by Diya Ayu
OVERSEAS CITIZENSHIP OF INDIA (OCI) CARD:
Eligibility Criteria:
A foreign national, who was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26.01.1950 or was a citizen of India on or at any time after 26.01.1950 or belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15.08.1947 and his/her children and grandchildren, is eligible for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI). Minor children of such person are also eligible for OCI. However, if the applicant had ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, he/she will not be eligible for OCI.
Benefits to OCI:
- Multiple-entry, multi-purpose life-long visa to visit India;
- Exemption from reporting to Police authorities for any length of stay in India;
- Parity with NRIs in financial, economic and educational fields except in the acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties;
- A person registered as OCI is eligible to apply for grant of Indian citizenship under section 5(1) (g) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 if he/she is registered as OCI for five years and has been residing in India for one year out of the five years before making the application;
- Any other benefits to OCI which may be notified by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) under Section 7B(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
Benefits to which OCI is not entitled:
- The OCI card holder is not entitled to vote;
- Cannot be a member of Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council or Parliament;
- He/she cannot hold constitutional posts such as President, Vice President, Judge of Supreme Court or High Court etc;
- Cannot normally hold employment in the Government.
Application Form and Procedure:
Detailed instructions are given at www.mha.nic.in/ociwhich should be carefully read before applying. For new registration please click on “online registration”.
Completed applications along with all the enclosures can be submitted in person at the Embassy counter, or someone can be authorized to submit your application.
After grant of OCI registration, a Registration Certificate in the form of a booklet will be issued and a multiple entry, multi-purpose life-long OCI 'U' visa sticker will be pasted on the foreign passport of the applicant.
Vide circular No. 26011/06/2015-OCI dated 29th January, 2015 of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, all immigration authorities in India will not insist on production of the foreign passport containing the 'U' Visa Sticker in the case of OCI Cardholders while they enter/exit India and the immigration clearance will be granted based on production of the 'OCI CARD ONLY'.
Documents required at the time of submission at the Embassy:
- Print-out of the on-line application form.
- Current passport Original and copy of first page and page with address. (After verification original passport will be returned to applicant at the same time).
- Two Photographs (51mmx51mm with 80% coverage of face) detailed specification can be seen at useful links at http://passport.gov.in/oci
- Surrender Certificate: Indian passports must be surrendered by foreign nationals at the Embassy to obtain the surrender certificate which may be submitted in original along with a copy of the same while applying for the OCI card. After verifying the facts the original surrender certificate will be returned to the applicants.
- For a person born abroad and applying on the basis of their parents/grand parents’ Indian origin - A copy of birth certificate/marriage certificate along with the Indian origin proof of their parents/grandparents must be furnished by the applicants to prove their link with them.
- Non-Indonesian passport holder should give residential Permit (KITAS) of Indonesia and such cases require more processing time.
Note: All original documents should be kept ready for verification at the time of submission of application.
Fees:
| S.No. | Service | Fees in Indonesian Rupiah |
| 1. | OCI Card (new) | 3,200,000 |
| 2. | Issue of Duplicate OCI Card in case of Loss/Damage of OCI | 1,164,000 |
| 3. | PIO to OCI | 290,000 |
| 4. | PIO to OCI Card for Minor | 1,687,000 |
PIO to OCI:
The applicants desire to apply for Endorsement/Miscellaneous Services for PIO Cards viz. change of name, change of address, change of passport etc. have to apply for new OCI card.
OCI applications can be made in India:
Any applicant who would like to apply in India may click link “addresses in India” at website www.mha.nic.in/oci.
Source:
http://www.indianembassyjakarta.com/index.php/2013-05-20-10-03-10/pio-and-oci-card
