No new changes in OCI rules, MEA clarifies

“Friends in the Indian American community are hereby informed that no new change has been introduced in the recent past for OCI card holders,” it further said, adding that the provisions of a gazette notification dated March 4, 2021, regarding the rights of OCI cardholders, continue to remain in force.

An OCI card holder gets a multiple entry, multi-purpose life-long visa for visiting India, and is exempt from registration with local police authority for any length of stay in India. As per government records, there were over 4.5 million registered OCI card holders in 2023, out of which over 1.6 million are based in the United States.

Recently, several OCI cardholders in the US had complained about some changes in rules, now requiring them to take permission to visit protected or restricted areas such as Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh.

However, the ministry clarified that the Indian government is only implementing rules that were notified in March 2021 and no new changes have been made. In March 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs had amended the rules which required OCI card holders to seek permission or a permit to visit protected areas in India. The same restrictions apply to foreign nationals visiting Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as well.

Introduced in August 2005, the OCI provides for registration of all Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) who were citizens of India on January 26, 1950, or thereafter or were eligible to become citizens of India on the said date.

The OCI holder is also entitled to general parity with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in respect of all facilities available to them in economic, financial and educational fields except in matters relating to the acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.