Why Passport Surrender Usually Comes Before an OCI Application
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For many people who acquire citizenship of another country, one of the first administrative steps is surrendering their existing Indian passport. Indian law does not generally recognise dual citizenship, so holding onto an Indian passport after taking on a new citizenship can create complications that are best avoided from the outset.
Surrendering the passport is typically treated as a formal acknowledgement that Indian citizenship has ended, and it is often a required precursor before an OCI card application can be lodged. Skipping or delaying this step can hold up the OCI process later, even if it seems like a minor formality at the time.
The surrender process usually involves submitting the passport along with supporting documents to the relevant consular authority, and it can take some time to complete. Because timelines are not fixed and can vary, building this into an overall plan well ahead of any travel need is generally the more comfortable approach.
Once the surrender is confirmed, the OCI application can generally proceed, giving the applicant a long-term link back to India even though full citizenship has been given up. Treating the two steps as sequential rather than simultaneous tends to avoid unnecessary confusion during the process.