Alarming Trend: 200,000 people give up Indian citizenship!

It has become increasingly common for the Indian population to travel abroad for better employment and education of opportunities, and the trend is not likely to slowdown in the near future. In fact, we are witnessing alarming levels of Indians giving up their Indian citizenship.

In 2024, 2,06,378 Indians gave up their Indian citizenship, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Although slightly lower than the numbers in 2023 (2.16 lakh) and 2022 (2.25 lakh), this still shows a large number of people leaving Indian citizenship behind. From 2019 to 2024, over 10 lakh Indians have officially renounced their citizenship.

The main reason for this is that India does not allow dual citizenship. So, when Indians become citizens of another country like the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., or Germany, they must legally give up their Indian passport. Many people are choosing to settle abroad for better jobs, education, and quality of life.

To surrender Indian citizenship, people apply online. Their documents are checked, and if everything is fine, a renunciation certificate is issued within 60 days. Once citizenship is given up, they lose rights like voting or holding government jobs in India.

However, many of them apply for OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards, which let them travel and stay in India without a visa. This growing trend highlights how global opportunities are pulling many Indians to settle abroad, even if it means giving up their official Indian identity.