Page 1 of 1

Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval lette

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 4:57 pm
by IndiMarshall
hi People..
I have applied for Citizenship on 14th May 2014 and as you all know there is so much delay at the moment.

I have to fly out of country on Dec 8th 2014 & return on Jan 11th 2015 to UK... I have to attend my brother's wedding during this period in India for sure...

The issue is.. due to delays I am not sure when I will get the approval letter. If I receive in 6 months I will recieve the approaval letter on 14th Nov 2014... I may not get the passport very soon (I may finish my ceremony with premium service.. )

My question is can I still travel on Indian passport to India after getting the 1)approval letter or
2)both approaval letter &ceremony certificate ??

What are the consequences if I do so ??

Please answer.. a lot is at stake for me

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 5:07 pm
by IndiMarshall
bumping this thread

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 5:38 pm
by keerthi
without knowing when you will attend the ceremony, it will be difficult to comment. usually within 90 days of ceremony it will be fine with a combination of British and Indian Passport.

Please refer to the threads related to this on 'Other Countries' section

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:58 pm
by CR001
You will only be a British citizen once you attend the ceremony and receive your certificate. An approval letter is just that, a letter.

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:35 am
by IndiMarshall
keerthi wrote:without knowing when you will attend the ceremony, it will be difficult to comment. usually within 90 days of ceremony it will be fine with a combination of British and Indian Passport.

Please refer to the threads related to this on 'Other Countries' section
k.. what do u mean by ''''''within 90 days of ceremony it will be fine with a combination of British and Indian Passport'''''''

After speaking to my frnds and referring to some old threads I understood that I will have 90 day to complete ceremony.Till then I am free to roam around. What is the 90 days you are saying about ?

Also I heard that once I receive the British passport I will have 90 days to submit Indian passport and during which I can travel to Inidan without fine. Is this the 90 days that you are referring to ? Please let me know.. Do u know how much is the fine ?

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 10:02 am
by IndiMarshall
CR001 wrote:You will only be a British citizen once you attend the ceremony and receive your certificate. An approval letter is just that, a letter.
Thank you . What I understand is I am free to travel anywhere till I attend the cermony ? I hope this is what you are trying to say.


Can you tell me after attending the ceremony I will send the passport application,citizenship certificate & Indian passport and other documents. I hope I will receive Indian passport sooner than the British passport. If for any reason British passport takes long time than normal and if I have to travel, can you tell me if there is anyway I can travel abroad without cancelling the application ? if I cancel how much money is involved in this process and should I apply for naturalization again and start all the process ... and are there any negative impacts ?
Please let me know.

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 2:33 pm
by IndiMarshall
bumping this thread,, still waiting for Keerthi and CR001 to reply.. If anyone else has any any answers to the questions I asked to them please reply..

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 2:40 pm
by ban.s
You still have good 4+ months between now and your planned travel date in Dec 2014.

You have also submitted your citizenship application and awaiting for a decision.

I don't think there is anything you can do in the interim. Though I don't know your personal circumstances but I don't see any urgency of the situation. I would wait and watch and take a decision nearer to the travel date.

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 2:53 pm
by IndiMarshall
ban.s wrote:You still have good 4+ months between now and your planned travel date in Dec 2014.

You have also submitted your citizenship application and awaiting for a decision.

I don't think there is anything you can do in the interim. Though I don't know your personal circumstances but I don't see any urgency of the situation. I would wait and watch and take a decision nearer to the travel date.
Thanks mate. The problem is If I attend the ceremony in between I cant travel till my passport arrives isnt it? and if this unfortunately fall during the travel period.. its a big mess for me ..as I have to attend my brohters wedding..there is so much commitment involved for the event from various ppl and its going to be a big fat wedding and its not going to easy for us to postpone this as there is so much money involved in this and last but not the least my mother just cant imagine myself not at wedding ..she is an anxious person and medically ill :-(

Can you pls reply to the questions I posted for CR001 if possbile?

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:02 pm
by ban.s
You can always travel with your indian passport, assuming it remains valid until the return date. You don't necessarily need to get a British passport for travel.

If you attend citizenship ceremony before your travel, then you are allowed to use indian passport for upto 90 days from the ceremony. Any use beyond that will attract penatly.

Wait for a month or two for the decision on your application and accordingly choose a ceremony date that fits with the travel plan.

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:03 pm
by IndiMarshall
ban.s wrote:You can always travel with your indian passport, assuming it remains valid until the return date. You don't necessarily need to get a British passport for travel.

If you attend citizenship ceremony before your travel, then you are allowed to use indian passport for upto 90 days from the ceremony. Any use beyond that will attract penatly.

Wait for a month or two for the decision on your application and accordingly choose a ceremony date that fits with the travel plan.
k thanks.. last question.. How much is the penatly ?

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:07 pm
by ban.s
approx £145 for single use beyond the 90 day period, with max £500 (for multiple violation).

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:08 pm
by IndiMarshall
ban.s wrote:approx £145 for single use beyond the 90 day period, with max £500 (for multiple violation).
Thanks.

Re: Urgent info needed. can I travel abroad after approval l

Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:11 am
by IndiMarshall
So the tricky situation is if my passport is not returned back in time and if it coincides with my journey date

Can someone tell me what should I do then ?