An Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card helps Indian-origin foreign nationals stay connected with their country of origin. By holding an OCI card, you can get many benefits, like a lifetime visa-free travel to India, equal rights for the NRIs in the economic, financial, and educational sectors. For Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), the OCI card acts as a bridge between their residence country and ancestral homeland.
The Government of India issues this card and functions like a visa for the people of Indian origin who are living outside India. In this blog, you will learn about the OCI card, its eligibility criteria, the required documents, and the OCI card application process for NRIs, including fees and processing times. So without wasting a single minute, let's start our blog and find out more about the OCI card for NRIs.
What is an OCI Card?
An OCI card is a travel document for foreign nationals of Indian origin to study, live, and work in India. With an OCI card, you can stay in Indian for an indefinite period of time without reporting the stay to any local police or authority.
Non-resident Indians(NRIs) and foreign nationals get many OCI card benefits, like visa-free entry in India, to get equal fares as Indian citizens on domestic flights, and to get entry in the national parks or wildlife sanctuaries.
The government of India introduced the OCI card in August 2005 for people who demanded dual citizenship and wanted to live in other countries under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2005, where an applicant needs to fill out an online application form to apply for an OCI card for NRIs and foreign nationals.
So, before filing out an OCI card application, first let's find out about the OCI card eligibility for NRIs.
What are the Eligibility Criteria to Apply for an OCI Card?
Here are the following OCI card eligibility criteria to apply for an OCI card for NRIs.
- You must be an Indian citizen after 26th January 1950.
- Your Parents or grandparents were citizens of India.
- For the people who belong to a territory that became a part of India after 15 August 1947.
- To apply for an OCI application, you must be a citizen of any foreign country except India.
- You must surrender your Indian citizenship to get a foreign citizenship.
- Spouse of Indian citizens or old OCI cardholders needs to provide a marriage certificate. You must have been married for more than 2 years.
- If you are a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, then you are not eligible to apply for an OCI card.
How to Apply for an OCI Card?
To apply for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card for Non-resident Indians (NRIs), you need to follow these simple steps:
- Step 1: Go to the official website of MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs), and choose the option OCI registration.
- Step 2: Register yourself and start filing your OCI card application Part A with a recently clicked photo and an accurate signature.
- Step 3: Fill out the application form Part B.
- Step 4: Upload all the documents for your OCI card application process in a PDF format.
- Step 5: Pay the required fees for the OCI card application process for NRIs.
- Step 6: Then you need to book an appointment for the submission of your documents at the nearest Indian embassy or consulate.
- Step 7: NRIs need to take a printout of the application and submit it to the appointment center along with all the supporting documents.
- Step 7: After submitting, you can track your OCI card application process for NRI status.
- Step 8: Once your application is accepted and processed, NRIs can collect their OCI card from the Indian consulate or embassy, or if you have paid for the courier services, then your OCI card will be delivered to your home address.
What are the Documents Required for an OCI Application?
Here is the checklist of documents required for the online application process for NRIs.
- A self-attested copy of your current passport.
- A self-attested copy of the Indian passport of parents or grandparents.
- You need to provide a Renunciation of Indian Citizenship for the OCI card (If applicable).
- You need to provide a birth certificate for proof of relationship to a former Indian citizen.
- Your recently clicked passport-sized photo.
- Residency proof in the current country.
What are the Fees and Processing Time for the OCI Card Application?
Here are the OCI card fees given below for the OCI card application for NRIs
| OCI Application Type |
Fees |
| For the New OCI card |
15,000/- INR |
| For Lost and Damaged OCI card |
5170/- INR |
| For OCI miscellaneous services |
5500/- INR |
| For the conversion of a PIO to an OCI card application |
5697.- INR |
| OCI Renewal Application |
5500/- INR |
| For any changes in the OCI card |
2190/- INR |
Here is the quick OCI application processing time shown in the table given below for NRIs.
| OCI Application Type |
Processing time |
|
For the New OCI Card Application
|
5-6 Weeks
|
| For the Lost and Damaged OCI card Application |
6-7 Weeks |
| For OCI Miscellaneous Services |
5-6 Weeks |
| For the conversion of a PIO to an OCI card |
2-4 Weeks |
| For OCI card Renewal application |
5-6 weeks |
| For changes in the OCI card application |
4-6 Weeks |
How to Track the Status of Your OCI Application?
To track your OCI card application process for NRIs, you need to follow the steps given below:
- Step 1: Visit the official website of OCI services online.
- Step 2: Then you need to enter your Application number and Passport number under the Track application status option, and enter the captcha.
- Step 3: After entering the Captcha, you need to click on the "Get status" button.
- Step 4: Now, you can see the real-time OCI status, with all the real-time updates of your OCI application for NRIs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid while Applying for the OCI Card Application
Given below are some of the common mistakes that every applicant makes when applying for the OCI application.
- Make sure you have uploaded a perfect photo for your OCI card application for NRIs with the given ratio and sizes.
- Your signature should be matched with your supporting documents. Any incorrect or mismatched signatures can lead to the rejection of your OCI card application.
- Before submitting your OCI card application, you should check it again to see that all the details in the application form are correct.
- Fill in all the details in the OCI card application correctly to avoid spelling mistakes.
- Always apply for the OCI application as early as possible to avoid late submissions, which can lead to delays in your OCI card application.
- Make sure you have attached all the supporting documents for the OCI card application. If you have forgotten to submit the essential documents in the OCI application for NRIs, then your application can be rejected.
- Give the correct address for the delivery of your OCI card to avoid any unnecessary delays and inconvenience for the delivery partners.
- Always track your OCI card application to get the real-time status to track your OCI card application progress, and look for the updated guidelines by the Indian consulate or Indian Mission.
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Applying for an OCI card for NRIs is a straightforward process, and with this blog, you have seen the required documents, steps to apply, and fees for the OCI card application. For more information, you can go to the Visament website and ask for help from our skilled experts who have years of experience in the OCI card application documentation. Visament provides you with an error-free application process with no rejections and delays.