OCI Card

OCI-General Information:
Any eligible person can submit an application for registration at https://ociservices.gov.in. The applicants are also advised to visit https://ociservices.gov.in website for latest regulation and information promulgated from time to time or any clarification.

Benefits.

• OCI is multiple entry lifelong visa for visiting India for any purpose.

(Please note that OCI Cardholders are not entitled to undertake any Research, Missionary, Tabligi, Mountaineering or Journalistic activities or undertake internship in any foreign diplomatic mission or foreign government organizations in India or take up employment in any diplomatic missions in India without special permission or permit from the Government of India. OCI cardholder shall also require Protected Area Permit (PAP)/Restricted Area Permit (RAP) to visit any place which falls within the Protected/Restricted Area notified by the Government.)

• Exemption from registration with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) or Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) for any length of stay in India. Provided that the OCI cardholders who are normally resident in India shall intimate the jurisdictional FRRO or FRO by email whenever there is a change in permanent residential address and in their occupation.
• Parity with Indian nationals in the matter of tariffs in airfares in domestic sectors in India and entry fees for visiting national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, national monuments, historical sites and museums in India.
• Parity with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in the matter of inter-country adoption of Indian children, subject to the compliance of the procedure as laid down by the competent authority for such adoption; appearing for all Indian entrance tests such as National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Joint Entrance Examination (Mains), Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) or such other tests to make them eligible for admission only against any NRI seat or any supernumerary seat, but not against seats reserved exclusively for Indian citizens; purchase or sale of immovable properties other than agricultural land or farm house or plantation property; and pursuing the following professions in India, in pursuance of the provisions contained in the applicable relevant Statutes or Acts, namely :
• Doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists ;
• Advocates ;
• Architects ;
• Chartered Accountants

• In respect of all other economic, financial and educational fields not specified above or rights and privileges not covered by the notifications made by the Reserve Bank of India under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1992 (42 of 1999), the OCI cardholder shall have the same rights and privileges as a foreigner.

Eligibility.

• Citizen of another country but was citizen/eligible to become citizen of India on or after 26.1.1950;

OR Minor child of above person.

Revised Guidelines for Re-issuance of OCI Cards.

• An OCI cardholder is required to get OCI card re issued once when new passport is issued after completion of 20 years of age. For this purpose, the OCI cardholder should submit an application under OCI miscellaneous services with Fee.
• An OCI cardholder may upload a copy of the new passport containing the photo of the passport holder and the latest photo on the online portal each time a new passport is issued up to 20 years of age and once after completing 50 years of age. These documents may be uploaded by the OCI cardholder within 3 months of receipt of the new passport. This service is provided gratis.
• In the case of those who have been registered as OCI cardholder as spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or an OCI card holder, the OCI card holder is required to upload a copy of the new passport containing the photo of the passport holder and also a latest photo on the online system under OCI miscellaneous services each time a new passport is issued. In such cases, the OCI cardholder and his/her Indian spouse or OCI cardholder spouse are required to give a declaration that their marriage is still subsisting. Copy of the Indian passport of the Indian spouse / passport and OCI card of the OCI cardholder spouse are required to be also uploaded in such cases. These documents may be uploaded by the OCI cardholder foreigner spouse within 3 months of receipt of his/her new passport. This service is provided Gratis.
• There will be no restriction on the OCI cardholder to travel to/from India during the period from the date of issue of new passport till the date of final acknowledgement of his/her documents in the online system.

In case of change of nationality of the OCI cardholder, the same procedure as outlined above shall be followed provided the new nationality is not that of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

OCI Misc services can also be availed by OCI cardholders for the following reasons:

• Change of personal particulars. (In case of change of nationality, he/she can be permitted to enter/exit on the strength of the OCI Card and valid passport of the new nationality provided the new nationality is not of that of Pakistan or Bangladesh)
• Loss/damage of OCI Card
• Filling of wrong personal particulars while submitting online application
• Change of address/occupation of the OCI cardholder

Procedure to be followed for filing application.

• Applicants should log on to https://ociservices.gov.in
• Applications  under  OCI  Miscellaneous  services  should  be  submitted  along with documents, photograph [not less than 51x51 mm with 80% coverage of face, light colour background (not white), without border, front view, minimum dimensions are 200 x 200 pixels and maximum dimensions are 900 pixels x 900 pixels] and signature [in case of minors who cannot sign, left hand thumb impression is required]. Photograph and signature must be in JPEG/JPG format with max size 200 KB.

Documents required to be uploaded:

In case of re-issuance of OCI Card on acquiring new passport (No FEE for ages up to 20 years and after 50 years):

• Copy each of (i) OCI Card, (ii) new foreign passport, and (iii) old foreign passport.

In case of re-issuance of OCI card after attaining the age of 20 years

• Copy each of (i) OCI card, and (b) newly issued foreign passport.

In case of re-issuance of OCI Card for foreign origin spouse on acquiring new passport (No FEE):

• Copy each of OCI Card, old passport and new passport of applicant.
• Copy of Indian spouse’s current passport and OCI card and declaration by both the applicant and the Indian or Indian origin spouse that the marriage is still subsisting.

In case of change of personal particulars:

• Proof for each requested service like change of name, change of address and occupation. In case of change of address/occupation, new OCI document will not be issued. Upon submission of online application, the data will be captured and new address/occupation will be printed which may be kept in the OCI booklet for record purpose. This service is provided gratis.

In case of theft/loss of OCI Card

• Copy of the complaint lodged with police authorities. If the report is in foreign language, authorized translation is required.
• Copy of lost OCI card.

Note* The Mission reserves right to call any applicant for a personal interview at Embassy of India, at Equatorial Guinea prior processing the application.

Verification of supporting documents.

The applicant is required to submit originals of the supporting documents along with OCI applications and a fee of at Embassy of India, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. After verification of documents and the application, the applicant will be required to deposit the remaining fee as applicable. The application will be automatically acknowledged on the online system. An auto email will be sent to the applicant informing “Application received and is under process”.
To facilitate the process of filling of Application a Document Checklist and FAQs are appended.
   

CHECKLIST FOR SUBMISSION OF OCI APPLICATION

Type A: Application for Fresh OCI

i.   Online Application Form
 Surrender / Renunciation Certificate (for those who have surrendered Indian Passport in or after 2010)
iii. Original Cancelled Indian Passport or Copy of first and last page of Cancelled Indian Passport
iv. Foreign Citizenship/ Naturalization Certificate copy (for the present nationality of the applicant)
v.  Foreign passport (Original and Copy) 6 month validity vi. Professional Details of the Applicant
vii. Proof of Address viii.     Photograph

 

*Below listed documents are not required if providing cancelled Indian passport / copy of cancelled Indian passport / surrender certificate / renunciation certificate or applying for OCI on the parent’s eligibility.

In the absence of above listed documents please provide an attested photocopy of Minimum 3  documents  from  the  list  below  or  any  other  relevant  document  to  prove  your  Indian origin/descent.

• Indian Domicile certificate from competent authorities (District Magistrate, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Executive Magistrate, etc.).
• Indian  passport  or  OCI  of  parents/grandparents  and  evidence  of  relationship  as parent/grandparent, if their Indian origin is claimed as basis for grant of OCI.
• Indian Birth certificate
• Indian Educational certificate (Submission of more than one educational certificates will be considered as one proof only)
• Indian Marriage certificate
• Indian Ration Card
• Indian Government Employment records
• Indian Voters Identity card
• Agricultural land Documents

Type B: Application for Reissue of OCI / Conversion of PIO to OCI For Reissue of OCI / Misc Service on OCI
i.   Online Application Form
ii.  Foreign passport* (Original and Copy)
iii. Existing OCI Card /PIO card (Original and Copy)
iv. For Damaged OCI cases - enclose damaged OCI Card in original
v.  For Lost OCI cases - Police Report for Lost OCI
vi. Professional Details of the Applicant
vii. Proof of Address
viii.     Fees
ix. Photograph

Type C: Application for OCI to Minor Children

Type C (i): Application for OCI to Minor Children - Born in Equatorial Guinea/ Foreign
      country

i.   Online Application Form
ii.  Foreign passport (Original and Copy)
iii. Cancelled Indian Passport / Renunciation Certificate Or OCI
iv. Proof of Address
v.  Birth certificate – for children born abroad (attested copy)
vi. Consent of both parents
vii.      Passport of Parents (copy)
viii.     Registered Marriage Certificate (Attested copy)
ix. Fees
x.  Photo

Type C (ii): Application for OCI to Minor Children - Born in India

i.   Online Application Form
ii.  Surrender / Renunciation Certificate
iii. Indian Passport (Original and Copy)
iv. Foreign Citizenship certificate (Original and Copy)
v.  Foreign passport* (Original and Copy)
vi. Birth certificate – for children born in India (Attested)
vii.      Proof of Address
viii.     Consent of both parents
ix.      Passport of parents (copy)
x. Registered Marriage Certificate (Attested copy)
xi.      Fees
xii.     Photo

Type D: Application for OCI on Indian Origin Spouse basis

i. Online Application Form
ii.      Foreign passport* (Original and Copy)
iii.     Professional Details of the Applicant
iv.    Attested copy of Registered Marriage Certificate
v.     Indian Passport of the Spouse
vi.    Spouse Citizen- Status
vii.   Proof of Address
viii.   Fees
ix.    Photograph

 

*Foreign spouse can submit application for OCI on the basis of Indian origin spouse only after two years of valid marriage.

Application for OCI Online Application Form:
1.  i) The online application for OCI must be completed and submitted online. The form can be filled up and submitting online at the below link: https://ociservices.gov.in/welcome

All eligible persons can file their application for registration as OCI online. Before the registration process could be started, there are certain things that eligible persons need to know. They are mentioned below:

- The person must first check the eligibility before the starting the  registration process.

-  If  the  applicant  is  already  an  OCI  card  holder,  he/she  needs  to  use  OCI
  ‘Miscellaneous Services’.

-  The person needs to register through OCI registration even if he/she is a PIO card
    holder or the card is in the lost state.

- To reprint the already registered application, the ‘Reprint Submitted Application’
   service must be used.

 

Prerequisites before filling up the Online OCI Form:

(i)Apart from these, there are certain prerequisites as well which needs to be addressed.   
   They are:

• The applicant must be ready with his/her photo and the image of the signature. The      size of both the photo and the signature must not exceed 200 KB.

 

Note: The height and width of the photo must be equal. The minimum and maximum dimensions are 200 pixels x 200 pixels and 900 pixels x 900 pixels (width x height). The height and width of the signature’s image must have an aspect ratio of 1:3. The minimum and maximum dimensions are 200 pixels x 67 pixels and 900 pixels x 300 pixels (width x height).

• The supporting documents must be ready in PDF format whose size must not exceed      1,000 KB.

     (ii)To register as OCI, eligible persons need to follow the steps mentioned below:

The applicant must first visit www.ociservices.gov.in

Next, he/she needs to click on ‘OCI Registration’

In doing so, the applicant is redirected to a new page where he/she needs to click on the link that reads ‘Click Here to Proceed’.

In the next page, the applicant is required to click on ‘Proceed’.

In the corresponding page, the applicant needs to key in the captcha code and click on ‘Enter’.

Next,  the  appropriate  option  from  among  ‘Fresh  Application’  and  ‘Complete  Partially-Filled Application’ needs to be selected.

On  selecting  ‘Fresh  Application’,  a  new  page  is  opened  where  the applicant’s  information, passport details, and family details need to be provided. 

In the next page, the applicant’s photo and signature needs to be uploaded

Once the photo and signature are successfully uploaded, the supporting documents need to be uploaded and the application is needed to be submitted.

After the submission of the online application, a copy of the application form which contains the online registration number needs to be printed.

The printout along with all the relevant enclosures and requisite fees needs to be submitted to the Indian Mission/Post/Office under whose jurisdiction the applicant is ordinarily residing.

iii) Must select the correct Indian High Commission / Consulate, based on the place where you reside and the Consular jurisdiction of Indian High Commission/ Consulate/Embassy.

(iv)  In the online form, please fill up the column related to “Relationship with the root Indian” carefully.  Herein the applicant is expected to mention the relation through which his/her Indian origin is established.  For example, the applicant himself/herself was Indian Passport holder – “self” to be mentioned. If Father/Mother/ Grandfather/ Grandmother/Spouse was Indian national – then you need to write the exact relation by which the applicant’s Indian origin is established i.e., “Father” or “Mother” “Grandfather” “Grandmother” “Spouse”.

v) All the personal particulars / data entries of the OCI application should match with the current Passport. The name of parents & spouse should match as mentioned in their Indian Passport.

vi) After online submission of application form, no changes can be made manually/ hand writing. In case of any error / changes, please fill a fresh new online application form and use that for further submission to Mission.

vii) The Mission reserves the right to call for Additional Documents, as considered necessary.

 

Acknowledgment: OCI Applications received with complete documentations will be acknowledged  within  12-15  working  days.  For  Acknowledgment please use your  Registration number  & Passport No. at: http://passport.gov.in/oci/status Enquiry

Processing Time:

• Processing time will be 50 working days from the date of Acknowledgment.

• Your application may take longer if it is submitted without all required documentations.

• Spouse based OCI applications are referred to MHA in India hence no time frame  is given to process such applications.

• All applicants are advised to make their firm bookings/travel plans only after issue of OCI as there is NO urgent service available for OCI application.

 

Details of various OCI Services Fee :

Sl. No.	OCI Services		OCI Fee (in CFA) including ICWF charges of CFA 2000
1	New OCI Registration	Fresh Application	167000
2	OCI Registration	In lieu of Valid PIO card	62000
		In lieu of Lost PIO card	62000
3	Re-issuance of OCI Card	In case of issuance of new passport	17000
		In case of change of personal particulars	17000
4	Issuance of Duplicate OCI Booklet	In case of mutilated/damaged OCI card	62000
		In case of loss of OCI card	62000

 

PLEASE NOTE: This time frame is indicative only, process may take longer so we strictly advise NOT to book ticket before getting OCI Card.

Frequently Ask Questions (FAQs) – MHA