Central Government finally simplifies the process; OCI cards now required to get re-issued only once
The Government of India has taken a new step to facilitate OCI cardholders. Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders will now be required to have their document re-issued only once, rather than multiple times.
Currently, an OCI cardholder must have to get their document re-issued twice: once when a new passport is issued when they reach the age of 20, and then when they reach the age of 50. The purpose of re-issuing the card is to capture an individual’s facial features as they reach adulthood.
But now the Union Home Ministry has amended this rule. An individual who is registered as an OCI card holder before the age of 20 would now only need to have their card re-issued once when a new passport is issued after completing the age of 20. At the same time, if an individual has obtained registration as an OCI cardholder after reaching the age of 20, there will be no need for the OCI card to be re-issued.
The new decision was made in accordance to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s instruction to simplify the process, and it is expected to significantly ease the process of re-issuing OCI cards.
The new requirement is that if the passport has been renewed before the age of 20, the OCI card must be reissued to a person who has completed 20 years of age and obtained an OCI card registration. If the passport is renewed after the age of 20, it is sufficient to submit a copy of the new passport and a new photo to the web portal.
In order to update the data about the new passport obtained by the OCI card holder, a copy of the new passport containing the photo and the latest photo must be uploaded to the online OCI portal. The OCI cardholder can upload these documents within 3 months of receiving the new passport. After uploading, a confirmation email will be sent to the applicant’s email.
If the spouse of the OCI card holder is a foreigner, they will need to upload their passport and photo along with a declaration stating that their marriage still subsists.
So far, the Government of India has issued 37.72 lakh OCI cards. The deadline for renewing the OCI card has been extended to the end of this year. Only then will the new update take effect.
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