Immigration

India | Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) related developments

Summary

The Ministry of Home Affairs has relaxed eligibility criteria and introduced certain updates to the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) framework. Key changes include the relaxation of the stay threshold in Inda to be eligible to apply for an OCI from India and introduction e-OCI cards.

The detail

• Effective 08 April 2026, Ministry of Home Affairs has removed the 180-day continuous stay requirement for in-country Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) applications. Eligible applicants can now apply for an OCI as soon as they arrive in India, without needing to meet the previous requirement of residing in the country for six months.
• Issuance of electronic OCI cards (e-OCI) has been introduced to enable travelers to transit seamlessly through the immigration gates at the designated airports in India under Government of India’s Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Travellers’ Programme (FTI-TTP) initiative.
• Updating new passport details in the OCI records has now been mandated within three months from the date of issuance. Failure to comply with this timeline will attract a penalty.
• Person of India Origin (PIO) cards have been fully phased out and are no longer valid for entry or stay in India effective 1 January 2026. Anyone who still holds a PIO should apply for an OCI card.

What this means

• The relaxation of the stay requirement is a positive development for applicants seeking to apply for an OCI from within India, as it aligns the process with that for applications made from outside India.
• The introduction of e-OCI is a positive step toward creating a more standardized, transparent, and digitized immigration system.

Contact us

For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:

Ishita Sengupta
India Lead

Sebin Jinny
Immigration Lead

Anand Dhelia
Partner

Sundeep Agarwal
Partner

Ravi Jain
Partner

Hitesh Sharma
Partner

Chander Talreja
Partner

Nishant Kumar
Partner

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