There are five ways to acquire Indian citizenship:
- By birth
A person born in India on or after 26th January, 1950 is a citizen of India by birth.
- By descent
A person born outside India on or after 26th January, 1950 is a citizen of India by descent if his/her father or mother is a citizen of India at the time of his/her birth.
- By registration
A person who is not a citizen of India but who has been ordinarily resident in India for not less than 11 years in the aggregate in the 14 years preceding the date of his/her application for registration, may be registered as a citizen of India if he/she satisfies the following conditions:
* He/she is a person of good character;
* He/she has adequate knowledge of Hindi or English;
* He/she has an adequate knowledge of the Constitution of India;
* He/she has taken an oath or affirmation of allegiance to India; and
* He/she has renounced, if any, his/her foreign citizenship.
- By naturalization
A person who is not a citizen of India but who has been ordinarily resident in India for not less than 12 years in the aggregate in the 14 years preceding the date of his/her application for naturalization, may be naturalized as a citizen of India if he/she satisfies the following conditions:
* He/she is a person of good character;
* He/she has adequate knowledge of Hindi or English;
* He/she has an adequate knowledge of the Constitution of India;
* He/she has taken an oath or affirmation of allegiance to India;
* He/she has renounced, if any, his/her foreign citizenship; and
* He/she has resided in India for at least 11 years immediately preceding the date of his/her application for naturalization, out of which at least 5 years must have been after attaining the age of 18 years.
- By incorporation of territory
When a territory becomes a part of India, the persons who are citizens of that territory immediately before it becomes a part of India become citizens of India.
Please note that this is just a general overview of the laws relating to Indian citizenship. For more specific information, please consult the relevant laws or a qualified immigration lawyer.