What is the Process to Surrender an Indian Passport in the USA?

I surrendered my Indian passport after becoming a U.S. citizen last year.

The process itself wasn't difficult, but I spent the most time making sure all the document copies matched the checklist. I also kept scanned copies of everything before sending the originals.

Once I received my Surrender Certificate, I started my OCI application. From what I experienced, having the surrender process completed first made the OCI application more straightforward. Requirements can change, so it's always worth checking the latest guidance before applying.

Our family submitted three surrender applications together through VFS Chicago.

Each person had a separate application and document set, even though we mailed everything in one package. My application was processed a few days earlier than my husband's, so don't worry if family members receive updates on different dates.

One tip is to review the checklist carefully before mailing the package. A friend had their application delayed because a declaration form was missing.

I completed my passport surrender through VFS San Francisco earlier this year.

The first step was filling out the online surrender application and printing the completed form. After that, I gathered the required documents, including my Indian passport, U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, photographs, and the signed declaration forms listed in the VFS checklist.

I mailed everything to VFS because I wasn't near an application center. The application status was updated after a few days, and I received my Surrender Certificate in about three weeks. I didn't apply for OCI until I had the certificate in hand since it was one of the required documents for my OCI application.

My sister applied to surrender her Indian passport on the same week she took her US naturalization oath because I suggested that she should not wait, as I knew that surrendering your Indian passport is vital before applying for an OCI card. She submitted the documents and paid the fees online. In less than a month, she received her surrender certificat

Guys, make sure to watch out for any mistakes in your documents, as they may cause delays. I didn't realize that there was a slight mismatch in my name between my Indian passport and my US naturalization certificate, and because of this sole reason, my surrender certificate got delayed by an extra two weeks. Apart from that, I also had to submit an affidavit to explain the difference, along with the other supporting documents. So, avoid making such a silly mistake like me because the authorities do check everything very carefully.