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 local laws. If you have the following questions in mind, please read this article:

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
  • Provided his/her country of citizenship allow dual citizenship in some form or other under the local laws
  • Was a citizen of India on or at any time after 26th January 1950
  • Belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15th Aug 1947

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?

  • Cannot 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.
  • Cannot hold 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/grandparents migrated from India after 26th January, 1950 or were eligible to be granted Indian citizenship on that date or were 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 making online submission go to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India 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 it in a 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 it or hand-written and be submitted along with online submitted Part A and all necessary enclosures to the concerned Mission/Post/Office.

Applying for OCI in India

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.

Applying for OCI in US

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 accepting the application.

Procedure for Granting Registration:

OCI Card Status

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 check the status of your application on MHA's website.

Criminal Background

  • 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, can be cancelled under the provisions of the Act.
  • Such persons will be blacklisted for entry into India.

After registration

Every registered OCI will be issued a registration certificate that is printed like an Indian passport in different co lour and an OCI visa sticker (which has lifelong validity) 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

If you compare OCI and PIO card, there are some advantages. These are discussed below:

  • An OCI card entails lifelong validity of visa with free travel to India whereas for a PIO cardholder, the maximum validity period is 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 such registration for any length of stay in India.
  • A person registered as the 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 Consulates in 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.

Disclaimer: Path2usa.com does not recommend or vouch for any of the websites given in this article. We are providing only a general overview on the process.