HIGH COMMISSION OF INDIA

OTTAWA

PRESS RELEASE

Further easing of provisions related to

Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Cards

1. In its ongoing efforts to simplify the process of re-issue of OCI Cards for the benefit of overseas Indian community, the Government of India has further eased the procedure relating to re-issue of OCI Cards.

2. The present requirement of re-issue of OCI Card each time a new passport was obtained (upto the age of 20 years and once after the age of 50 years) has been dispensed with.

3. OCI Cardholders are now required to get the OCI Card re-issued only once when a new passport is issued, after completing 20 years of age, so as to capture their facial features on attaining adulthood. For this purpose, the OCI cardholder shall submit an online application under OCI Miscellaneous Services with the applicable fees and visit the Indian Mission/ Post/ FRRO concerned along with original documents for verification of documents before the application is processed.

4. The OCI Cardholders will be required to upload online, within three months a copy of the new passport, their latest photo each time a new passport is issued upto the age of 20 years and once after completing 50 years of age.

5. No fee will be charged for the service of uploading these documents.

6. In cases of Foreign Spouse of an Indian Citizen or spouse of foreign origin of an OCI Cardholder, the Cardholders will also be required to submit a declaration to the effect that their marriage is still subsisting. Along with this marriage-subsistence declaration, they will also upload a copy of the Indian passport of the Indian spouse /passport & OCI card of the OCI cardholder spouse in addition to the new passport and latest photograph each time a new passport is issued.

7. In order to facilitate travel of the OCI Card holders to/from India during this interval between issue of new passport and online final acknowledgement of their documents, there will be no restriction on their travel to /from India.

Ottawa

22 April, 2021