filing his application form for registration.
Section 5 (1) (g)	Any foreigner who is an adult and has been registered as an Overseas Citizen of India for at least 5 years or more and such person has also lived in India for one year before filing his application

Indian citizenship by registration under Section (5 (4))

According to Section 5(4) of the Citizenship Act any minor child can become a registered citizen of India If the Central Government feels that there are special circumstances which justify the registration of such minor child. Under this scenario, each case is considered on the basis of merits, and applications under this category are made in Form IV.

Indian citizenship by naturalization

Section 6 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 provides that any foreigner who is not an illegal migrant and has lived in India for a period of 12 years can be registered as an Indian citizen through the process of naturalisation.

Such individuals should have been living in India for more than one year immediately preceding the application date and for the duration of 11 years in the aggregate in the 14 years preceding the duration of 12 months. Such individuals shall also fulfil other necessary qualifications as mentioned in the Third Schedule of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955.

Indian citizenship by incorporation of territory

Section 7 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 states that if any territory comes under India or becomes its part, then the Central Government may, by an official order mention the persons who shall be considered as Indian citizens because of their relation with that particular territory. And those parents shall also be considered as Indian Citizens from the date that is specified in the order.

Frequently Asked Questions on acquiring Indian citizenship

These are some of the most commonly asked questions with regard to the ways through which Indian citizenship can be acquired.

What are the different ways of acquiring Indian Citizenship?

Indian Citizenship can be acquired through birth, descent, registration, naturalisation, and incorporation of territory.

Can a foreigner become an Indian citizen?

Yes, a foreigner can also acquire the citizenship of India through the process of naturalisation. If he is not an illegal migrant.

Can a foreigner acquire Indian citizenship through marriage?

Yes, a foreigner who has married an Indian citizen and has also stayed in India for a period of seven years can acquire Indian citizenship.

Can a minor child be registered as an Indian Citizen?

Yes, if the Central government feels that there are certain circumstances which justify granting of citizenship to the minor child.

User guide to applying for Indian citizenship

Here is a very simple yet very useful user guide along with a visual representation for all the individuals who want to apply for Indian Citizenship.

Step 1– Open the browser and visit the official website of the Foreigners division of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Tap here to visit the website. Once the candidate taps on this link you will get to see a window like this.

Figure 1- Home page of the Foreigners division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Step 2– Once the candidate reaches the above window, he needs to find and locate the category option and under which section of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 he fulfils all the eligibility criteria. Once a candidate finds the section which is suitable for him he needs to tap on it. In the below given image for a better explanation, we have chosen section 5 (1) (a).

Figure 2- Page showing the registration option for citizens eligible under section 5(1) (A) of the Citizenship Act.

Step 3– After landing on this page, click on the link of eligibility criteria to check all the eligibility criteria. Once done tap on the link of eligibility criteria and this window will appear.

Figure 3- Eligibility criteria under section 5 (1) (A) of the citizenship act

Step 4- After checking the eligibility criteria, tap on the link of required documents to check the list of all essential documents which will be required in this process. Once done, tap on the link and a list of all the documents will appear on your screen.

Figure 4- List of the required documents under section 5 (1) (A) of the Citizenship Act.

Step 5– Once the candidate is done checking all the eligibility criteria and documents, he needs to proceed to check whether his category falls in the passport details exemption category. And then a screen like this will appear.

Figure 5- Image showing the list of passport details exemption.

Step 6– Now we have to move forward with the application part. If the candidate wishes to apply online for his citizenship then he must tap on the apply online option. Which is presented just below the passport details. Once done tap on the link to apply online and the applicant will be redirected to this page.

Here the candidate will be provided with a temporary application ID. All the applicants must note their temporary application ID. The candidate has to fill up all the details on this page such as father details, mother details, spouse details and several other details about themselves.

Figure 6- Page where the applicant has to fill all his details.

Step 7– Once the candidate is done with filling all the necessary details he needs to tap on the save and next button. If he has mentioned all the details correctly then he will be automatically redirected to another page of the application that is the address part. But if he has not mentioned all the details correctly then he will get an error message and then he will have to correct all his mistakes according to the error message. Once he has cleared all the errors he will be redirected to the address page.

Figure 7- Page where the applicant has to fill in all his address details

Please Note

If the applicants are from Bhutan or Nepal and they don’t have a passport or their passport has expired then they need not fill in the particulars related to the passport. Because it is optional for the nationals of Bhutan and Nepal to fill in their passport details, they can just leave that area unfilled. But they must, while filling in their application details, upload a Bhutanese or Nepali document which has been issued to them by their election commission.
Certain relaxations are provided to the people of minority communities from Pakistan or Afghanistan who have entered the premises of India on or before 31st December 2009. Those relaxations are-

It’s optional for these applicants to fill in the passport details.
They have to enter the date of visa valid up to
If the applicants have an expired passport then they can simply put the details of their expired passport (expired passport particulars are also accepted by the system)

Step 8– Once the candidate has come to the address page, he will need to enter his address details correctly. Once he has filled in the address details, he needs to tap on the Save Data button. Once he taps on this button a screen will appear which will show all the records in the table. And if the applicant wants to add more addresses then he can do so by adding more records and after that, all those records will be visible in the table.

Figure 8– Page where address page and records can be modified and added.

Step 9– After filling in the addresses the applicant has to fill in the details of his family members on the next page. Once that is done the applicant can tap on the Save Data button. Then similarly to the last stage, all the records along with a table will appear on the applicant screen. The applicants will get to see a screen like this, and they will also get to see the options of edit and delete from where they can add or delete details of their family members.

Figure 9- page where the applicant has to fill in his family details.

Step 10– Once the applicant has filled in all the details related to his family he will have to click on the next button to move to the next part of criminal proceedings. If the applicant has any kind of criminal proceedings against him then he will have to select the YES button and if he does not have any criminal proceedings against him then he will choose the NO option to move further with the application.

Figures 10 & 11- Images showing the column where the applicant has to fill all the details related to his criminal proceeding.

Step 11– After the applicant is done with the criminal proceedings part he will have to tap on the next button to move to the part of uploading photos and documents. A screen like this will appear where the applicant has to upload all the photos.

Figure 12- Image showing the page where the applicant has to upload his photo.

Once the applicant comes to this page he will have to select the relevant photos he needs to upload and tap on the upload photo button. Once the applicant taps on the upload photo button he will get to see a screen like this.

Figure 13– Image showing the page from where the applicant can view his application form.

From the above screen, the applicant will be able to view his application. Once the applicant taps on the view application button he will be able to see his application form in a PDF format. From that PDF the applicant will be able to clearly check his form before submitting it.

If the applicant has checked his application form and is satisfied with it, he can click on the Final Submit to the Ministry option.

Please Note

After clicking on the final submit option the applicant can not make any kind of modification in his application form.

Step 12– Once the applicant has submitted their application form, he will receive a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) file number. He will be redirected to the page for uploading documents.

Figure 14– Image showing the page where the applicant has to upload his documents.

Once the applicant has noted down the MHA number, he is required to tap on the close option to move further with the document submission.

Step 13– In this stage the applicant has to choose all the relevant document files which he needs to upload. Once the applicant has selected all the relevant files he will have to click on the upload button for the submission of documents. After this, the applicant will be able to see the list of documents that he has submitted.

Figure 15– Image showing the list of uploaded documents.

Step 14- Once the applicant has submitted all the necessary documents he will get to see a print application option. (look at the image above for better understanding). Through this print application option, the candidate can print and download his application form for future reference.

Step 15– Once all the above stages are complete, the candidate has successfully downloaded his application form. Candidate must move forward to make the payment in the payment window. Once the candidate taps on the payment option he will get to see a screen like this.

Figure 16-Image showing the payment page gateway.

The name of the applicant, the section under which he has filled his application form, the prescribed fee and his Ministry of Home Affairs file number will be displayed on the payment gateway screen.

The applicant can pay his fees through online mode at the SBI payment gateway. The applicant has been given the leverage to choose any kind of mode of payment such as debit card, credit card or net banking. Once the payment has been successfully made by the applicant he will receive a receipt from the system itself.

Step 16– After making the payment of the prescribed fee, the applicant has to submit a hard copy of his online application form and all the supporting documents that he has submitted to the office of the deputy commissioner or the district collector.

Step 17– Once the citizenship application has been accepted by the competent authorities of the government they will issue an in-principle acceptance letter to the applicant. The applicant will be sent an in-principle application through post, SMS, and email ID.

Once the applicant receives this application letter he will have to fill out any relevant form XI, X, or XII from this website, and the applicant is also required to submit all the essential documents to the office of the District Collector.

Figure 17- Image showing the apply options for form X/XII

Applicants are required to click on the Apply Form X/XI/XII option.

Step 18- After completing step 17 applicant will have to provide all the essential details required in the form and then tap on the Print and Modify option.

Figure 18- Image showing the modify and print option.

After tapping on the modify and print option, the applicant will receive an OTP on his email ID which he has provided while filing the application form. Then applicants will have to enter the OTP and tap on the submit and continue option.

Figure 19- Image showing the OTP verification page.

Step 19– Once the applicant enters the OTP he will be redirected to another page where he will be asked to fill in all the details.

Figure 20– Image showing the 1st page of personal form X

Step 20– Once the applicant fills in all the necessary details and taps on the save and next button he will be redirected to another page where the applicant will have to submit his signature and photograph.

Figure 21- Image showing the picture and signature upload page.

Step 21- Once the applicant has successfully uploaded his signature and photograph the next thing he has to do is to tap on the Form X final submit to the ministry option for the final submission.

Figure 22- Image showing the final submit option.

Step 22- Applicant has to click on the close option and make the payment of required fees.

Figures 23 & 24- Images showing the online payment option.

Step 23– In the last step the applicant is required to submit the hardcopy of Form X/XI/XII to the District Collectors office along with the payment receipt, valid renunciation certificate and all the signatures and photographs.

Once the Indian citizenship is granted to the applicant, his citizenship certificate will be sent to the District collector’s office.

People who can get Indian Citizenship through registration

Here we will be discussing the various persons who can apply for Indian citizenship through registration and we will also know about their eligibility criteria and documents.

Let us have a look at the list of those persons-

Any person of Indian origin
Any person who has or is been married to an Indian National
Any minor child
Any person whose parents are registered as Indian citizens
Any person whose either of parents was a citizen of independent India
Any person who is registered as an overseas citizen of India
Any foreigner through the process of naturalization
Any minor child in the Indian consulate

Now let us read in detail about all the eligibility criteria and documents required under each category of persons.

By a person of Indian Origin

Section 5 (1) (a) of the Indian Citizenship Act talks about the registration of Indian citizenship by any person of Indian origin who was ordinarily a resident of India for seven years before filing their application for registration. Let us have a look at the eligibility criteria and documents required to apply under this category.

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria are as follows

Applicants must have lived in India for one year immediately before filing an application for registration.
Applicants must have lived in India for a period of eight years immediately preceding the period of one year for at least 6 years.

Please Note

Under this subsection, a person will be deemed an Indian citizen if he or either of his parents were born in the territory of undivided India which later became part of India after the 15th of August, 1947.

List of Documents

Photocopy of a valid foreign passport ID
Photocopy of a valid residential permit
Any certificate proving the date of birth of parents.

Tabular Representation of Image and Document Uploading Criteria

Criteria for uploading images	Criteria for uploading documents
Passport-size photograph of the applicant	Applicant has to uploadDocument proving the Indian origin of parentsA foreign passport copy attachedAny copy of the valid residential permit
Dimension of the photo should be 100*120 (width and height)	All the above documents should be scanned and saved in a PDF format
Make sure that the size of the image does not exceed 20 KB	Each document can consist of several pages
The image which is to be uploaded should be in a JPG format	The size of the documents should not exceed more than 1 MB
Microsoft Picture Manager can be used to change the size of an image

A person who has or has been married to an Indian National

Section 5 (1) (c) of the Indian Citizenship Act talks about the registration of Indian citizenship by any person of Indian origin who has been married to an Indian National who was ordinarily a resident of India for seven years before filing their application for registration. Let us have a look at the eligibility criteria and documents required to apply under this category.

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria are as follows

Applicants must have lived in India for a period of one year immediately before filing an application for registration.
Applicants must have lived in India for a period of eight years immediately preceding the period of one year for at least 6 years.

List of Documents

Photocopy of a valid foreign passport ID
Photocopy of a valid residential permit
Any document proving the nationality of the husband/wife
One copy of the marriage certificate which was issued by the registrar of the marriage department

Tabular Representation of Image and Document Uploading Criteria

Criteria for uploading images	Criteria for uploading documents
Passport-size photograph of the applicant	Applicant has to uploadA foreign passport copy attachedAny copy of the valid residential permitAny proof of evidence proving the Indian nationality of the spouseCopy of the marriage certificate issued by the registrar’s officeIf any of the spouses is in a government office then any document proving such employment should be produced
Dimension of the photo should be 100*120 (width and height)	All the above documents should be scanned and saved in a PDF format
Make sure that the size of the image does not exceed 20 KB	Each document can consist of several pages
The image which is to be uploaded should be in a JPG format	The size of the documents should not exceed more than 1 MB
Microsoft Picture Manager can be used to change the size of the image

A minor child

Section 5 (1) (d) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 talks about the registration of Indian citizenship by a minor child whose parents are of Indian origin.

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria are as follows

Parents of the minor child should be of Indian origin।

Please Note

Any person who has not attained the age of 18 years is considered as a minor।

List of Documents

Photocopy of a valid foreign passport ID
Photocopy of a valid residential permit
Any document proving the Indian nationality of both parents
If a minor has a guardian then the proof of guardianship is to be produced

Tabular Representation of Image and Document Uploading Criteria

Criteria for uploading images	Criteria for uploading documents
Passport-size photograph of the applicant	Applicant has to uploadA foreign passport copy attachedAny copy of the valid residential permitAny proof of evidence proving the Indian nationality of both parents
Dimension of the photo should be 100*120 (width and height)	All the above documents should be scanned and saved in a PDF format
Make sure that the size of the image does not exceed 20 KB	Each document can consist of several pages
The image which is to be uploaded should be in a JPG format	The size of the documents should not exceed more than 1 MB
Microsoft Picture Manager can be used to change the size of the image

By a person whose parents are registered as Indian citizens

Section 5 (1) (e) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 talks about the registration of Indian citizenship by any person whose parents are registered as Indian Nationals.

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria are as follows

The person applying for citizenship should be an adult and of capacity
Parents must be registered as Indian Citizens under the Sections 6 (1) and 5 (1) (a)

List of Documents

Photocopy of a valid foreign passport ID
Photocopy of a valid residential permit
Copies of the certificate of Indian citizenship of both the parents provided by the Indian government under section 6 (1) and 5 (1) (a) is to be produced

Tabular representation of image and document uploading criteria

Criteria for uploading images	Criteria for uploading documents
Passport-size photograph of the applicant	Applicant has to uploadA foreign passport copy attachedAny copy of the valid residential permitCertificate of citizenship of both parents
Dimension of the photo should be 100*120 (width and height)	All the above documents should be scanned and saved in a PDF format
Make sure that the size of the image does not exceed 20 KB	Each document can consist of several pages
The image which is to be uploaded should be in a JPG format	The size of the documents should not exceed more than 1 MB
Microsoft Picture Manager can be used to change the size of the image

By a person whose either of the parents were a citizen of independent India

Section 5 (1) (F) of the Indian Citizenship Act talks about the registration of Indian citizenship by any person who or any of his parents were nationals of Independent India.

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria are as follows

The person applying for citizenship should be an adult
Any of the applicant’s parents should have remained citizens of Independent India
The parents of the applicant must have been residing in India for a period of 12 months immediately before filing the application for citizenship registration.

List of Documents

Photocopy of a valid foreign passport ID
Photocopy of a valid residential permit
Proof of evidence proving that either of the applicant’s parents was citizens of independent India

Tabular Representation of Image and Document Uploading Criteria

Criteria for uploading images	Criteria for uploading documents
Passport-size photograph of the applicant	Upload:A foreign passport copy attachedAny copy of the valid residential permitAny document proving the Indian origin of either of the parents of the applicant.
Dimension of the photo should be 100*120 (width and height)	All the above documents should be scanned and saved in a PDF format
Make sure that the size of the image does not exceed 20 KB	Each document can consist of several pages
The image which is to be uploaded should be in a JPG format	The size of the documents should not exceed more than 1 MB
Microsoft Picture Manager can be used to change the size of an image

Any person who is registered as an overseas citizen of India

Section 5 (1) (g) of the Citizenship Act talks about the registration of Indian citizenship by any person who is an Overseas citizen of India under section 7A of the Citizenship Act.

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria are as follows

The person applying for citizenship should be an adult.
The applicant must be registered as an Overseas citizen of India for 5 years.
Applicants must be living in India for 12 months before filing the application.

List of Documents

Photocopy of a valid foreign passport ID
Photocopy of the certificate of registration proving the applicant is an Overseas Indian citizen under Section 7A

Tabular Representation of Image and Document Uploading Criteria

Criteria for uploading images	Criteria for uploading documents
Passport-size photograph of the applicant	Applicant has to uploadA foreign passport copy attachedA copy of a legitimate OCI card with a validity of 5 years
Dimension of the photo should be 100*120 (width and height)	All the above documents should be scanned and saved in a PDF format
Make sure that the size of the image does not exceed 20 KB	Each document can consist of several pages
The image which is to be uploaded should be in a JPG format	The size of the documents should not exceed more than 1 MB
Microsoft Picture Manager can be used to change the size of the image

Any foreigner through the process of naturalisation

Section 6 (1) of the Indian Citizenship Act, of 1955 talks about the registration of Indian citizenship by any foreigner through naturalisation

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria are as follows

The person applying for citizenship should be an adult
The person applying for citizenship should not be an illegal migrant
The applicant has lived in India or served in any governmental office for a period of one year immediately before filing the application.
During the term of 14 years immediately preceding the period of one year, the applicant must have lived in India or should have been in any government office, for a duration amounting in the aggregate to not less than 11 years
Applicant must be of good character
Applicant must possess enough knowledge of a language which is specified in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution

List of Documents

Photocopy of a valid foreign passport ID
Photocopy of a valid residential permit
Photocopy of the original bank challan amounting to fifteen hundred rupees that is deposited in SBI bank under the heading of 0070 other administrative services
Applicant needs to submit one affidavit from his side and two affidavits from any two Indian nationals, who will testify the character of the applicant in the language mentioned in the application form.
2 certificates of language providing certification for the applicant’s knowledge in any of the Indian languages which are mentioned in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution.
2 newspaper cuttings of different states notifying the intention of the applicant to apply for citizenship in the language mentioned in the application form.

Tabular Representation of Image and Document Uploading Criteria

Criteria for uploading images	Criteria for uploading documents
Passport-size photograph of the applicant	Applicant has to uploadA foreign passport copy attachedAny copy of the valid residential permitOne affidavit from the applicant himself and two affidavits and two affidavits from any two Indians testifying about the applicant’s characterTwo language certificatesTwo newspaper cuttings
Dimension of the photo should be 100*120 (width and height)	All the above documents should be scanned and saved in a PDF format
Make sure that the size of the image does not exceed 20 KB	Each document can consist of several pages
The image which is to be uploaded should be in a JPG format	The size of the documents should not exceed more than 1 MB
Microsoft Picture Manager can be used to change the size of an image

By any minor child at the Indian Consulate

Any person who files for the registration of citizenship under section 4 (1) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, of his minor child who is born outside the premises of India shall provide a declaration proving that the child does not hold the passport of any other nation.

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria are as follows

The child should not hold a passport of any other country

List of Documents

Photocopy of the child’s birth certificate
Photocopy of the passports of both parents
A copy of the citizenship certificate should be also provided if the citizenship has been obtained through registration or naturalization.
Photocopy of parents’ marriage certificate
Declaration letter stating that the child doesn’t hold the passport of any other nation.

Tabular Representation of Image and Document Uploading Criteria

Criteria for uploading images	Criteria for uploading documents
Passport-size photograph of the applicant	An applicant has to uploadChild’s birth certificateParents passportParents marriage certificateA copy of the citizenship certificate should also be provided if the citizenship has been obtained through registration or naturalization.
Dimension of the photo should be 100*120 (width and height)	All the above documents should be scanned and saved in a PDF format
Make sure that the size of the image does not exceed 20 KB	Each document can consist of several pages
The image which is to be uploaded should be in a JPG format	The size of the documents should not exceed more than 1 MB
Microsoft Picture Manager can be used to change the size of an image

Tabular representation of essential information about application forms

These are the essential information that every applicant must know if he is thinking of applying for an Indian Citizenship.

Form details	Form name
Application form for the registration of India Citizenship made by a person of Indian origin under section 5 (1) (a) of the India Citizenship Act 1955.	Form II under section 5 (1) (a)
Application form for the registration of Indian Citizenship under section 5 (1) ( c ) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 made by a person who is or has been married to an Indian Citizen.	Form III under section 5 (1) (c)
Application form for the registration of a minor child under section 5 (1) ( d ) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955	Form IV under section 5 (1) (d)
Application form for the registration of Indian Citizenship made by a person under section 5 (1) (e) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, when both the parents of the applicant are registered as Indian Citizens under sections 6 (1) and 5 (1) (a)of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955	Form V, under section 5 (1) (e)
Application form for the registration of Indian Citizenship made by a person under section 5 (1) (f) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, who himself or any of his parents were nationals of Independent India and has also lived in India for a duration of 12 months before filling an application.	Form VI, under section 5 (1) (f)
Application form for the registration of Indian Citizenship made by a person under section 5 (1) (g) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, made by a registered OCI under section 7A	Form VII, under section 5 (1) (g)
Application form for naturalization as an Indian Citizen under section 6 (1) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955	Form VIII, under section 6 (1)

Tabular representation of sections and required documents for availing citizenship of India

Here we have mentioned the list of sections and all the essential documents that an applicant needs to submit in the process of availing Indian Citizenship.

Important Documents	Name of the section
Photocopy of a legit foreign passportPhotocopy of a legit residential permitEvidence proving the DOB of the parentsDeclaration of allegiance as mentioned in the form to be made in the collectors office as specified in the Citizenship Rules, 1955Photocopy of bank receipt amounting to rupees 500 that was paid to SBI bank as declaration of allegiance under heading “0070-other administrative services under Citizenship Act”	Form II under the section 5 (1) (a)
Photocopy of a legit foreign passportPhotocopy of a legit residential permitAny document proving the nationality of spouseMarriage certificateDeclaration of allegiance as mentioned in the form to be made in the collector’s office as specified in the Citizenship Rules, 1955Photocopy of bank receipt amounting to rupees 500 that was paid to SBI bank as declaration of allegiance under heading “0070-other administrative services under Citizenship Act”	Form III under section 5 (1) (c)
Photocopy of a legit foreign passportPhotocopy of a legit residential permitAny document such as birth certificate or passport which helps in proving the nationality of both the parentsDeclaration of allegiance as mentioned in the form to be made in the collectors office as specified in the Citizenship Rules, 1955Photocopy of bank receipt amounting to rupees 500 that was paid to SBI bank as declaration of allegiance under heading “0070-other administrative services under Citizenship Act”If the applicant has a guardian then proof of guardianship should also be submitted	Form IV under section 5 (1) (d)
Photocopy of a legit foreign passportPhotocopy of a legit residential permitA copy of Indian Citizenship Certificate of both of both the parents of applicant issued under the section 5 (1) (a) or 6 (1) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955Declaration of allegiance as mentioned in the form to be made in the collectors office as specified in the Citizenship Rules, 1955Photocopy of bank receipt amounting to rupees 500 that was paid to SBI bank as declaration of allegiance under heading “0070-other administrative services under Citizenship Act	Form V under section 5 (1) (e)
Photocopy of a legit foreign passportPhotocopy of a legit residential permitAny document proving that either of the parents of the applicant were a citizen of independent IndiaDeclaration of allegiance as mentioned in the form to be made in the collectors office as specified in the Citizenship Rules, 1955Photocopy of bank receipt amounting to rupees 500 that was paid to SBI bank as declaration of allegiance under heading “0070-other administrative services under Citizenship Act	Form VI under section 5 (1) (f)
Photocopy of a legit foreign passportPhotocopy of certificate of registration as the OCI u/s 7ADeclaration of allegiance as mentioned in the form to be made in the collectors office as specified in the Citizenship Rules, 1955Photocopy of bank receipt amounting to rupees 500 that was paid to SBI bank as declaration of allegiance under heading “0070-other administrative services under Citizenship Act	Form VII under section 5 (1) (g)
Photocopy of a legit foreign passportPhotocopy of a legit residential permitPhotocopy of bank receipt amounting to rupees 500 that was paid to SBI bank as declaration of allegiance under heading “0070-other administrative services under Citizenship ActApplicant needs to submit one affidavit from his side and two affidavits from any two Indian nationals, who will testify the character of the applicant in the language mentioned in the application form.2 certificates of language providing certification for the applicant’s knowledge in any of the Indian languages which is mentioned in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution.2 newspaper cuttings of different states notifying the intention of the applicant to apply for citizenship in the language mentioned in the application form.	Form VIII under section 6 (1)

Please Note

All the applicants applying for Indian citizenship are advised to read the provisions of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 and all the rules contained in it before filing an application for Indian Citizenship.

Important instructions for filling out an Indian citizenship form

These are some of the instructions that every applicant must follow while filing the application form for Indian Citizenship.

The applicant shall select only that application form for which he is eligible.
The applicant must keep all the supporting documents ready before filing the registration application.
Once the applicant finishes the first stage he will be provided with a temporary file number. The applicants must note down their temporary file number if they want to modify their application later.
Once the applicants submit their form to the Ministry of Home Affairs they will be provided with a MHA file number. The applicants must note down their MHA number for future reference or to track the status of their application.
Applicants must always take out a printout of their application form and store it with them for future reference.
Applicants must cross-check their application before submitting it to the ministry of Home Affairs because once the form is submitted the applicant can not make any changes in the application form.
Applicants must always check whether they have filled all the necessary information in their application or not.
If the applicant is facing any issue during filing an application then the applicant can send an email to [email protected] mentioning the problems that he is facing.
If the applicant has any kind of query or doubts then he can send an email to [email protected]

Post submission of application form in the collector’s office

After following all the procedures that are mentioned under Rule 11 and Rule 12 of the Indian Citizenship Rules, 2009 (rules 11 and 12 are mentioned below in this article). The application filed by the applicant will be forwarded by the concerned commissioner to the MHA by the concerned state government.
After checking the applicant if the authority is satisfied that the application is complete and doesn’t have any issues, the applicant will be informed that his/her application has been accepted through the state government.
After the application of the applicant has been accepted by the central government, the applicant will be asked to furnish a few things to the state government. Such as

Renunciation certificate of his foreign citizenship
Challan of the paid fees as mentioned in the letter of acceptance
3 passport-size photos attested by a gazetted officer in the back
3 specimens of the applicant’s signature
Personal details of the applicant in the form X at 2009 citizen rules

After this, the certificate of citizenship will be forwarded to the state government who after finishing all the formalities mentioned in citizenship rules, 2009 will provide the same to the applicant.

Modes of losing Indian citizenship

The Indian Citizenship Act provides different methods through which a person can get an Indian Citizenship but at the same time, it also lays down three methods by which an Indian citizen can lose his/her Indian citizenship. These methods are namely: termination, renunciation, and deprivation. The three methods have been explained in detail below:

Termination of Indian citizenship

The termination of Indian citizenship takes place when an Indian citizen takes up the citizenship of another country. On such occasions, the Indian citizenship of such a person terminates automatically. This clause has been provided in Section 9 of the Citizenship Act. However, this provision is not applicable in times of war and if any such case arises during a war, the discretion shall remain with the government.

Renunciation of Indian citizenship

If any adult Indian citizen makes a declaration in the prescribed manner mentioning the renunciation of his citizenship, such declaration will be registered by the competent authority and after such kind of registration is done the person will lose his Indian citizenship. But,

If the applicant has made such a declaration during any war in which India was also involved then in such cases the registration of renunciation will be withheld until the Central Government gives any direction.
If a person loses his citizenship under sub-section 1, then in such circumstances the minor child of such person will also lose its citizenship. But the child can get his citizenship back if after becoming an adult he makes a declaration to resume his Indian citizenship.

Deprivation of Indian citizenship

Section 10 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 provides that any person who has attained Indian citizenship through naturalization or registration can be deprived of his Citizenship if the central government passes an order in that regard.

The Central government can pass any order and deprive the citizenship of any such citizen if it thinks that –

The certificate of citizenship was obtained through any kind of illegal method such as concealment of any fact, fraud or false representation.
Person after receiving the Citizenship certificate has been disloyal towards the Indian Constitution
During the time of any war in which India was also involved such citizen was involved with any kind of business with the enemy which was not good for India
The citizen after he obtained the citizenship of India was given imprisonment in any country for a period of 2 years
The citizen has been living outside India for a period of 7 years and during those seven years he has neither been a student at any educational institution outside India nor he was in any Indian Government office of an International organization of which India is also a part.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

These are some of the most common doubts that every applicant faces while getting an Indian Citizenship.

Who is eligible to apply for Indian citizenship?

Any foreigner who was eligible for becoming an Indian Citizen on 26th February 1950 or was an Indian citizen after any time from 26th February 1950 or if the person belonged to a territory of India which became the part of India after 15th August 1947 and their children and grandchildren, provided that their country of citizenship allows dual citizenship under any local law, is able to be registered as an OCI. and the minor children of such person are also eligible to become an OCI. but if the applicant has been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh at any point in time then they won’t be eligible for OCI.

How can we obtain Indian citizenship?

Indian citizenship can be obtained through naturalization or by online registration available for different categories.

Who was eligible to become an Indian Citizen from the period of 26th January 1950?

Any individual who or his grandparents and parents were born in India as mentioned in the Government of India Act1935, and who was living anywhere outside India was eligible to become an Indian Citizen from 26th January 1950.

How many territories became part of India after 15th August 1947?

The territories which became the part of India after 15h August 1947 are Sikkim, Pondicherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Goa, and Daman and Diu.

Can the wife or husband of the eligible person apply for OCI?

Yes, any of the spouses is eligible in her own capacity to apply for OCI.

Can a minor child apply for Overseas Citizen of India?

Yes, if any of the parents is eligible then the minor child can also apply for OCI.

What documents do I need to submit with the registration application?

These are the documents which an applicant needs to submit along with the application

Any document proving the citizenship of the applicant
Proof of relationship as a grandparent or parent
Photocopy of the passport
Photocopy of the domicile certificate provided by the competent authority
PIO card holders should submit a photocopy of their PIO card
Any other proof

What all documents would come under the category of “Any other proof”?

Documents such as land ownership certificates, school certificates, birth certificates come under the category of any other proof.

How many application copies should be submitted?

Each applicant has to submit a duplicate form of his application

Can I withdraw my application after submitting it?

No an application can’t be withdrawn after its submission, thus it is advised for each applicant to be very sure while filing an application

Can I modify my citizenship registration application?

Yes, the applicants can modify their application with the help of a temporary ID which is provided to them at the initial stages of filling the application form.

What is the use of a temporary ID?

The temporary application ID is used to modify an application and also to complete and submit the partially filled registration application, this can be done only when the applicant has successfully saved his personal details after filling out the application form.

What will happen if I furnish the wrong information in my application form?

There will be an enquiry conducted by the concerned authorities to check whether the information was published voluntarily or by mistake. And if it is found that wrong information was filed voluntarily by the applicant then his registration as OCI will be cancelled and he will also be blacklisted for any kind of entry in India.

How long does it take for registration as OCI?

After filing 30 days of the application if no adverse information is present against the applicant . but if there is any kind of adverse information present against the applicant then in such cases it can take about 120 days.

What are the modes of losing an Indian citizenship?

An applicant can lose his Indian citizenship through three modes. And those three modes are termination, renunciation and deprivation.

From where can I fill out the application form for Indian Citizenship registration?

You can fill out an online application form for citizenship registration from the website of the Foreigners Division Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India. Tap here to visit this website.

Can I get Indian Citizenship if I marry an Indian citizen?

Yes, under section 5 (1) ( c ) of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 if a person marries someone of Indian origin can also apply for citizenship of India through registration.

Can a minor child at the Indian consulate obtain citizenship in India?

Yes, a minor child at the Indian consulate can also be registered as an Indian citizen if the parents prove that the minor does not hold a passport from any other nation.

Conclusion

Getting an Indian Citizenship is not a very difficult task if you know all the whereabouts of filling out the application form for Indian Citizenship. The most important thing that an applicant needs to figure out is under which category he is eligible to apply, once this thing is done the applicant can easily fill out the application form.

This article has exhaustively covered all the aspects of how a foreigner can acquire an Indian Citizenship. It was an ultimate guide to fixing all the doubts and queries of the applicant. Read this article once more if you are facing any kind of trouble in filing the application form and your doubts and queries will be settled.

References

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