![]() However, every time the passport is renewed before age 20 and when the passport is renewed for the first time after age 50, a copy of the current passport along with the current passport-sized photo needs to be uploaded onto the OCI online portal. On 15 April 2021, the number of times OCI needs to be renewed got reduced down to only once, when the passport is renewed for the first time after age 20. ![]() Also, OCI holders living in India need to register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) via email upon every change of their permanent home address or occupation. In order to perform certain activities or visit certain areas in India, OCI holders now require a Protected Area Permit, a requirement for PIO holders which OCI never had since its launch in 2006. On 4 March 2021, the rights of OCI holders were slightly curtailed. In March 2020, visa-free travel granted to OCI holders was put on hold until 15 April due to the coronavirus pandemic. The OCI card (the blue-grey booklet) in conjunction with a valid foreign passport is sufficient to travel to and from India. ![]() This requirement was done away with that day and OCI holders no longer require the lifetime visa stamp passport. īefore 9 January 2015, travelers holding an OCI card were required to carry the passport which contained the lifelong "U" visa stamp while traveling to India. The OCI program was launched during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention held in Hyderabad on 9 January 2006. On the recommendations of a High-Level Committee on Indian Diaspora, the Government of India decided to register Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) of a certain category, as has been specified in the Section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, as Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) holders, by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003. Indian authorities have interpreted the law to mean that a person cannot have a second country's passport simultaneously with an Indian one - even in the case of a child who is claimed by another country as a citizen of that country, and who may be required by the laws of the other country to use one of its passports for foreign travel (such as a child born in United States or in Canada to Indian parents), and the Indian courts have given the executive branch wide discretion over this matter. The Constitution of India does not permit dual citizenship (under article 9). OCI status is not available to anyone who has ever been a Pakistani or Bangladeshi citizen, or who is a child, grandchild, or great-grandchild of such a person. It provides overseas citizens many of the rights available to resident citizens. The OCI scheme was introduced by The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2005 in response to demands for dual citizenship by the Indian diaspora. As of 2020, there are 6 million holders of OCI cards among the Indian Overseas diaspora. In addition, the OCI Card is only valid with valid international passport. The Indian government can revoke OCI status in a wide variety of circumstances. Despite its name, OCI status is not citizenship and does not grant the right to vote in Indian elections or hold public office. Overseas Citizenship of India ( OCI) is a form of permanent residency available to people of Indian origin and their spouses which allows them to live and work in India indefinitely. Data page of an OCI card issued on or after 9 January 2015
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