Overseas Citizen of India

Overseas Citizenship of India
Front Cover of an OCI registration certificate
Date first issued	2 December 2005
Issued by	India
Purpose	Visa, Identification
Eligibility requirements	see eligibility
Cost	₹15,000 (In India) US$275 (abroad) Renewal ₹ (In India) Renewal US$25 (abroad)

Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is a scheme that was introduced in response to demands for dual citizenship by the Indian diaspora, particularly in developed countries. It was introduced by The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2005 in August 2005. It was launched during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention at Hyderabad in 2006.

The Constitution of India prevents Indians holding dual citizenship, and India is one of a handful of countries that prevents full dual citizenship. As such the Overseas Citizenship of India is not actual citizenship of India according to India, and other countries, though notably the Government of the United Kingdom argues differently.

To apply for and utilise an OCI document, a holder must be a citizen of and hold a passport of another country, except that of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Constitution of India does not permit dual citizenship. Indian authorities have interpreted the law to mean 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 the United States or in Australia to Indian parents), and the Indian courts have given the executive branch wide discretion over this matter.

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) cardholders.

Before Feb. 2015, passengers holding OCI card were required to carry the passport which contained the lifetime visa while traveling to India. This requirement was done away with in 2015, and OCI card holders no longer require the visa sticker passport. The OCI card (the blue booklet) in conjunction with a current valid foreign passport is sufficient to travel to and from India

The Government of India, on application, may register any person as an Overseas Citizen of India, if the person:

No person, who or either of whose parents or grandparents or great grandparents is or had been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh is eligible for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder.