Nearly 26,000 people surrendered their Indian passports in Goa in the last decade, according to a report of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) tabled in the state legislative Assembly.
In a reply to a question asked by Congress’ Yuri Alemao on surrendering of Indian passports by Goans, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds the portfolio of Home Department, said 25,939 people surrendered their Indian passport in the state of Goa between January 1, 2014 and March 31, 2024.
According to data from the FRRO Goa, a total of 25,939 individuals applied for “new visa/exit permit” after surrendering their Indian passport in Goa during the decade. In 2014, 2037 people applied for new visa/exit services upon surrendering their Indian passports and this number shot up to 4121 in 2016 before marginally reducing to 3623 in 2017 and then 2958 in 2019. In 2021 – when travel was restricted due to the onset of the Covid pandemic – the number reduced to 954 before increasing to 2094 in 2023.
An official, requesting anonymity, said a majority of people from the state who surrendered their Indian passports acquired Portuguese nationality. Portugal offers those born in Goa before December 19, 1961 – the day Goa was liberated from Portuguese rule – and two future generations the option of registering as Portuguese citizens. Since a Portuguese passport provides the holder visa-free entry to several countries, including the UK and the EU, many in Goa in the last few decades have been transcribing their births in the Central Registry in Lisbon and acquiring Portuguese citizenship to avail employment and educational opportunities overseas.
The Indian Express reported last year that between 2011 and 2022, over 69,303 Indians surrendered their passports at regional passport offices across the country, with Goa accounting for the highest among the states with over 40 percent of the total surrendered passports.
In recent months, many Goans had been stuck in limbo after their passports were revoked following a memorandum by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), dated November 30, 2022. It had instructed authorities to revoke passports – instead of issuing a ‘surrender certificate’ – of people who acquired Portuguese nationality for “suppressing material information” regarding their Portuguese citizenship. Since a ‘surrender certificate’ was one of the mandatory documents to obtain an Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card, the revocation of passports rendered many Goans ineligible for OCI.
Last month, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced that a “passport revocation order” could be considered an alternative document for granting visa or exit permission on a valid Portuguese passport or OCI card, thereby providing relief to people from erstwhile Portuguese territories in India (Goa, Daman and Diu) whose Indian passports were revoked.