Tibetan citizens of India born between January 26, 1950, and June 30, 1987, and their descendants can now surrender their Foreigner’s Registration Certificate and Identity Certificate to apply for an Indian passport. The Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India issued a directive on September 17, 2018, allowing eligible Tibetans to obtain Indian passports.
This development follows a Delhi High Court order instructing the government to streamline the procedure for processing passport applications of Tibetans entitled to Indian citizenship by birth. The directive emphasizes that Tibetan refugees obtaining Indian passports should not reside in designated Tibetan Refugee settlements or enjoy benefits from the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) after receiving their passport.
Previously, bureaucratic hurdles and refusals by lower-level officers had led to difficulties in surrendering these documents, leaving many Tibetan passport applications in limbo. The court’s intervention and subsequent government action aim to simplify the process, and the directive specifies that the entire streamlined procedure should be available on the website to prevent citizens from repeatedly approaching the court. It’s important to note that the government’s directive includes a provision requiring applicants to provide an undertaking not to reside in Tibetan Refugee settlements or receive CTA benefits after obtaining an Indian passport. If you are seeking information on how to surrender a Tibetan Identity Certificate for an Indian passport, this recent directive provides guidance for eligible individuals.
Here is the original circular from the government of India: