Dear Roland Unlike most countries, India has no dual citizenship (you are either Indian or you are not). We do have the facility to apply for documents "PIO" (Person of Indian Origin) or "OCI" (Overseas Citizen of India) to enable all of us living overseas to keep our link with our villages on the Indian Sub-Continent. I know of Indian Nationals with Jumbo passports who carry their Jumbo passports with pride as they travel from country to country on business. The visa hassle is quite normal as each country has to check that the people being allowed in are genuine with no criminal or other intentions.
In the present world, all passengers travelling need to provide information requested on APIS (Advanced Passenger Information System), in addition, those travelling to America have to inform authorities on-line on ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation). I am not sure what the reasons are why elements of our community are leaving Goa, the rule is as soon as you get a Portuguese Passport you need to leave the country within 45 days as you have chosen to no longer be a national of India and hence not the responsibility of the Indian Government. Being a Portuguese National and then applying for OCI/PIO is a different matter. Those who have not surrendered their Indian Passport face fines of over 1,000 GBP when found out. Interested readers may wish to refer to the following websites: http://www.immihelp.com/nri/dual.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_nationality_law Under paragraph "Automatic termination of Indian citizenship" - see the wording on stamp on passport Every state in India has an NRI office that looks after the interests of the state and its sons and daughters abroad. In Goa there is the Goa Card issued by the Director of NRI Affairs, Government of Goa, the main purpose is to speed up dealings with government officers, discounts at hotels and other benefits including hospitals as it is appreciated visitors have a short time in Goa on their vacation. In your goanet posting you have written: Quote: ......others may not be looking for an immigration path at all. There are Bombay Goans I know who go to Europe frequently on business as well as pleasure and complain about the visa procedural hassles for Indian passport holders. An EU passport will avoid all of this, not to mention the not inconsiderable visa costs involved. That the latter will have to conceal their EU passports until they travel, is neither here nor there....Unquote Indian Nationals require just ONE Schengen Visa to travel to 22 Schengen Visa Countries who are members of the European Union (EU) and four who are non- EU members. These countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The following European countries are not a part of the Schengen zone, namely: The UK, Ireland, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzgovina, Belarus, Macedonia, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia. If you want to travel to or even pass through any of these by train, bus or car, you will have to apply to the concerned country for a separate visa Readers can obtain information on a Shengen Visa on the following websites: http://www.letstravelzine.com/schengenvisaforindians.html http://indiancompass.com/2012/05/schengen-visa-which-european-country-to-apply-from/ I do not feel that the organisers of the Seminar on Portuguese Citizenship are aiming for a target audience of Indian citizens who would like EU passports as they travel frequently on business/pleasure, so that they can conceal this EU Passport until travel, in order avoid visa and procedural hassles. Rose Fernandes Thornton Heath, Surrey, United Kingdom 20 September 2012
