Regarding my parents passport and old surrender certificate

876 votes

If your parents surrendered their old passport when they acquired Indian citizenship, then while applying for a fresh passport they must select “Yes” to the question that asks whether the previous passport was surrendered. Since the surrender certificate is lost, there is no need to panic — this situation is common. The Passport Office allows applicants to proceed by submitting: 1. A written declaration/affidavit stating that the old passport was surrendered earlier but the certificate has been misplaced and is not available now. 2. Any supporting document from the time of surrender, if available (email acknowledgment, receipt copy, cancelled passport stamp, etc.). 3. If nothing else is available, the declaration alone is sufficient — the Passport Seva system will verify the surrender status internally. You should not choose “No.” If you select “No,” the system may treat them as if they never surrendered the passport and this could lead to: • Penalty under passport rules, • Additional scrutiny, • Delay in processing. Since the surrender already happened and more than 10 years have passed, there is no penalty applicable now — the only requirement is to provide a declaration of loss.

Advocate Yuganshu Sharma LawRato

686 votes

For your situation (old Indian passports already surrendered, surrender certificates lost), the usual approach is:State “Yes” to the question whether the old passport was surrendered, because that is factually correct.�Then contact the Passport Seva helpline or local Passport Office and ask what they accept as substitute proof (for example, an affidavit about loss of the surrender certificate, police report if required, or obtaining a duplicate/renunciation certificate from the issuing authority).

LawRato LawRato

811 votes

Since your parents had surrendered their earlier Indian passports, they should answer “Yes” when asked whether the passport was surrendered. Loss of the old surrender certificate is not a major issue. They can apply for a duplicate surrender certificate by submitting a written request along with an affidavit explaining the loss and attaching any available proof such as acknowledgment, old passport number, or past correspondence with the authorities. The Passport Office will verify records internally, as surrender entries remain in their system even after many years. Once verification is complete, the application for a fresh passport will be processed without difficulty.

Advocate Madhvi Chopra LawRato

797 votes

You need to be legally correct for getting the fresh passports . There are lot of things that need to be known before advicing you for the further steps as the original citizenship status of yours the place of birth etc. , without knowing this it can be harmful for your case as it can lead to further prosecution. Contact for more information in this regard .

Advocate Anshul Dutt LawRato