OCI Card: Overseas Citizenship of India
Persons of Indian origin living in the UK can register as Overseas Citizens of India. The headline benefit is a lifelong, multiple-entry visa to India, with no permits, no police reporting and no expiry. Our India desk prepares and manages your OCI application from start to finish.
What is an OCI card? A quick answer
An OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) card is a lifelong, multiple-entry visa that lets a person of Indian origin live, work, study and travel in India without a separate visa or permit. It is not Indian dual citizenship and carries no voting or public-office rights. From the UK, you apply online and submit your documents through VFS Global on behalf of the Government of India.
Your OCI card guide, at a glance
What an OCI is
The scheme explained, and why it is not dual citizenship.
Eligibility
Who can register, and who is excluded.
Benefits
What an OCI card lets you do.
Limitations
The rights an OCI does not carry.
How to apply
The online and VFS process, step by step.
Fees
Government and VFS charges by application type.
PIO and UK status
Converting a PIO card, and OCI under UK law.
FAQs
Renunciation, re-issue rules, timelines and more.
Talk to us
Book a free, no-obligation assessment.
What is an OCI card?
The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) scheme was introduced by amending the Citizenship Act, 1955 in August 2005. It allows persons of Indian origin to register for a lifelong link to India, without giving up their foreign nationality.
Despite the name, OCI is not Indian dual citizenship. It works more like a permanent visa than a form of citizenship, and it confers no political rights such as the right to vote. The Constitution of India does not permit dual citizenship, and Indian authorities interpret the law to mean a person cannot hold a second country's passport at the same time as an Indian one.
In practical terms, the OCI is a multiple-entry, lifelong visa that allows the holder unlimited travel to and stay in India. The OCI documentation consists of an OCI registration booklet and a universal visa sticker placed in the holder's foreign passport. Registered holders must carry the passport bearing that sticker to enter and leave India.
A registered Overseas Citizen of India is granted a multiple-entry, multi-purpose, lifelong visa, is exempt from registering with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) for any length of stay, and is treated on a par with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) across most economic, financial and educational matters. The main exception is the acquisition of agricultural or plantation property. Specific parity is notified by the Ministry from time to time. You can read the practical detail in our OCI and Form 95 application guide.
OCI card eligibility
On application, the Government of India may register a person as an Overseas Citizen of India where they fall into one of the categories below, and are not caught by the exclusions.
You may be eligible if you
- were a citizen of India on 26 January 1950, or at any time thereafter;
- belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15 August 1947;
- were eligible to become a citizen of India on 26 January 1950;
- are a child, grandchild or great-grandchild of such a citizen;
- are a minor child of any of the persons mentioned above;
- are a minor child where both parents are citizens of India, or one parent is a citizen of India;
- are a spouse of foreign origin of an Indian citizen, or of an existing OCI cardholder registered under section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, where the marriage is registered and has subsisted for at least two continuous years immediately before the application.
Who is excluded
No person is eligible for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India if they, or either of their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents, is or has been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, or of any other country the Central Government specifies by notification in the Official Gazette. Anyone who has served in a foreign military is also ineligible.
OCI card benefits
An OCI cardholder is treated on a par with Non-Resident Indians across most areas of life in India. The core benefits are below.
Lifelong visa-free travel
A multiple-entry, multi-purpose visa to visit India for life, treated as valid up to 100 years from the holder's date of birth. No separate visa or permit is needed for each trip.
No police reporting
Exemption from reporting to the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer or police authorities, however long you stay in India.
Parity with NRIs
Equal treatment with Non-Resident Indians in financial, economic and educational matters, the main exception being the acquisition of agricultural or plantation property.
Recognised ID in India
An OCI card can be used as proof of identity to apply for a PAN card and a driving licence, and to open a bank account when residing in India.
For families and professionals who move between the UK and India, the practical value is the removal of friction. There are no repeat visa applications, no entry permits and no reporting obligations. Multinational employers increasingly favour OCI holders for India roles, precisely because that lifelong, multi-purpose visa makes relocation and business travel straightforward, and many organisations now move persons of Indian origin to India as they expand.
What an OCI card does not allow
Overseas Citizens of India are not citizens of India in the constitutional sense. Even when resident in India, an OCI holder does not have the following rights.
No right to vote in Indian elections.
No right to buy agricultural or plantation land. Such property can still be inherited.
No right to hold constitutional or high public office, such as Prime Minister, President, Vice-President, Supreme Court or High Court judge, or membership of the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha or a State Legislative Assembly or Council.
No right to ordinary government employment in the public services.
How to apply for an OCI card from the UK
OCI is an online application, finalised in person through VFS Global, which handles OCI applications on behalf of the Government of India in the UK.
Complete the online form
The applicant fills in the OCI application form online and uploads a photograph and signature in the required specification. Accuracy here matters, because details must match the supporting documents exactly.
Print and assemble two sets
After submitting online, you print the application and prepare two sets of the forms together with the prescribed documents proving Indian origin, identity and, where relevant, the relationship relied on.
Submit to VFS with the fees
The printed forms, documents and fees are submitted to the designated VFS centre. VFS processes the application on behalf of the Government of India.
Processing and the visa sticker
Once granted, you receive the OCI registration booklet and a universal visa sticker for your passport. The booklet is a passport-style document, with a blue cover, golden printing and the Emblem of India on the front, though it is not itself a passport.
Our India desk prepares the online application, builds the document set in the correct order, checks it against the current VFS requirements and guides the submission, so a missing or mismatched document does not delay the card.
How much does an OCI card cost?
VFS handles OCI applications on behalf of the Government of India. The government and VFS charges below apply per application type. Confirm the current rates before you submit, because they change from time to time.
| Application type | Fee |
|---|---|
| New OCI application | £194.00 + £7.44 VFS |
| Change of details, or linking a new passport to the OCI | £21.00 + £7.44 VFS |
| Lost or damaged OCI card | £73.00 + £7.44 VFS |
| Conversion of PIO card to OCI | £66.00 + £7.44 VFS |
Figures are the published government and VFS charges and are indicative. Always confirm the current rates before applying. Our professional fees for preparing and managing the application are separate, and quoted up front with no hidden costs.
PIO cards and OCI under UK law
What was a PIO card?
The Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card was the predecessor to the OCI. It was less effective than the OCI, and running two parallel schemes caused confusion and added administrative complexity. The schemes were merged. PIO cardholders must apply to convert their existing card into an OCI card, and the Bureau of Immigration confirmed that old PIO cards would be accepted as valid travel documents only until 30 September 2020.
OCI and UK consular protection
The British Home Office has confirmed that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office treats OCI status as not being a form of citizenship. As a result, British nationals who hold OCI status remain eligible for UK consular assistance while in India.
OCI card FAQs
Points that often come up alongside an OCI application, and are not covered above.
Do I need to surrender my Indian passport before applying for an OCI card?
If you were ever an Indian citizen and have since naturalised as British, you will usually need to show that your Indian citizenship has been formally given up. In practice that means a renunciation certificate, or your cancelled Indian passport with the appropriate endorsement. We confirm which surrender or renunciation evidence your case needs before the application goes in, because a missing renunciation document is a common cause of delay.
Does an OCI card ever need to be re-issued?
The card itself is lifelong, but re-issue rules apply at certain ages. An OCI obtained as a minor has historically needed to be re-issued once after the 20th birthday, and again after age 50, to keep the photograph current. The card should also be updated when a new passport is issued, particularly for younger holders. We track these triggers so the OCI stays valid for travel.
Do I have to update my OCI when I renew my passport?
Yes. The universal visa sticker is tied to the passport it was placed in. When you renew or replace your passport, you should link the new passport to your OCI using the change-of-details application. For most adult holders this is straightforward, and we can manage the re-linking so there is no question at the Indian border.
How long does an OCI card application take?
Processing is handled through VFS on behalf of the Government of India, and timelines vary with demand and whether the case needs additional checks. Cases involving renunciation evidence, or origin documents that require verification, can take longer. We give you a realistic timeframe for your specific application and flag anything likely to extend it.
Can an OCI card be cancelled or given up?
Yes. OCI registration can be surrendered voluntarily, for example if a holder decides to resume Indian citizenship, and the Indian authorities also retain power to cancel an OCI on specified grounds. If you are weighing up resuming Indian citizenship, the OCI surrender is a separate process we can advise on.
Can OCI holders own a home in India?
Yes. The bar is only on agricultural land, plantations and farmhouses. OCI holders are treated on a par with NRIs for residential and commercial property, so buying, holding and selling a house or flat is generally open to them, subject to the usual exchange-control rules.
Indian legal services, handled with care
Whytecroft Ford provides Indian legal services to the UK diaspora, including OCI registration, Indian Powers of Attorney, PAN cards and Indian property matters. Each application is prepared meticulously and managed end to end, so clients are not left decoding forms and document specifications alone.
For OCI specifically, the work is in getting the detail right: the correct origin evidence, the right renunciation documents, photographs and signatures to specification, and a submission pack VFS can process without queries.
Our India desk
A dedicated team for OCI, POA, PAN and Indian property, with advice you can rely on, in plain English.
Get your lifelong link to India in order
Book a free, no-obligation assessment with our India desk. We will confirm your eligibility, list the exact documents you need, and give you a clear plan and a fixed quote.