Hey! So seems like an exact similar situation as I was in. I called Toronto and Vancouver Consulates and could not get a live person to talk to. I emailed them and got a sloppy reply from Vancouver consulate saying "whatever information we have is on the website". I then called the high commissioners office in Ottawa. Finally someone I spoke with said I should not do this as while leaving, I will be prevented from exiting India and asked to obtain an Exit Permit from FRRO. This will let us exit without surrendering the passport. Also i heard a similar story from someone on this forum who was highly against this idea of using 2 passports to travel to India but at the same time i've had people who have done this with no problems. I think it all comes down to the immigration officer. But play safe. Surrender only takes about 10 days. After that apply for an evisa and that will take around 3 days to receive in the email and lets you stay in India for 60 days.
Travelling to India with Indian and Canadian passport
- Thread starter JJS
- Start date
The grace period means NOTHING. The moment you get the Canadian citizenship, the Indian citizenship is invalid. Yet, you must "surrender" the passport for a ridiculous fee. The grace period is probably just that you can hang on to the passport, caress it for 3 months before you surrender it without attracting a penalty!! Indian government rules almost NEVER makes sense. The right hand never knows that the left hand even exists!
Best option apply a dubai visa that's very cheap perhaps transit visa is free of 2 days now.
Fly to Dubai , exit India on Indian passport and than enter plus exit dubai both sides on your Canadian passport.
There is free entry on arrival visa for Canadian passport at Dubai airport.
simple and cheap only invest in dubai tourist visa costing less than 100 $ on Indian passport just to exit India. (don't use it )
Hope it helps
Fly to Dubai , exit India on Indian passport and than enter plus exit dubai both sides on your Canadian passport.
There is free entry on arrival visa for Canadian passport at Dubai airport.
simple and cheap only invest in dubai tourist visa costing less than 100 $ on Indian passport just to exit India. (don't use it )
Hope it helps
That's a clever idea but do you know anyone who has implemented this successfully??
There might be two problems:
1. When entering India on Indian passport, immi officer might ask for the PR card as in to verify my status, which I won't be having as its taken away during the oath ceremony.
2. When exiting India on Indian passport and Dubai visa, Immi officer might ask about my return flight from Dubai as a return ticket is required many times while going on a tourist visa. If I show Dubai as Transit then they'll ask for the details about the final destination i.e Canada.
Is there anyone who got away with this??
Travel in on Indian PP.. Surrender PP in India .. Travel back on Canadian PP..
I might be on the same boat soon.
Travel in on Indian PP.. Surrender PP in India .. Travel back on Canadian PP..
I might be on the same boat soon.
I guess this is a Legal way to do it and comes to almost the same fee if not lower. 
1. Get the Canadian Passport
2. Apply for eVisa of 60 days -- $80 USD (~107 CAD). Can get this in 4 days. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html
3. Travel to India with Canadian PP & Visa
4. Surrender Indian PP in India - INR 5000 (~94 CAD). https://portal2.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/fee/feeInput
5. Travel back on Canadian PP & canceled Surrender Certificate
This is legal and the visa + PP surrender fee is still lower (107+94= 201 CAD) than the PP Surrender fee in Canada ($ 285).
1. Get the Canadian Passport
2. Apply for eVisa of 60 days -- $80 USD (~107 CAD). Can get this in 4 days. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html
3. Travel to India with Canadian PP & Visa
4. Surrender Indian PP in India - INR 5000 (~94 CAD). https://portal2.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/fee/feeInput
5. Travel back on Canadian PP & canceled Surrender Certificate
This is legal and the visa + PP surrender fee is still lower (107+94= 201 CAD) than the PP Surrender fee in Canada ($ 285).
The only thing that would concern me here is, when applying for eVisa you might have to give more information about if you've applied for surrender yet, or so on. Because technically, you can get an eVisa only if you're not a citizen anymore and to be "not a citizen" anymore, you have to atleast apply for surrender. My theory could be wrong. But I have heard people surrendering their passports once they go to India.I guess this is a Legal way to do it and comes to almost the same fee if not lower.
1. Get the Canadian Passport
2. Apply for eVisa of 60 days -- $80 USD (~107 CAD). Can get this in 4 days. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html
3. Travel to India with Canadian PP & Visa
4. Surrender Indian PP in India - INR 5000 (~94 CAD). https://portal2.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/fee/feeInput
5. Travel back on Canadian PP & canceled Surrender Certificate
This is legal and the visa + PP surrender fee is still lower (107+94= 201 CAD) than the PP Surrender fee in Canada ($ 285).
Same here..I will (hopefully) get my Canadian passport on Thursday and have a trip planned in mid Jan..applying for the evisa etc seems like the straightforward way but if there is a grace period then I can save $100 by not applying for evisa and surrending my Indian passport in India itself...hopefully someone has recent experience with this that they can help us with...I need to decide wether to apply for the evisa by Frida
Best you can send an email to Consular Secretary consec.toronto@mea.gov.in,
cg.toronto@mea.gov.in and ask for clarification of GRACE PERIOD
i.e. After getting Canadian passport:
1. Travel to India on Indian passport within 3 months of getting citizenship
2. Surrender Indian Passport in India
3. Apply for OCI in India
4. Fly back to Canada on Canadian Passport and Surrender certificate + old Cancelled Indian passport with Entry stamp (within or after 3 months)
"Even after acquiring the Canadian citizenship, the Indian passport can be used to travel for 3 months from the day of getting the Canadian citizenship. However, penalty will be charged if the passport is used after 3 months." (from http://www.cgitoronto.gov.in/eoi.php?id=surrender_certificate)
"2. Penalty for travelling on Indian Passport after acquiring Canadian citizenship is C$ 343 for each time, subject to a maximum of C$ 1711"
"CLARIFICATIONS 4. There is a grace period of three months after acquisition of foreign nationality (to be counted from the date of registration / Naturalisation Certificate and not from the date of foreign passport) for using Indian passport for travel."
(from https://www.blsindia-canada.com/renunciation_ppt.php)
This is the feedback I received from the consulate, not the most helpful:
"It is advisable to travel on Indian or Canadian passport to avoid any difficulty with the immigration authorities.
It is also advisable that you travel on Canadian passport and surrender the Indian passport at the earliest."
I found out on other online forums that the GRACE PERIOD does not apply once Canadian passport is issued. GRACE PERIOD is only so that people can travel if they haven't acquired new nationality's passport yet.
So best way is to get e-Visa on Canadian passport and surrender Indian passport in india as @Boso has stated. But that is only for 60 days and cannot be extended so you cannot apply for OCI while in India.
That is fine and that is actually what I did..but just to let everyone know - in the e-visa form they ask if you have any existing valid passport, and for the sake of being truthful, you have to enter your active Indian passport if you haven't surrendered it yet. So I am nervous to find out what they do with that....if I will get any push back on my application etc