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Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), who fulfill certain criteria and have migrated from India to acquire a citizenship of a foreign country other than Pakistan or Bangladesh, are eligible for Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) as long as their home countries allow dual citizenship in some form or the other under their local laws.
Who is eligible for OCI?
The following person(s) are eligible for OCI. Minor children
of such persons are also eligible, however,
if the applicant had ever been a citizen of Pakistan
or Bangladesh, he/she will not be eligible for OCI.
- A foreign national, who was eligible to become a citizen
of India on 26th January 1950
- Was a citizen of India
on or at anytime after that 26th January 1950
- Belonged to a territory
that became part of India after 15th Aug 1947 and his/her's
children and grand children
- Provided his/her country
of citizenship allows dual citizenship in some form
or other under the local laws,
What are the benefits of OCI?
Following benefits will accrue to an OCI:
- A multiple entry, multi-purpose life long visa
to visit India.
- Exemption from registration with local police authorities
for any length of stay in India.
- Parity with Non-resident Indians (NRIs) in respect
of economic, financial and educational fields except
in relation to acquisition of agricultural or plantation
properties.
Any other benefits to an OCI will be notified by
the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) under
Section 7B(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
What are the limitations of OCI?
- Not entitled to vote
- Cannot be a member of a Legislative
Assembly or Legislative Council or the Parliament
- Cannot
hold constitutional posts such as President, Vice President,
Judge of Supreme Court or High Court etc.
- Cannot normally hold employment in the Government.
- Not entitled to an Indian passport
What is the procedure to apply for OCI?
The Government of India has amended its Citizenship
Rules, 1956 to simplify the procedure and application
form for grant of OCI registration. The application
for the grant of OCI can be received in two ways:
- In India: If the applicant is in India, he/she
can apply to the Foreigners Regional Registration
Officer (FRRO) in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkota or Amritsar
or Chief Immigration Officer (CHIO) Chennai or to
the Under Secretary, OCI Cell, Citizenship Section,
Foreigners Division, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),
Jaisalmer House, 26 Mansingh Road, New Delhi- 110011.
- Elsewhere in the world: At Indian Missions/Posts
outside India and by FRROs/CHIO and OCI Cell in Foreigners
Division of MHA in India.
An eligible person may apply (duplicate applications)
in the Indian Mission/Post of the country of his/her
nationality or in the Indian Mission/Post of any other
country if he/she is ordinarily residing in that country.
He/she will have to submit proof for his/her parents/grand
parents having migrated from India after 26th January,
1950 or having been eligible to be granted Indian citizenship
on that date or having been resident of such territories
(like Sikkim, Pondicherry, Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Goa,
Daman and Duu) which have been merged with the Indian
Union after 15th August, 1947.
For those wanting to make online submission can visit
the MHA's website - www.mha.nic.in. The application
has two parts, part A & B. An applicant can apply
directly online or may download the application form
and submit in hand-written format.
A maximum of four persons including spouses and at most two
minor children can make a joint application i.e. Form
XIX, while applying online or otherwise. A bar code
and a reference number will be generated automatically
by the computer as an acknowledgment on submission of
online application in Part A. The Part B of the form
can be typed after downloading or hand-written and be
submitted along with online submitted Part A and all
necessary enclosures to the concerned Mission/Post/Office.
Application fee can be paid by way of a Demand Draft
(US$275 for each applicant or equivalent in local
currency; US$25 or equivalent in local currency for
each PIO card holder). If the application is rejected,
US$25 or equivalent in the local currency will be
returned to the applicant after deducting US$25 as
processing fees. PIO cardholders will have to surrender
his/her PIO card after knowledge of acceptance of the
application.
For applications to be filed in India, an amount of
Rs. 12,650 has to be paid for each applicant by Demand
Draft in favor of "Pay and Accounts Officer (Secretariat),
Ministry of Home Affairs" payable at New Delhi.
In case of PIO Card holders, an amount of Rs. 1,150
has to be paid.
Procedure for Granting Registration:
After checking all relevant details, the concerned
office will issue an acknowledgment and the number mentioned
thereon (file number) or reference number can be used
for enquiring status in future. You can also get a online
status enquiry on MHA's website.
According to the OCI procedures, if there is no reporting
of criminal case against the individual(s), the OCI
will be granted within a period of one month whereas
in cases where there is/are a report(s) of criminal
action, it may take four months. Every case whether
granted within one month or four months will be inquired
into by the security agencies of the Central Government
so that an OCI certificate acquired on the basis of
concealed information or misrepresentation, could be
cancelled under the provisions of the Act. Such persons
will be blacklisted for entry into India.
Under this, every registered OCI will be issued a registration
certificate which is printed like an Indian passport
in different co lour and an OCI visa sticker (which is
for lifelong) will be pasted in the person's foreign
passport. These two documents will have the photograph
of the individual and all necessary security features.
OCI vs. PIO Card
According to the OCI, there are many advantages compared
to PIO cardholders.
- An OCI is entitled to life long visa with free travel
to India whereas for a PIO cardholder, it is only
valid for 15 years.
- A PIO cardholder is required to register with local
police authority for any stay exceeding 180 days in
India on any single visit whereas an OCI is exempted
from registration with Police authority for any length
of stay in India.
- A person registered as OCI is eligible to apply for grant of Indian citizenship under section 5(1)(g) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 if he/she is registered as OCI for five years and has been residing in India for one year out of the five years before making the application.
More Tips
For more Information you can visit the website of Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) www.mha.nic.in or visit the website
of the local Indian Mission/Post or contact the Indian
Mission/Post or OCI Cell, Citizenship Section, Foreigners
Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, Jaisalmer House,
26, Mansingh Road, New Delhi-110011.
Websites of Indian Missions Abroad for United States:
Consulate General of India, Chicago, USA: http://chicago.indianconsulate.com/
Consulate General of India, Houston, USA: http://www.cgihouston.org/
Consulate General of India, New York, USA: www.indiacgny.org/
Consulate General of India, San Francisco, USA: www.cgisf.org/
Embassy of India, Washington, D.C., USA: www.indianembassy.org/
Applicants in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Amritsar
can also file with respective Foreigners Regional Registration
Officers (FRROs) at the following addresses:
(i) FRRO, East Block-VIII, Level-2, Sector-1,
R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110066.
Tel. No. 011-26711384.
(ii) FRRO, Badruddin Tayyabji Marg,
Mumbai-1.
Tel. No. 022-26571998.
(iii) FRRO, Shastri Bhavan Annexe, 26,
Haddows Road, Chennai.
Tel. No. 044-28232642.
(iv) FRRO, 237, A.J.C. Bose Road,
Kolkata.
Tel. No. 033-22470549.
(v) FRRO, D-123, Ranjeet Avenue,
Amritsar.
Tel. No. 0183-2508250.
Note: Path2usa.com or the author do not recommend or
vouch for any of the websites given in this article.
We are providing you with general information.
Related Links:
For more details about OCI Refer - Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
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