Indian citizenship by descent and the OCI card

Who qualifies for an OCI card

• OCI cardA parent, grandparent or great-grandparent who was an Indian citizen on or after January 26, 1950Or who was eligible to be one on that date, or came from a place that joined India after August 15, 1947, such as Goa. Your own former Indian citizenship counts too.
• OCI cardA child of Indian citizens, born abroadA child born in the US to Indian citizen parents is American from birth, and can get an OCI card while still a baby.
• OCI cardThe foreign spouse of an Indian citizen or OCI cardholderThe marriage must be registered and have lasted at least two years, and there’s a security check.
• Not eligibleAnyone who, or whose parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, has ever been a citizen of Pakistan or BangladeshThe law rules them out. It’s citizenship that counts: being born in what is now Pakistan or Bangladesh isn’t the same thing.
• Not eligibleServing or retired members of a foreign militaryIndia’s US consulates and their service provider, VFS Global, say they can’t get an OCI card.
• Only some communitiesA great-great-grandparent or earlierNormally OCI stops at great-grandparents. India has extended it for some long-settled communities. In South Africa it now reaches the 5th to 7th generation, and in Trinidad and Tobago the 6th. Ask the Indian mission in that country.

Indian citizenship by descent

A child born outside India to an Indian citizen can be an Indian citizen by descent. For births since December 3, 2004, the birth must be registered at an Indian consulate, normally within a year. The parents must also declare that the child doesn’t hold another country’s passport.

Some children who are Indian by descent also have another citizenship. They stop being Indian unless they give up the other one within six months of turning 18. Children born in the US are American from birth, so most US families of Indian origin apply for an OCI card instead.

What an OCI card does and doesn’t do

An OCI card is a lifelong visa that lets you enter India as often as you like, for any purpose. You don’t need to register with the police however long you stay. You just email the local Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) if your permanent address or your job changes.

It isn’t citizenship and it isn’t a passport. You travel on your foreign passport and show your OCI card with it. Since July 2026, new applicants get a digital e-OCI card instead of a printed one, and existing holders can download one free. Printed cards stay valid.

You’re treated like a non-resident Indian for most money, property and education matters. You can buy homes, but not farmland, farmhouses or plantations. You can’t vote or stand for election, and you can’t normally hold a government job.

Some things need special permission first: research, missionary or journalistic work, mountaineering, and visits to protected or restricted areas.

India can cancel an OCI card, for example if it was obtained by fraud. A notification of August 2025 added cancellation for anyone jailed for two years or more, or charged with an offense carrying seven years or more.

How to apply

1. Check you’re eligibleThrough a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, with no Pakistani or Bangladeshi citizenship in the family line. Former Indian citizens get a surrender certificate first.
2. Apply onlineOn the Government of India’s OCI services portal, uploading your photo, signature and documents.
3. Send your application to VFS GlobalVFS Global handles OCI for the Indian Embassy and consulates in the US. You pay US$297 in all, then mail your papers or take them to a VFS center by appointment.
4. Download your e-OCI cardOnce the portal shows your OCI as granted. Carry it on your phone with your passport.

The full step-by-step guide to applying for an OCI card

Documents

• Your current passport
• Your birth certificate, showing your parents’ names (a hospital certificate isn’t accepted)
• Proof of your parent’s, grandparent’s or great-grandparent’s Indian origin, such as their Indian passport or a domicile or nativity certificate
• Birth and marriage certificates linking each generation
• If you were ever an Indian citizen, a surrender certificate
• Proof of your address, and of your work or studies

Certificates issued outside India, such as US birth certificates, need an apostille. You send self-attested copies, not the originals. For UK, Irish and US certificates, see where to order certificates.

Common questions

More questions about OCI and Indian citizenship

What an OCI card gives you

A lifelong visa for India, with no police registration however long you stay. You’re treated like a non-resident Indian in most money, property and education matters. You pay the same domestic air fares and monument fees as Indians. You don’t get the vote, farmland or most government jobs. India isn’t in the EU, so it gives you no rights in Europe.