Indian Passport Surrender Certificate after a legal name change

[Hydwind]

In our Indian Passports, the last name was missing, when we migrated to Canada, we got our legal name changed, got the name change certificate, and updated all Canadian Govt. IDs.

Now since we need to surrender our Indian Citizenship / Passport by visiting BLS, I wonder do we need to fill in the details as per our Indian Passport (which has our old name) or Canadian Passport (which has a new name), as the names are different?

I personally think, since they will be issuing a surrender certificate, I should fill in the details as per the new Canadian passport so as the name on the surrender certificate is correct. We'll attach a name change certificate to support our claim. But I am not sure.

In case somebody has been through the same scenario, please advise. Thanks!

 

[abab2022]

I managed to call them(BLS Toronto). Been told you will need Name Change Certificate when applying for OCI. For surrender certificate, all the details should match with the current INDIAN passport. Hope this helps.

 

[Hydwind]

Thanks for help; appreciate it.

 

[OCanada!]

Going through a frustrating surrender certificate process myself. Curious if either of you went ahead with the name change before applying for surrender certificate? Did you end up filling your name as-is on the Indian passport with a name change certificate attached? I assume for OCI its more straightforward (as much as it can be when dealing with any Indian babus) - you just use the new name, provider surrender certificate and name change certificate?

 

[milon45]

In our Indian Passports, the last name was missing, when we migrated to Canada, we got our legal name changed, got the name change certificate, and updated all Canadian Govt. IDs.

Now since we need to surrender our Indian Citizenship / Passport by visiting BLS, I wonder do we need to fill in the details as per our Indian Passport (which has our old name) or Canadian Passport (which has a new name), as the names are different?

I think, since they will be issuing a surrender certificate, I should fill in the details as per the new Canadian passport so as the name on the surrender certificate is correct. We'll attach a name change certificate to support our claim. But I am not sure.

In case somebody has been through the same scenario, please advise. Thanks!
Font Generator -

In your case, it's advisable to fill in the details as per your new Canadian passport when submitting your surrender application for Indian citizenship. Since the surrender certificate will reflect your name change, it’s important to ensure that the correct, updated name appears on that certificate. Including your name change certificate as supporting documentation is a good step to clarify the name discrepancy. However, for exact guidance, it’s best to contact the BLS or the Indian embassy/consulate directly to confirm their process, as they may have specific instructions for such cases.

 

[jameswilson30]

We recently went through a very similar process after legally changing our names in Canada. When it came time to surrender the Indian passport, we were told by BLS that all the details on the surrender application must exactly match the current Indian passport, even if your new legal name is reflected on Canadian documents.


However, for OCI and other future applications, the name change certificate becomes essential to bridge the identity difference. One thing that helped us a lot was planning everything out—appointments, document timelines, and processing buffers. We used Calculadora to map out deadlines and submission windows. It took the stress out of coordinating everything between work, travel, and BLS timings.


Definitely attach the name change certificate early on—it clears up a lot of questions in advance. Hope that helps someone!