You can now apply for an OCI card online

New Delhi: India’s Union Home Ministry on Thursday notified an amendment to the Citizenship Act to allow online application for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. Digital applications will be used for inclusion and renunciation.All applications will be submitted electronically through the portal https://ociservices.gov.in. The revised rules also provide for inclusion of minors in OCI, but “a minor cannot at any time hold an Indian passport while holding a passport of any other country”.According to the gazette notification, “Application for registration as an OCI cardholder under Section 7A shall be submitted electronically in Form XXVIII on the designated online portal”. Duplicate certificates are no longer required as was the case in the past.Those who register as an OCI will receive a physical OCI card or an electronic e-OCI registration containing the details. The agency will maintain records of persons registered as OCI in electronic form.Likewise, the declaration of surrender of the card should be made electronically (in Form XXXI) to the Indian Mission or Post Office or the Regional Registration Officer for Foreigners on the designated portal. If the OCI card is issued in physical form, the original card must be handed over to the authority, which will issue a confirmation, the notification said. Once the competent authority cancels the OCI registration, the person to whom the cancellation is made shall deliver the original copy of the card.The new rules provide that “if a person files a revision application aggrieved by an order made by the authority in connection with his application, the application shall be dealt with by an authority one level higher than the authority designated to handle the citizenship application”.For minors, the OCI cardholder must make a declaration which specifically mentions that the child does not hold a passport of any other country and also holds an Indian passport. One must also agree “to share biometric information at the time of submission of application, which will be captured to register as an OCI cardholder for the purposes of registration under the Express Entry Immigration Program.”The government has also introduced a new rule – “If a person files an application for review under Section 15A (Conferment of Citizenship by Naturalization), the Central Government shall dispose of the application for review after providing a reasonable opportunity to the affected person to present his case.”