PRESS RELEASE

Subject: OCI Card Reissue Guidelines

            On account of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in order to avoid inconvenience to OCI cardholders who are required to get their OCI cards reissued, it has been decided by Government of India to extend the timeline for re-issuance of OCI card from December 31, 2021 till December 31, 2022.

2.   Further, according to the recent relaxation in requirements for OCI Card Reissue:

(i)         Mandatory requirement of re-issuance of an OCI card each time a new passport is issued to a     foreigner up to 20 years of age and once after completing 50 years of age, is dispensed with;

(ii)        OCI cardholder is required to get the OCI card re-issued only once when a new passport is          issued after completing 20 years of age. (Applicants may refer to           https://services.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ind/apply-oci-services for the process). The fees for this    is US$ 25 plus US$ 3 for Indian Community Welfare Fund. You also need to pay US$         15.90   to the Outsourcing Agency, VFS Global,  as service charge, and a fee for any Optional           Services used like Shipping Labels etc;

(iii)       OCI cardholder is required to upload online a copy of the new passport and a recent photo         each time a new passport is issued up to 20 years of age and once after completing 50 years of age. The uploading of these documents may be done within three months of receipt of the         new passport;

(iv)       Foreign spouse of an Indian Citizen or spouse of foreign origin of an OCI cardholder is required   to upload a copy of the new passport and a recent photo online each time a new passport is issued, along with a declaration on subsisting of marriage, copy of the Indian passport of the            Indian spouse/passport and OCI card of the OCI cardholder spouse.

[In case of (iii) and (iv), please visit https://ociservices.gov.in/welcome and select the option ‘OCI Miscellaneous Services’ for uploading copy of the passport, recent photograph and other documents. This does not involve any submission of documents through the Outsourcing Service Provider/Consulate and is free of charge ].

3.   The requirement of carrying old and new passports, along with the OCI card, has been done away with. Henceforth, an OCI cardholder traveling on the strength of existing OCI card bearing old passport number is not required to carry the old passport. However, carrying the new (current) passport is mandatory.

New York

December 30, 2021