Why in News? A November2022 memorandum issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has led to the revocation of passports of more than 100Goans in the past few months.

About the Memorandum-It is related to the “surrender of Indian passport on account of acquisition of foreign nationality by an erstwhile Indian citizen” and divides the cases of issuing passport surrender certificates into various categories.

What is the Issue? Authorities under section 10(3)(b) of the Passport Act, 1967 are revoking passports of some Goans alleging that they got their Indian passports issued/reissued by suppressing material information about his/her having obtained foreign nationality irrespective of the fact that the passport was used for travel or not. As a result, these individuals are unable to apply for Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI- an immigration status authorizing a foreign citizen of Indian origin to live and work in India)and compelled to apply for visas to stay in their ‘land of origin’.

What is the Portuguese Law? Portugal offers those born in Goa before December 19, 1961 (when Goa liberated) and two future generations the option of registering as Portuguese citizens.

Why are People Opting for Portuguese Citizenship? A Portuguese passport holder gets visa-free entry to several countries, including the UK and the EU, therefore many Goans have been registering their births in Lisbon and acquiring Portuguese citizenship to avail employment and educational opportunities available overseas.

How has the State Government responded to the issue? It is urging the MEA to reconsider the decision of revoking Indian passports of these individuals based on birth registration in Portugal and to grant amnesty to Goans to cancel their Portuguese identity cards, so they can retain their Indian citizenship.