OCI Card

Overseas Citizen of India

The Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Scheme provides for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) of all Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) who were citizens of India on 26.01.1950 or thereafter or were eligible to become citizens of India on 26.01.1950 except who is or had been a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh or such other country as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify.

Eligibility
As per Section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955), following categories of foreign nationals are eligible for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder: -

• Any person of full age and capacity:-
• who is a citizen of another country, but was a citizen of India at the time of, or at any time after the commencement of the Constitution i.e. 26.01.1950; or
• who is a citizen of another country, but was eligible to become a citizen of India at the time of the commencement of the Constitution i.e. on 26.01.1950; ог
• who is a citizen of another country, but belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15.08.1947; ог
• who is a child or a grandchild or a great grandchild of such a citizen; or 
• a person, who is a minor child of a person mentioned in (a) above; or
• a person, who is a minor child, and whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India; or
• spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder registered under section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application.

Submission of Application
Application for registration as OCI can be made online through the OCI portal  https://ociservices.gov.in/onlineOCI/. Applicants are required to upload all the requisite documents (self-attested), photograph and signature along with the application. Original documents need to be submitted for verification.

Introduction of e-OCI Card 

• Electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) card has been launched on 30.06.2026 for the new applicants and existing OCI card holders (physical booklets).
• The holder of e-OCI card will need not carry the physical copy of the OCI card at the time of Immigration Clearance and for availing other services.
• The e-OCI card can be downloaded by login into OCI portal (https://ociservices.gov.in) and through the official ‘Indian Visa Su-Swagatam” mobile app.
• The physical booklets shall continue to remain valid and shall be accepted for immigration and other associated services.

General Guidelines for e-OCI Card registration
Under the e-OCI card registration system, a unique OCI registration number will be allotted to the OCI cardholder with lifetime validity, irrespective of subsequent changes in the passport particulars. However, in the case of registration of a spouse of foreign origin of an Indian citizen or spouse of foreign origin of an OCI cardholder under section 7A(1)(d) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, the validity of the e-OCI card registration shall be initially for a period of five years and extension of the validity beyond five years shall be subject to the renewal of the registration beyond five years.
Further, the requirement of re-issuance of the OCI booklet upon issuance of a new passport after attaining the age of 20 years has been dispensed with under the e-OCI card registration system. However, all OCI cardholders irrespective of age shall be required to update the passport particulars on the online system under OCI Miscellaneous Services whenever a new passport is issued and upload a copy of the new passport containing the photo of the passport holder along with a latest photograph on the online system. The service is provided on gratis basis if the updation of particulars done within 3 months of receipt of new passport.  An OCI cardholder obtaining a new passport after attaining the age of 20 years shall be required to give his/ her biometric information to the Indian Mission/ Post or FRRO concerned at the time of updation of details on the online system or at the Immigration Post at the time of first entry or departure, as the case may be, after such updation of the details.
Upon updation of the new passport details on the OCI Services Portal, the revised passport particulars shall automatically stand reflected on the e-OCI record, thereby eliminating the requirement for the OCI Cardholder to carry the old passport for verification purposes. Similarly, all other relevant particulars of the OCI Cardholder shall remain digitally updated in the e-OCI system on a real-time basis, unlike the existing physical booklet system where details remain static unless a fresh booklet is issued.     
Procedure to be followed by the applicants for e-OCI registration:

• New OCI Card Application
• The applicant shall access the OCI Services Portal (www.ociservices.gov.in) and log in using valid credentials or complete “New User” registration to establish a secure session.
• Upon successful login, the applicant shall select the option “Apply for New OCI Application”, which shall open the prescribed online application form.
• The applicant shall complete all mandatory fields in the application form, upload the prescribed documents and review the entered information before final submission.
• Upon submission, an email would be received conveying date and time for submission of the originals of the supporting documents for prior verification.
• After verification of the documents and confirming that the application along with all the documents submitted are in order, the application would be acknowledged and processed.
• Upon grant of OCI card, the system shall generate the electronic OCI Card Registration (e-OCI card registration).
• An automated notification shall be sent to the applicant via registered email and/ or SMS, informing that the e-OCI card registration has been generated and is available for download and shall be downloaded through the OCI Services Portal.

• Existing OCI Cardholders
• The cardholder shall log in to the OCI Services Portal using existing credentials.
• On demand, the system shall enable download of the e-OCI card registration through the portal interface.
• The e-OCI card registration shall bear the same unique number as in the physical booklet earlier issued.
• The applicant shall download the e-OCI card registration, thereby completing the service delivery process.
•  Miscellaneous Services
• The applicant shall access the OCI Services Portal and log in using valid credentials.
• Upon login, the applicant shall select “Apply for Miscellaneous Services”, which shall open the relevant application module.
• Applicant shall submit application for the following services:
• Updation of Profile:
• Change of personal particulars viz. nationality etc.
• Filling of wrong personal particulars while submitting online application viz. name, father's name, date of birth, change of gender, etc.
• Change of address/ occupation of the OCI cardholder.
• Updation of Passport details etc.

 

NOTE

• The e-OCI card registration shall be treated as a valid proof of OCI status equivalent to the physical OCI booklet.
• Before filling the application, Instructions may be perused so that there is no mistake in submission of application.
• No person, who or either of whose parents or grandparents or great grandparents is or had been a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh or such other country as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify, shall be eligible for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder.
• Apostilled birth certificate of foreign spouse, spouse's parents/grandparent's/great grandparent's needs to be submitted in order to ensure that they are not of Pakistan/Bangladesh origin or any other country as notified by the Government of India.
•  Foreign nationals cannot apply for OCI in India while on Tourist Visa, Missionary Visa and Mountaineering Visa. Moreover, the foreigner has to be ordinarily resident to be eligible to apply for OCI registration in India. Ordinarily resident will mean a person staying in a particular country for a continuous period of 06 months. The definition of ordinarily resident as above will apply only in cases where foreign nationals are applying for an OCI card from a third country other than their own. The provision of a minimum stay of 06 months shall not be applicable for children of Indian nationals or OCI cardholders up to the age of 12 years applying for an OCI card.

For detailed guidelines on OCI services, please visit https://ociservices.gov.in/.

On acquiring a foreign nationality, a person ceases to be a citizen of India as per section 9 of the Indian citizenship Act 1955. Further more, the provision of renunciation of Indian citizenship under section 8 of Citizenship Act 1955 are applicable only to a citizen of India. However, it is mandatory for Indians acquiring Foreign Nationality to Surrender their Indian Passport.

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