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.
Caution
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".
Fill in the details below to know more.
OCI Application - Get Started
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.
- 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.
Your processed application will be returned by CKGS to you using assured shipping services. You can either opt for return shipping from CKGS or submit your own pre-paid label / envelope.
MINOR APPLICANT
Since the applicant is minor, it is mandatory for the both parents of minor applicant to sign page 3 of the OCI application form filled on Government website.
If you are of Indian heritage or held as Indian Nationality, then you are eligible to apply under OCI Adult and not through your spouse.
If you are a Foreign Spouse of a Person of Indian Origin you must provide
- Copy of Marriage Certificate:
- Marriage should be registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than 2 years preceding the OCI application.
- Interview at Embassy / Consulate:
- As directed by the Ministry of External Affairs, for acceptance/acknowledgment of OCI applications interview of applicant and spouse by the respective Embassy/ Consulate has been made mandatory. Only on the completion of the interview shall the application be processed further.CKGS will notify you of details of the interview after the application is received.
- Self attested Joint Statement signed by the couple stating:
- That in case of dissolution of marriage or deceased spouse, you must notify and return your OCI Card to the Embassy / Consulate.
Embassy of India
Washington DC
….
PRESS RELEASE
In light of existing advisories associated with the coronavirus and movement restrictions in several States, the Embassy of India has taken the following decisions with immediate effect:-
- OCI applications will not be accepted, including by postal mail, until further notice.
- Passport applications will not be accepted, including by postal mail, until further notice. However, applicants requiring passports on emergency basis may kindly send an email to
Washington DC - cons4.washington@mea.gov.in
New York - passport.newyork@mea.gov.in
Chicago - visa.chicago@mea.gov.in
Atlanta - cons.atlanta@mea.gov.in
Houston - enquiriescgi@swbell.net
explaining their emergency situation. Once the request has been approved, the applicant will be informed to complete the application process and send the papers by postal mail to CKGS for further processing. - Miscellaneous consular services shall continue to be accepted only by postal mail until further notice. Applicants should factor in that it may take longer and there could be delays in providing miscellaneous services due to the current situation.
ALERT
Primary Cause of OCI application rejections:
- Wrong Passport Details (45% of all rejections)
- “Present Address” mismatch with “address proof” - for OCI renewal applications under “Miscellaneous Services” (40% of all rejections)
- Kindly recheck that passport details entered are correct
- In case of change of address mentioned in the existing OCI card, select the option “Change of Address/Occupation” in the Government OCI website and fill up new address that matches with address proof.
Note:
Residence/Home Delivery:
- Signature on delivery is not available. FedEx/UPS would leaves the package outside the applicant’s residence if, an applicant is not at home.
Hold at Location:
- The Hold at Location is an option being given at no extra cost for applicants who may not be home or would not have any Adult at home when Fedex delivers the package, especially since the service is Delivery without signatures – as mentioned clearly in the terms and conditions. The applicants can chose the available FeDex location from the drop down menu after filling out the address
- Package will be held at one of the nearest FedEx location from your residence/home.
- Person or family member only can pick up the package.
- Signature on delivery along with ID copy is required at the time of pickup.
- Pick package as per your own date, time and convenience.
- No Loss of package/Increase in package security.