Termination of citizenship
Topic: Citizenship: Idea and Indian Law · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Termination of citizenship means a person automatically stops being an Indian citizen when they choose to take another country's citizenship. It is covered by Section 9 of the Citizenship Act 1955, and Article 9 of the Constitution follows the same idea. No declaration or government order is needed. It reflects India's rule against dual citizenship, which means being a citizen of two countries at once. The rule does not apply while India is at war. If there is a dispute over whether someone has taken another citizenship, the Central government decides.
Example
An Indian citizen who moves to Canada and becomes a Canadian citizen loses Indian citizenship automatically at that point. They may later apply for an OCI card, but that is not citizenship.
Don't confuse with
- Renunciation of citizenship: renunciation is a formal declaration by the person giving up citizenship. Termination happens automatically.
- Deprivation of citizenship: deprivation is ordered by the government after an inquiry, and only for citizens by registration or naturalisation.
Related concepts
- Renunciation of citizenship
- Deprivation of citizenship
- Non-resident Indian
- Person of Indian Origin card
- Overseas Citizenship of India