The NRI Guides Team regularly reviews this article to ensure the content is up-to-date and accurate. The last editorial review and update were on 25 October 2023.
Indian citizenship is a distinction highly sought after by foreign nationals who have made India their home, adhering to its laws, culture, and values. This coveted status, often referred to as naturalization, allows foreign nationals, who are not considered illegal immigrants, to become Indian citizens.
A foreign national, who is not an illegal immigrant, can obtain Indian citizenship by naturalization after living in India for a specified time and meeting other requirements.
This article explains the eligibility requirements and procedure for acquiring Indian citizenship by naturalization under section 6(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955. We will discuss the criteria you need to meet and explain the steps in detail, so you can easily understand how to become a naturalised citizen.
The first requirement to acquire Indian Citizenship by naturalization is the residency requirement. The foreigner should have lived in India for at least twelve years during the previous fifteen years. These twelve years are the aggregates of (a) and (b):
(a) Applicant should have either resided in India or been in the service of a Government in India or partly the one and partly the other, throughout the period of twelve months immediately preceding the date of the application;
If the Central Government is satisfied that special circumstances exist, the twelve-month period may be relaxed up to a maximum of thirty days which may be in different breaks.
(b) During the fourteen years immediately preceding the said period of twelve months, the applicant should have either resided in India or been in the service of a Government of India, or partly the one and partly the other, for periods amounting to the aggregate to not less than eleven years.
In the case of a person belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan, the aggregate period shall be relaxed to five years instead of eleven years.
The Third Schedule to the Citizenship and Naturalization Act of 1955 also outlines other requirements as below:
(a) The applicant should not be a citizen of any country where citizens of India cannot become citizens of that country by naturalization.
(b) The applicant should be of good character.
(c) The applicant should have adequate knowledge of a language specified in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. These 22 languages are:
Languages recognized in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution(d) If a certificate of naturalization is granted, the applicant should have the intention to reside in India, or to enter into, or continue in, service under a Government in India or under an international organisation of which India is a member or under a society, company or body of persons established in India.
The application for Indian Citizenship by Naturalization can be made online through the dedicated website for Citizenship. Below are the steps to be followed:
On the home page, this is the seventh link and reads as “Naturalization As a Citizen of India under section 6(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955”.
The eligibility criteria and document requirements are already mentioned above. However, it is a good idea to reconfirm them.
The Apply Online button is on the bottom left-hand side.
After each tab is completed, click on the “Save and Next” button.
Criteria for uploading the photo are given below.
After clicking on final submits, an MHA file number will be generated and the system will display the “Upload Documents” page where you can upload the scanned PDF documents.
Applicant must note down MHA file no. for access to his records in future. SMS and E-mail also will be sent to the applicant, intimating the MHA file number.
Criteria for uploading the documents are given below.
Once all the documents are uploaded then the ‘Print Application’ button would be enabled. The applicant can now click on ‘Print Application’ to take a printout of the application.
The applicant can pay the prescribed fee through the SBI e-pay payment gateway.
The applicant has to submit a hard copy of the online filled-up application and supporting documents to the office of the District Collector, District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner.
Once the competent authority decides to accept the citizenship application, the applicant will be issued
an in-principle acceptance letter (a hard copy will be sent to the postal address). The applicant will also receive an alert in the registered email ID and SMS in the contact mobile number.
On receiving the above-mentioned acceptance letter, the applicant has to fill out the relevant Form X, Form XI
or Form XII on the website and thereafter submit all original copies to the office of the competent authority.
The applicant has to submit a hard copy of the filled Form X/XI/XII in the Office of the District Collector along with the original renunciation certificate or affidavit (if applicable), receipt of payment, photographs and signatures.
Once the citizenship is granted to the applicant, his citizenship certificate will be forwarded to the concerned State Govt/District Collector.
(a) The following are the application fees for Indian Citizenship by naturalization in respect of persons belonging to the minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan (namely, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians):
(b) The following are the application fees for Indian Citizenship by naturalization for all others not covered under the above category (a):
A foreign national, who is not an illegal immigrant, can obtain Indian citizenship by naturalization after living in India for a specified time and meeting other requirements.
A foreigner can apply for Indian Citizenship after living in India for twelve years (throughout the period of 12 months immediately preceding the date of application and for 11 years in the aggregate in the 14 years preceding the 12 months).
To apply for Indian citizenship by naturalization, a foreigner should have adequate knowledge of a language specified in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
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Aneesh, the Founder & Editor of DG Pixels, holds a Master’s Degree in Communication & Journalism, and has two decades of experience living in the Middle East. Since 2014, he and his team have been sharing helpful content on travel, visa rules, and expatriate affairs.
