Centre fixes OCI card application fee at USD 275, scraps six-month stay rule

The government has fixed the application fee for an Overseas Citizen of India OCI card at USD 275, payable in equivalent Indian rupees for applications in India or local currency when applying through Indian missions abroad, officials said Tuesday.

The government has fixed the application fee for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card at USD 275, payable in equivalent Indian rupees for applications in India or local currency when applying through Indian missions abroad, officials said Tuesday. A fee of USD 25 will be charged for reissuance of an OCI card with a change of particulars, reissuance when the cardholder turns 20 years of age, and for renunciation of the OCI card. Reissuance in case of loss of the card will attract a USD 100 fee, according to a post on X by the Bureau of Immigration. Now, the fee for fresh OCI cards will be USD 275, payable in the equivalent local currency where the application is made -- in rupees for applications filed within India, officials said. Earlier, eligible applicants had to pay Rs 15,000 for an OCI card when applying from India. The Home Ministry has also introduced several changes to the OCI application process. The earlier mandatory requirement of a six-month continuous stay in India for applicants above 12 years of age has now been abolished, an official said. ''The six-month stay is no longer required for the submission of the OCI application,'' the official added. According to the officials, applicants must have a passport valid for at least six months on the date of physical submission and a valid visa for at least three months. Those applying for OCI registration on the basis of marriage to an Indian citizen or an existing OCI cardholder must ensure that the marriage has been registered and subsisted for at least two years before the date of application. Persons holding tourist, missionary, mountaineering and e-visas are not eligible to apply for OCI registration while in India. Existing OCI cardholders must update their OCI profiles within three months of receiving a new foreign passport, failing which a USD 25 penalty will be levied. The Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card scheme has been rescinded by the Government of India with effect from December 31, 2025, and all existing PIO cardholders are deemed to be OCI cardholders. Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a new portal for Overseas Citizens of India in May last year. ''The Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) scheme was introduced through an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, in 2005. The scheme provides for the registration of Persons of Indian Origin as Overseas Citizens of India, provided they were citizens of India on or after 26th January 1950, or were eligible to become citizens on that date,'' according to a government statement. However, individuals who are or have been citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh, or whose parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was a citizen of those countries, are not eligible for the scheme, it states.