Travelling to India after UK naturalization

Hello,
I received my UK naturalization certificate on 18th July, previously held indian citizenship
I need to travel to India on 6th November, these travel dates are outside the 3 month grace period.

Due to COVID, indian passport surrender services and OCI services are no longer available, and Indian e-visas aren't available either.

Would I be able to travel to India on the Indian passport? I'm happy to pay any fine/penalty for that. Would I face any other problems?

There is a fixed penalty for travelling on the passport beyond the 3 month window under normal conditions. So it's evident that some people are clearly able to use it to travel to India. Check this page for the penalty amount: https://www.hciwellington.gov.in/docs/1 ... CKLIST.pdf. It's in NZ dollars but it gives a good idea.

You should call the Indian consulate in the UK to get further clarification. If they allow you to travel to India on one of their specialised Air India flights, then it would make things easier for you. Even otherwise, the Indian government probably has some emergency rules in place for situations like yours. India is bound to have many cases like these right now, especially in places like the US where Indian citizens have been travelling to India with their babies/toddlers who don't own OCI cards yet.

As mentioned above, its best to get clarity from the High Commission before travel in writing. This will make it easier. Yes, while travelling on an Indian passport while being a former Indian citizen can create problems and attract a fine. Having clarity from the HC will avoid issues as you have done your due diligence if you need to travel and are in breach of the Indian passport and immigration rules.

Now, if you travel on your Indian passport after the three month grace, arrival immigration won't know that you've changed passports. However, airlines and the departing immigration will notice it - as they will find that you don't have a valid visa to travel to the UK anymore and they will then grill you to see if you have visa-free access or a UK passport to enter the UK, else you will be denied on-boarding.

namitrawal wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 24, 2020 2:43 pm

Hello,
I received my UK naturalization certificate on 18th July, previously held indian citizenship
I need to travel to India on 6th November, these travel dates are outside the 3 month grace period.

Due to COVID, indian passport surrender services and OCI services are no longer available, and Indian e-visas aren't available either.

Would I be able to travel to India on the Indian passport? I'm happy to pay any fine/penalty for that. Would I face any other problems?

Hi, i am in similar situation. Please update me on your travel details. Did you use your Indian passport to travel. your reply will help me a lot
thanks