Applications for OCI cards can be now made online | India News

New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry on Thursday notified an amendment to the Citizenship Act to allow online application for Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards. The digital application will be for both inclusion and withdrawal.All applications will be submitted electronically through the portal https://ocisservices.gov.in. The amended rules provide for the inclusion of minors as OCIs but “minors cannot at any time hold passports of any other country while holding an Indian passport”.According to a gazette notification, “An application for registration as an OCI cardholder under section 7A shall be made electronically in the designated online portal in Form XXVIII.” There will be no need to issue duplicate certificates as in the past.Persons registered as OCI will be issued OCI card in physical form or an electronic e-OCI registration with details. The Authority shall maintain a record of persons registered as OCI in electronic form.Similarly, declaration of surrender of card (in Form XXXI) shall be made electronically at the designated portal for Indian Missions or Posts or Foreign Regional Registration Officers. In case of OCI card issued in physical form, the original card must be surrendered to the authority, who will issue an acknowledgment, the notification said. Once the authority cancels the registration of the OCI, it will issue the original card to the person whose registration has been cancelled.The new rules state that “if an application for revision is made…by a person aggrieved by an order passed by an authority with reference to his application, the application shall be disposed of by an authority one rank higher than the authority specified for disposal of citizenship applications”.For a minor, the OCI cardholder has to give a declaration, specifically stating that the child does not hold a passport of any other country while holding an Indian passport. “Registration as an OCI cardholder for the purpose of registration under the Fast Track Immigration Program also requires consent to share biometric information whenever an application is submitted.The government also introduced a new rule – “If an application for review under section 15A, (Grant of citizenship by naturalization) is made by any person, the application for review shall be disposed of by the Central Government after giving the aggrieved person a reasonable opportunity to present his case.”