Only 1,265 Goans gave up Indian citizenship in 2022: Govt data

Between 2015 and 2019, the number of persons surrendering their Indian passports at the Goa passport office stood between 3,500-4,100

Goa saw a steady decline in people surrendering their Indian passports with only 1,265 persons giving up their nationality in 2022, data provided by the state’s passport office said.

The reasons for the significant decline remain unclear. (File image)

The reasons for the significant decline remain unclear.

According to agents processing applications, interest in acquiring foreign nationality, especially Portuguese nationality, available to those who were residents of former Portuguese colonies of Goa, Daman and Diu and their descendants, continues to remain high.

Between 2015 and 2019, the number of persons surrendering their Indian passports at the Goa passport office stood between 3,500-4,100.

In comparison, only 1,265 surrendered their passports in 2022.

The number of persons who surrendered their passports in favour of foreign nationality stood at 3,873 in 2015, 4,139 in 2016, 3,634 in 2017, 3,603 in 2019 but began falling thereafter with 2,927 giving up citizenship in 2019.

In the following two years that were affected by the pandemic, 930 and 2,835 persons surrendered their Indian passports in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Meanwhile, travel agents said despite the decrease in numbers, the interest among those looking to apply for foreign citizenship remained steady.

“The number of people approaching us showing interest in applying for Portuguese citizenship has not gone down. It continues on the upward trajectory that it was on prior to the pandemic,” Bruno Gomindes, proprietor of a registered agency, who helps process applications for Portuguese nationality, said.

“Brexit does leave European passport holders at a slight disadvantage, but to the extent that they can no longer freely live and work in the UK like earlier, but there are several other European countries available to them,” he added.

The time taken to process an application has also risen from a few months to now more than a year, an indication of persistent demand, he said.

“There is no decline in interest after the UK left the European Union (EU) and Brexit appears to have had minimal effect,” he added.

The UK was the preferred destination for those who were applying for Portuguese passports who would choose to change their nationality in order to access the UK rather than having to apply for a work permit to the UK as an Indian citizen -- a cumbersome process that would often result in the application being rejected.

Under Portuguese law, those born in its erstwhile colonies before liberation, can get the country’s citizenship, and this facility is available till the third generation.

In the case of Goa, all those born in the state before 1961 and their descendants can get Portuguese passports.

It is estimated that more than 2 lakh people of Goan origin have since applied for and availed Portuguese citizenship of which at least 30,000 are now living in the UK.

Unlike the British, Portugal considered its colonies in India -- Goa and the Union territories of Daman and Diu as integral parts of the republic and its citizens at par with the Portuguese. However, since Indian laws do not recognize dual citizenship, those opting for Portuguese citizenship have to renounce their Indian citizenship and lose their voting rights among other privileges.