New British citizens from India: surrender, OCI and UK passport photos

You have just become a British citizen. India doesn't allow dual citizenship, so your Indian passport can't be used once you're British: you surrender it at VFS Global UK, the High Commission of India's service partner, and visit India on an OCI card (VFS Global UK: Indian passport surrender certificate checklist). That makes three applications, each with its own photo, and you can take all three at home.

Check: VFS UK's checklist doesn't list the penalties for travelling on an Indian passport after you became British, or any grace period. Ask VFS or the High Commission before you travel on it.

Three applications, in this order

  1. 1. Your first UK passport You take it
    Apply online on GOV.UK (£102) with a digital photo you take yourself: a plain light-coloured background (cream or light grey is safest), no glasses, a neutral face, taken in the last month. HM Passport Office asks for your naturalisation certificate and the passport you came to the UK on, and sends them back separately.
    Size: 35×45 mm, 700×900 px, cream or light grey or off-white or white
    Source: GOV.UK: Getting your first adult passport, GOV.UK: First adult passport, what documents you need, GOV.UK: Photos for passports
  2. 2. Surrender certificate for your Indian passport You take it
    Fill in the surrender form online and print it. Stick two recent 2×2 inch (51×51 mm) photos on a white background on it and sign in the box under the photo. At your VFS Global appointment bring the Indian passport, copies of its photo page, address page and every used page, your naturalisation certificate, your current British passport and the VFS declaration form.
    If your British passport is still being made, VFS UK's checklist takes a signed declaration saying "My UK passport is under process" instead.
    Size: 51×51 mm, 602×602 px, white
    Source: VFS Global UK: Indian passport surrender certificate checklist
    Check: VFS UK's checklist gives the print size and the white background but not the head size, and doesn't say whether the online form also wants a photo upload. If the form asks for one, follow its own size.
  3. 3. OCI card You take it
    Upload a square JPEG, 200×200 to 900×900 px and under 200 KB, on the OCI form: a plain light background that isn't bright white, the face about 80% of the photo. Bring one recent 2×2 inch print, the same photo, to VFS. If you were naturalised after 1 June 2010, add the Indian passport and the surrender certificate as proof of Indian origin.
    Size: 51×51 mm, 600×600 px, off-white or light grey
    Source: VFS Global UK: OCI supporting documents checklist (Oct 2025), ociservices.gov.in: OCI FAQ

From GOV.UK, VFS Global UK and the OCI portal, last checked 26 October 2026. Rules change, so confirm on each page before you apply.

Tip: the three backgrounds differ. The UK passport wants cream or light grey, the surrender prints want white, and the OCI photo a light colour that isn't bright white. UK photo booths print 35×45 mm, the wrong shape for both Indian applications.

Make all three at home. Free while we launch. After that, one payment of £5.99 covers one person's photo in every size on this page. Picproved checks the size, background, head size and face rules before you save, and your photo stays on your phone. Each office still makes the final decision. Start with your UK passport photo

Make the photos

More for the OCI application

Questions

Can I still use my Indian passport after becoming British?
No. India doesn't allow dual citizenship, so once you are British your Indian passport is surrendered at VFS Global UK for a surrender certificate, and you travel to India on an OCI card or a visa. Ask VFS or the High Commission about any penalty before you travel on the old passport.
Which photos does a new British citizen from India need?
Three: a UK passport photo on cream or light grey, two 2×2 inch prints on white for the surrender certificate, and a square OCI photo on a light background that isn't white, uploaded and printed once at 2×2 inches.
Can I use one photo for all three?
The same photo of you, but not the same file: each one wants a different size or background. Picproved makes all three from one photo and checks the size, background, head size and face rules before you save. Each office still makes the final decision.
In what order should I apply?
The UK passport first, then the surrender certificate (VFS UK takes a declaration if the British passport is still being made), then the OCI card, which needs the British passport and, if you naturalised after 1 June 2010, the surrender certificate.