Indians Are Giving Up Citizenship & Settling Abroad, Says Ministry of External Affairs

Indians are giving up citizenship and settling abroad, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). 10,40,860 or 1.04 million Indians voluntarily renounced their passports between 2019 and 2024.

Parliament 2025 Session

During the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament in 2025, a question was asked. The question was whether the Government is aware that the number of Indians who relinquished their Indian Citizenship has been increasing since 2019.

The Ministry Of External Affairs Response

The Ministry of External Affairs replied that the number of Indians who gave up their Indian citizenship was 1,44,017 in 2019; 85,256 in 2020; 1,63,370 in 2021; 2,25,620 in 2022; 2,16,219 in 2023, and 2,06,378 in 2024.

According to the data shared earlier by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), 1.75 million (10,75,000) Indians voluntarily renounced their passports between 2011 and June 2023.

Why Are Indians Giving Up Citizenship?

Indians have given up citizenship to immigrate to approximately 135 countries around the world, including Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Iceland, and the Vatican, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

2019 Data

The data shows that in 2019, 1,44,017 Indians renounced their citizenship, while the number grew to a record high of 2,25,620 in 2022. Since then, the number of Indians surrendering their Indian passport has remained above 2 lakh.

Does India Have Dual Citizenship?

India currently does not have a policy allowing dual citizenship. Dual citizenship is not permitted under the provisions of Article 9 of the Indian Constitution, read with Section 9 of the Citizenship Act of 1955.

According to the government’s statements, many Indians have chosen to obtain foreign citizenship out of personal convenience. Indian nationals are not restricted from travelling to foreign nations for employment. Some of them settle at their place of employment and obtain foreign citizenship for personal reasons.

MEA Data

According to MEA data shared with parliament earlier, approximately 13 million Indian nationals, including labourers, professionals, and experts, are currently living abroad.