Married in India, divorced in Canada. Now BLS is asking for Indian divorce order for passport renewal.

Community Forums Legal Advice India Married in India, divorced in Canada. Now BLS is asking for Indian divorce order for passport renewal.

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    • #1219 Reply
      Calmninja7431
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        Calmninja7431
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        May 6, 2025 at 5:06 pm
        Iโ€™m a PR in Canada and recently went to renew my Indian passport through BLS. I was married in India but got legally divorced here in Canada. Now BLS is asking me to provide an Indian divorce decree as part of the documentation for passport renewal.

        The problem isโ€”I canโ€™t go back to India at the moment to get this done. Has anyone been through a similar situation or know what my options are? Is there a way to get the Canadian divorce recognized by Indian authorities without physically being there? Or any alternative documentation I can provide to BLS?

        Any help or guidance would be really appreciated!

        Thanks in advance.

      • #1224 Reply
        Vyomfalcon307
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          Vyomfalcon307
          PARTICIPANT
          May 6, 2025 at 5:38 pm
          I was in similar situation. But I applied for passport while my divorce was being processed in Canada so didn’t have issues. I just applied as married.

          Now after I got citizenship, I just submitted my Canadian divorce certificate for passport surrender and they took it without any issues.

          Is there possibility to just apply as married and get the Indian passport? Later you can file for surrender with Canadian divorce certificate.

          • #1229 Reply
            Calmninja7431
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              Calmninja7431
              OP
              May 6, 2025 at 5:47 pm
              I asked them the same thing, and they told me that I need my exโ€™s passport and they will need to add his name to application. Honestly, I am not comfortable with what they said, and itโ€™s annoying. I was also told to contact consulate office to get more information. I am so confused as my passport is expiring in two months.

              • #1233 Reply
                Vyomfalcon307
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                  V
                  Vyomfalcon307
                  PARTICIPANT
                  May 6, 2025 at 5:52 pm
                  Yeah. Luckily I had my ex passport details. And still had to add ex name to passport. But passport was important so I had to let it go.

                  May be try different bls center?

                  If you are in GTA, you can try going to Brampton bls or something.

                  • #1235 Reply
                    Calmninja7431
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                      C
                      Calmninja7431
                      OP
                      May 6, 2025 at 6:18 pm
                      I am in Vancouver. We only have two BLS centers here. Maybe i will talk to the other centre and see what they say.

                      • #1237 Reply
                        Vyomfalcon307
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                          Vyomfalcon307
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                          May 6, 2025 at 6:20 pm
                          Good luck.

                • #1223 Reply
                  Calmninja7431
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                    C
                    Calmninja7431
                    OP
                    May 6, 2025 at 5:55 pm
                    I am in Vancouver. We only have two BLS centers here. Maybe i will talk to the other centre and see what they say.

                  • #1222 Reply
                    Desiknight9081
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                      D
                      Desiknight9081
                      PARTICIPANT
                      May 6, 2025 at 5:58 pm
                      Hi. Iโ€™m a Delhi based lawyer. For recognition of the Canadian divorce decree here, youโ€™ll have to file a petition before the family court in India. Will require a certified copy of your decree as well.

                      • #1228 Reply
                        Calmninja7431
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                          Calmninja7431
                          OP
                          May 6, 2025 at 6:11 pm
                          Thank you for responding!! Is it possible for me to do that from Canada, because I cannot go to India at this point due to my passport expiring and work commitments here. Do you think my father can apply on my behalf?

                          • #1232 Reply
                            Desiknight9081
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                              Desiknight9081
                              PARTICIPANT
                              May 6, 2025 at 6:17 pm
                              Honestly, Iโ€™ll have to check that for you. As for Indian divorces, they allow one party to appear through an attorney who should have a SPA executed in his/her favour. Should be fine in your case too. Will get back on it.

                              • #1234 Reply
                                Calmninja7431
                                Participant
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                                  Calmninja7431
                                  OP
                                  May 6, 2025 at 6:18 pm
                                  Thank you for your help! I look forward to your response.

                                  • #1236 Reply
                                    Desiknight9081
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                                      Desiknight9081
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                                      May 6, 2025 at 6:19 pm
                                      Which city?

                                      • #1238 Reply
                                        Calmninja7431
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                                          C
                                          Calmninja7431
                                          OP
                                          May 6, 2025 at 6:21 pm
                                          I am from Jalandhar, Punjab.

                                  • #1231 Reply
                                    Epicbro4471
                                    Participant
                                      E
                                      Epicbro4471
                                      PARTICIPANT
                                      May 9, 2025 at 6:34 am
                                      Sad to say, this is what I always hated about India Government. The impossible runaround they make you do for the simplest of paperwork. Driver’s license, passport, bank stuff, everything is so hard.

                                      In the US, I walked into a Bank with my Indian Passport, I had zero other documentation, no social security number, nothing. 10 minutes later, I was out with a bank account in my name and a cheque book.

                                  • #1227 Reply
                                    Proninja2751
                                    Participant
                                      P
                                      Proninja2751
                                      PARTICIPANT
                                      May 7, 2025 at 12:28 am
                                      So u mean divorce decree obtained in foreign countries will require to be validated by another decree in India for it to hold value??plz tell

                                      • #1230 Reply
                                        Desiknight9081
                                        Participant
                                          D
                                          Desiknight9081
                                          PARTICIPANT
                                          May 7, 2025 at 2:12 am
                                          No, thatโ€™s not true in all cases. If the enforcement criteria provided under law is being met, then it can be directly enforced. However, every case is peculiar and has to be seen in its own light and accordingly, legal steps need to be taken.

                                    • #1221 Reply
                                      Superravindra2858
                                      Participant
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                                        Superravindra2858
                                        PARTICIPANT
                                        May 7, 2025 at 5:31 am
                                        Tweet to MEA and Shri Jaishankar, Foreign divorces are valid as per International treaties

                                        • #1226 Reply
                                          Calmninja7431
                                          Participant
                                            C
                                            Calmninja7431
                                            OP
                                            May 7, 2025 at 4:27 pm
                                            I would love to do that, but I have heard that they do not respond or act. Even the emails sent to consulate general do not get any response back.

                                        • #1220 Reply
                                          Brightdeepa6530
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                                            Brightdeepa6530
                                            PARTICIPANT
                                            May 7, 2025 at 11:05 am
                                            Write to consulate email address. They can give the right answer.

                                            I really dislike these processes which undermines the individuality of a citizen. Recently i had to get my forms signed by another Indian to attest my form. It was mind-blowing.

                                            • #1225 Reply
                                              Calmninja7431
                                              Participant
                                                C
                                                Calmninja7431
                                                OP
                                                May 7, 2025 at 4:26 pm
                                                The problem is people at BLS do not know what they are doing. I was able to get a checklist from BLS Toronto which states two options: divorced in India and divorced in Canada. Also as of Jan 2024, Canada is part of the Hague Apostille convention, which basically means any document issued by a Canadian authority does not require any further legal attestation and legalization in India. Moreover, the information is the first thing that pops up when you go to Consulate General of India website. So, I guess the question how to get the BLS employee to acknowledge this.

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