Citizenship by Registration / Naturalisation

Routes to Indian citizenship for eligible foreign nationals — by registration (e.g., certain PIO/spouse categories) or by naturalisation after long residence.

Who it is for

• Foreign nationals long resident in India seeking naturalisation
• Persons in the registration categories (e.g., spouses of Indian citizens, persons of Indian origin)

Key requirements

• Registration: falling within a Section 5 category and meeting its residence/eligibility conditions
• Naturalisation: meeting the qualifications in Section 6 read with the Third Schedule (including the residence period and good-character requirements)
• Renunciation of existing citizenship where required (India does not allow dual citizenship)

Governing law

Citizenship Act, 1955 — Section 5 (by registration), Section 6 (by naturalisation, with the Third Schedule).

• {'abbr': 'A1522', 'section_no': '5', 'label': 'Citizenship Act §5 — by registration'}
• {'abbr': 'A1522', 'section_no': '6', 'label': 'Citizenship Act §6 — by naturalisation'}

India does not permit dual citizenship — acquiring Indian citizenship generally requires renouncing the other.