Clara Perpetua Epifania Mendes, a resident of Panjim, recently surrendered her Indian passport and moved to the UK after acquiring foreign citizenship in search of better prospects. Similarly, Fredy Dias, another Goan, renounced his Indian passport after first relocating to Portugal and eventually settling in the UK.
These two cases reflect a broader trend among Goans seeking greener pastures and brighter futures. A steady stream continues to renounce Indian citizenship, often in favour of Portuguese nationality, driven by economic opportunities and the region’s historic ties with Portugal.
According to the Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Panjim, over 200 passport surrender applications are received on average each month, with most being approved. “The RPO receives more than 200 applications every month.
However, the numbers fluctuate — sometimes it’s 15, and at other times, just eight,” said Nijo Varghese, head of the Goa Passport Office. “The majority of those surrendering their passports are from South Goa district,” he added.
In recent months, officials have noted a slight dip in applications. “It depends on the developments at the Portuguese Consulate,” Varghese explained.
This trend is not surprising, given Goa’s historical connection with Portugal. Last year, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the State assembly that a total of 25,939 individuals had surrendered their Indian passports in Goa between January 1, 2014, and March 31, 2024. He emphasised that such decisions remain a matter of personal choice.
Portuguese passports offer access to the European Union job market and residency rights across the Schengen area — an attractive proposition for many Goans seeking stability abroad.
Commenting on the trend, Advocate Aires Rodrigues said, “Every month possibly many more than 10 Goans are surrendering their passports. Besides the passport office in Goa, many do so at Indian Missions across the world — all looking for varied opportunities.”
He also raised concerns about individuals unlawfully holding dual citizenship: “Some may be also acquiring a foreign passport while continuing to keep the Indian one, in breach of Indian law. This makes no sense, given that an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card-holder has virtually all the rights of an Indian citizen except voting rights, the ability to contest elections, and restrictions on buying agricultural or plantation properties — which, in Goa today, are extinct anyway.”
Rodrigues further emphasised the benefits of OCI status: “OCI status allows pursuing various specified professions in India. Advocates, architects, chartered accountants, doctors, dentists, nurses, and pharmacists are all allowed to work. An OCI is also entitled to be appointed as the teaching faculty of IITs, IIMs and Central Universities.”
Reflecting on the broader implications, he added, “We are living in an age where the world is a global village — just like no man is an island. There are no distant places any longer; the world is small, and the world is one.”
Despite the wave of emigration, Rodrigues finds hope in the enduring bond between Goans abroad and their homeland: “It is encouraging and heart-warming to see that the large Goan diaspora, a vibrant community spread across the world, is still maintaining strong connections with their native land, its language, culture, and traditions. There is much truth in the well-worn saying: ‘You can take a Goan out of Goa, but you cannot take Goa out of a Goan.”