Eligibility quiz
Was one of your great-grandparents an Indian citizen?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Live in India for life
You can enter India as often as you like and stay without a time limit.
You do not have to register with the local immigration office for your stay.
Take entrance tests
You can take NEET, JEE (Main and Advanced) and similar entrance tests on the same terms as Indian citizens living abroad.
Admission is limited to seats for Indian citizens living abroad or extra seats, not those reserved solely for Indian citizens.
Work in India
Holders can practise professions as doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, lawyers, architects or chartered accountants on the same terms as Indian citizens living abroad.
They can teach at IITs, NITs, IIMs, IISERs, IISc, Central Universities and new AIIMS under PMSSY.
Most public posts are not open to holders.
Pay Indian citizen rates
You pay the same fares and fees as Indian citizens for flights within India.
The same rates also apply to entry to national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, national monuments, historic sites and museums.
Adopt a child
You can pursue adoption across borders of an Indian child on the same terms as Indian citizens living abroad, following the adoption authority’s process.
Buy and sell property
You can buy and sell property on the same terms as Indian citizens living abroad.
This does not include agricultural land, farmhouses or plantation property.
How to apply
Applying oCI from abroadApplying oCI from abroad
Find your consulate
Find the Indian embassy or consulate responsible for the country where you are a citizen or ordinarily live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Indian embassy or consulate handles Overseas Citizen of India registration for your city?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the consulate.
See required documentsFill in the application
Fill in Form XXVIII on the Overseas Citizen of India portal. Upload your photograph, signature and supporting documents.
Fill in the formSubmit your application
Submit your completed application online to the consulate responsible for you.
Submit your applicationWait for the review
Wait for the consulate to review your application. If it emails you about missing information, upload or provide what it asks for.
See what happens nextSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens after I submit an Overseas Citizen of India registration application to an Indian consulate?”
Bring your original documents
Take your original supporting documents to the consulate for verification. The consulate returns them after checking them.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I bring original documents for Overseas Citizen of India registration at the Indian consulate serving your city?”
Pay the fee
Pay the fee when the consulate asks you to, using the payment method it gives you.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I pay the Overseas Citizen of India registration fee at the Indian consulate serving your city?”
Wait for the decision
Once your application is complete, the consulate will acknowledge it online and email you that it is being processed. Use your passport number and online file reference number to follow its progress.
Track your applicationReceive your OCI card
Follow the consulate's instructions to collect your OCI card or have it delivered. You can then travel to India without an Indian visa, with a valid passport.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I collect my Overseas Citizen of India card from the Indian consulate serving your city?”
Prepare for travel
If you travel to India, submit the e-Arrival Card within 72 hours before you arrive. Carry your valid passport and OCI card.
Submit your arrival cardSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit India's e-Arrival Card before travelling with an Overseas Citizen of India card?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Great-grandparent's Indian records
Provide evidence of your Indian great-grandparent’s Indian status, such as an Indian passport, domicile certificate or nativity certificate. A parent’s or spouse’s PIO or OCI card can also help, together with the records showing the Indian origin on which it was issued.
Birth certificates *
Get your birth certificate and the birth certificates of your parent and grandparent linking you to your Indian great-grandparent. The certificates should name the parents; school records or inherited property records can also help establish the family connection.
* Only if you apply for OCI or your visa office asks for relationship records.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationMarriage certificates *
Get your parents’ marriage certificate if it helps show your connection to your Indian great-grandparent. If the certificate is unavailable, explain why.
* Only if marriage records are needed to establish your family connection.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Special permission limits
You need special permission for research, missionary or Tabligh work, mountaineering and journalism.
It is also needed for internships or jobs in foreign diplomatic missions or government organisations in India, and for entering protected, restricted or prohibited areas.
Travel documents and records
You need a valid passport from your other country and must keep your card and passport details current.
Complete the arrival card when travelling to India.
If you normally live in India, email the local immigration office whenever your permanent address or occupation changes.
Status can be lost
Adults can give up the status; their registered minor children lose it too.
India can cancel it for fraud, false statements, hiding facts, disloyalty to its Constitution or illegal wartime dealings with an enemy.
It can also cancel it for a prison sentence of at least two years within five years of registration, or to protect its sovereignty, integrity, security, foreign relations or the public interest.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
OCI (Overseas Citizen Of India) Europe / Indian Origin Foreign Nationals
English Facebook group for people interested in Indian visas
Request to joinIndian Passport, OCI, PCC & Visa Services.
English Facebook group for people interested in Indian visas and citizenship
Request to joinOverseas Citizen of India (OCI) - Common & Legal Problems
English Facebook group for people interested in Indian visas
Join on FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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