No.260 11/MISC/181/2019-0CI Government of India
Ministry of Home Affairs
(Foreigners Division)
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Dated: 16th April, 2021
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject: Re-issuance of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards due to issuance of new foreign passports to OCI cardholders – regarding
The undersigned is directed to say that as per extant instructions, the OCI cardholder registration is required to be got re-issued each time a new passport is issued up to 20 years of age and once after completing 50 years of age in view of biological changes in the face of the applicant foreigner. The question of dispensing with this requirement has been under consideration keeping in view the following:
(i) The OCI card is primarily a visa document and not an identity document for a foreigner.
(ii) The main identity and nationality document of a foreigner is the passport. It shall have his recent photo on it.
2. It has accordingly been decided, with the approval of the competent authority, as follows:-
(i) The existing requirement to re-issue an OCI card each time a new passport is issued to a foreigner up to 20 years of age and once after completing 50 years of age is dispensed with.
(ii) However, an OCI cardholder shall have to get the OCI card re-issued once when a new passport is issued after completing 20 years of age so as to capture his/her facial features on attaining adulthood. For this purpose, the OCI cardholder shall submit an online application under OCI Miscellaneous Services with a fee of USD 25 or an amount equivalent in local currency. After submission of application, uploading of requisite documents and payment of fee, the applicant will have to visit the Indian Mission/Post/FRRO concerned along with original documents for verification of documents. The application will thereafter be processed by the Indian Mission/Post/FRRO concerned as per existing procedure laid down in paras 21.13.3 to 21.13.12 of the Visa Manual, 2019.
(iii) An OCI cardholder may upload a copy of the new passport containing the photo of the passport holder and also a latest photo on the online system under OCI Miscellaneous Services each time a new passport is issued up to 20 years of age and once after completing 50 years of age. These documents may be uploaded by the OCI cardholder within three months of receipt of the new passport. This service will be provided on gratis basis.
(iv) In the case of those who have been registered as OCI cardholder as spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an OCI cardholder under section 7A( 1)(d) of The Citizenship Act, 1955, the OCI cardholder shall upload a copy of the new passport containing the photo of the passport holder and also a latest photo on the online system under OCI Miscellaneous Services each time a new passport is issued. In such cases, the OCI cardholder and his/her Indian spouse or OCI cardholder spouse will have to give a declaration that their marriage is still subsisting. Copy of the Indian passport of the Indian spouse, passport and OCI card of the OCI cardholder spouse shall also be uploaded in such cases. These documents may be uploaded by the OCI cardholder foreigner spouse within three months of receipt of his/her new passport. This service will be provided on gratis basis.
(v) Immediately on uploading of the documents mentioned in (iii) and (iv) above, an email will be auto sent by the system to the OCI cardholder confirming that the documents have been successfully uploaded.
(vi) The Bureau of Immigration and the Cabinet Secretariat will have access to the online system and they may upload their comments, if any, within 30 days of uploading of the documents by the OCI cardholder. If no adverse comments are uploaded by the security agencies within this period, the lndian Mission/Post/FRRO concerned shall update the details on the online system and also post the details in the Unique Case File (UCF), if there is nothing adverse. An acknowledgement through e-mail will also be automatically sent to the OCI cardholder informing that the updated details have been taken on record.
(vii) There will be no restriction on the OCI cardholder to travel to/from India during the period from the date of issue of new passport till the date of final acknowledgement of his/her documents in the online system.
3. These instructions shall come into force with immediate
effect.
(B.C.Joshi)
Director (Foreigners)
