Passport and Citizenship problem

[Snehadude349]

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Snehadude349
PARTICIPANT
April 3, 2025 at 7:26 am

I’m stuck in quite a complex situation right now. I(M25) was born in Kenya and hold a kenyan passport(expired in 2015) but I’ve been living in India since 2011.

I have all Indian documents- aadhar, pan, voter id, school leaving certificates(secondary, high school and college) and an OCI card.

But my birth certificate is of Kenya.

How should I go about applying for my passport? Since both countries don’t support dual citizenship and right now I’m a citizen of neither country.

I don’t have necessary documents for renewal of Kenyan passport or the necessary documents to apply for a new Indian passport.

If I apply for Indian passport and register my birth place as Kenya, I don’t have a citizenship certificate that’s mandatory.

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[Cleverdevansh8143]

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Cleverdevansh8143
PARTICIPANT
April 3, 2025 at 8:44 am

You are a Kenyan Citizen.

*aadhar, pan, voter id, school leaving certificates(secondary, high school and college.* These Documents are not proof of Citizenship.

Since you are an OCI and have been staying in India for the past 14 years, you are eligible for Indian citizenship. Apply for Indian citizenship and take an Indian passport.

Or else go to Kenyan Embassy and ask for a new copy of kenyan Passport.

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[Snehadude349]

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Snehadude349
OP
April 3, 2025 at 9:07 am

Will I need to renew my expired passport to apply for citizenship? And I’m not sure if I have a residential permit? Is a lifetime visa relevant anywhere in the process?

Or would there be any legal implications if I renew Kenyan passport?

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[Cleverdevansh8143]

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Cleverdevansh8143
PARTICIPANT
April 3, 2025 at 12:05 pm

If you have OCI you can live in India as long as you want.

But there is no dual citizenship. If you are applying for Indian citizenship then no need to renew Kenyan passport.

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[Cleverknight7935]

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Cleverknight7935
PARTICIPANT
April 3, 2025 at 2:21 pm

My dad is a Sudanese citizen. He was in a similar boat, where he did not have passport (it was lost) but he was in India on OCI. Though his passport was valid, and did not have any Indian aadhaar or voter id. He also applied for citizenship.

Due to local influence, we managed to get the application ahead, but then a query came from Delhi, saying as per laws, OCI is invalid w/o passport and he citizenship verification needs a physical valid passport.

By then Sudanese embassy was functional and dad had got the renewed passport, which we updated in the citizenship application file. So it was ok.

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[Cleverknight7935]

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Cleverknight7935
PARTICIPANT
April 3, 2025 at 2:39 pm

To add, when dad had applied for the Indian citizenship, in the application he had put a clear letter signed by him stating that Sudan is not in stable situation and Sudanese embassy is non functional, and thus it is difficult for him to renew his passport.

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[Snehadude349]

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Snehadude349
OP
April 3, 2025 at 2:41 pm

How long does the citizenship process usually take?

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[Cleverknight7935]

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Cleverknight7935
PARTICIPANT
April 3, 2025 at 2:44 pm

It can go for years. Minimum is 3 years, I believe. For some people it has gone for more than 7 years. There is no defined time limit as per law for getting this process completed.

My dad file is already 2 years old without final approval.

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