IMPORTANT NOTE: CKGS Indian Visa Application Centers in USA shall remain CLOSED on Monday, May 28, 2018 on account of Memorial Day.
OCI
Overseas Citizenship of India is granted to applicants who have acquired citizenship of a foreign country and who were of Indian Origin, or were or are eligible to become a citizen of India, or are a spouse of an OCI / PIO Holder or a spouse of Citizen of India. Under the Indian Citizenship Act, persons of Indian Origin are not allowed to claim dual citizenship.
Please note that the application once finalised cannot be modified. So ensure that you are entering the correct data while doing online registration and filling forms on both CKGS and Government website. In case you have finalised wrong data, you have to register again with the correct details and get the print outs with fresh file number before submitting the application to CKGS Center. We strongly recommend you to read "How to apply" page and sample form "before applying".
OCI Application - Get Started
OCI in Lieu of PIO All PIO cards are valid until September 30, 2018. AFTER September 30, 2018, PIO card will be considered as an invalid travel document. Therefore, all applicants, who have not yet converted their PIO cards to OCI card, are requested to apply for OCI in lieu of PIO before September 30, 2018.
Foreign nationals can travel with valid travel document i.e. Passport and PIO Card if the date of their journey commenced ON or BEFORE September 30, 2018.
Rules
While applying for an OCI, it is mandatory to provide proof of your Cancelled Indian passport. If you can not provide any evidence, then you are required to obtain a Renunciation Certificate which has fees and penalties based on categories selected.
Exception
OCI is Not Granted to any citizen who is / was and / or if their parents, grandparents or great grandparents are / were citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh.
Other Information
OCI applicants are requested to note that OCI cards are received in bulk batches at Embassy/Consulate.
If Govt. of India website shows that OCI card has been received at Mission, it does not mean that it is ready to be dispatched immediately.
Your OCI card will be processed batch-wise on first in first out basis.
A notification message will be sent to you as soon as your OCI card is sent to CKGS.
Please do not call our contact center regarding this inquiry, as our staff will not have any additional information about the timelines.
The Benefits of being an OCI Card holder
Multi-purpose, multiple entries, lifelong visa for visiting India.
Exemption from registration with local police authority for any length of stay in India.
Parity with NRIs in respect of economic, financial and education fields except in matters relating to the acquisition of agricultural / plantation properties.
Parity with Non-Resident Indians in the matter of inter-country adoption of Indian children.
Parity with resident Indian nationals in matters of tariffs in domestic air fares.
Parity with domestic Indian visitors in respect of entry fees for visiting national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, visiting national monuments, historical sites and museums in India.
Practicing the following professions - doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists, advocates, architects and chartered accountants.
Note:
You are not allowed dual citizenship.
You have to renounce your Indian Passport.
You have no voting rights.
You cannot be a candidate for Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha / Legislative Assembly / Council or a member of the House of the People or of the Council of States.
You cannot hold constitutional posts such as President, Vice President, Judge of Supreme Court / High Court, etc..
You cannot normally hold employment in the Government of India.
