Q520. Mauritius citizen in India married to a Indian citizen, can I apply for OCI?

Question: i am a Mauritian married to an Indian, can i apply for OCI? can u help me with getting a resident visa as right now i hve

been on a visa which i hve to renew every yr a the frro. i am just like a tourist and hve no right to work or travel.

Bhimla Benydin

Answer: You cannot apply for OCI. As the spouse of a citizen of India, you could however, apply for a PIO card which is a visa that is valid for 15 years from the date of issue. Once you have a PIO card, you need to register one time with the FRRO when you are going to stay in India beyond 180 days. This is a simple procedure and needs to be done only once. PIO card will give you the right to visit/stay in India until the validity of your PIO card. You can come and go without having to apply for a visa repeatedly. PIO card holders can also work* in India. *Kindly note that PIO card holders are subject to restrictions similar to OCI holders, they cannot work for government, run for political office, do research work etc.

Indian Citizenship for PIO

PIO holders can also if they prefer, apply for Indian citizenship, once they after a stay in India of a minimum of 7 years.