How to apply for OCI — step-by-step 2026 guide

The OCI application has a single portal, a consistent document set, and a well-defined route through the Indian mission in the applicant's country of residence. Where most applications run into trouble is not in the online form but in the supporting documents — a photograph that does not meet OCI specifications, a missing Surrender Certificate for post-2010 naturalisation, an Indian-origin proof that does not link cleanly from applicant to grandparent. This page is the step-by-step application guide; for the broader framework (eligibility, benefits, restrictions) see OCI card — complete guide.

Prerequisites before starting

Before opening the online form, have the following ready:

Eligibility established — applicant or a parent / grandparent / great-grandparent was / is an Indian citizen; or spouse of an Indian citizen / OCI with two-year marriage subsistence. For the detail see OCI card — complete guide.
Disqualifier check — no Pakistani / Bangladeshi ancestry (even at great- grandparent level), no foreign military / police / paramilitary service.
Current foreign passport with at least 6 months' residual validity.
Surrender Certificate (if applicant acquired foreign citizenship after 1 June 2010) — mandatory prerequisite. See surrendering an old Indian passport.
Indian-origin documents traced through the lineage branch you are relying on (own Indian passport, parent / grandparent / great- grandparent Indian passport or birth certificate).
Spouse documents (for spouse category) — registered marriage certificate, proof of two-year subsistence, spouse's Indian passport / OCI.
OCI-specification photograph — see the photograph section below.
Payment ability — credit / debit card, or demand draft in the local currency equivalent of US$275 adult / US$25 minor.
The mission / VFS / BLS serving your jurisdiction identified and its current instructions reviewed.

Step 1 — Part A online at ociservices.gov.in

Go to ociservices.gov.in.
Click "New Registration" or "Apply for OCI".
Choose individual or family group application:
- Family Group — one parent applying with their minor children, or a married couple applying together. A single acknowledgement number covers all members.
- Individual — any other configuration (separate applications).
Select the Indian mission with jurisdiction over your country and state / province.
Fill Part A — personal particulars, Indian- origin basis, parentage chain, spouse details (if relevant), passport details, current residential address, children covered in a family group.
Save progressively — the portal allows partial save with a temporary reference so you can return later.
On final submission, the system generates a registration number / file number. Save it; you will need it at every subsequent step.
Download and print Part A and Part B.

What the portal asks — common field clarifications

Place of birth — enter as it appears on your birth certificate / current passport.
Parent's place of birth in India — enter as per the parent's Indian passport or birth records.
Claim of Indian origin — select the exact relationship (self / parent / grandparent / great-grandparent / spouse). The claim drives which supporting document is required.
Previous Indian citizenship — answer honestly. Former Indian citizens must declare so and provide the Surrender Certificate later.
Criminal record — disclose; concealment is grounds for later cancellation of OCI.
Visa history — any prior refused Indian visas must be disclosed; this routes the case to MHA for manual review.

Step 2 — Print and sign Part B

Print Part B from the portal; it is auto-populated with your Part A data plus the declaration, signature block and photograph-affixing panel.
Fill any remaining hand-fillable fields in block capitals using blue or black ink.
Do not pre-sign in the photograph panel if the mission requires signature in their presence; check the mission's specific guidance.
Affix the photograph in the box provided.
For minor applications, both parents sign the parental consent section; single-parent-custody cases need a court order.
Attach any additional sheets if the form's space is insufficient.

Step 3 — Gather supporting documents

Core document set for all applications:

Current foreign passport — original for verification plus photocopies of the bio-data page and every page bearing any visa / stamp / endorsement.
Previous passports (foreign or Indian) if any, with photocopies.
Proof of Indian origin — the primary document of the lineage branch being relied on:
- Own Indian passport (for former Indian citizens).
- Parent's / grandparent's / great- grandparent's Indian passport or birth certificate or domicile certificate.
- Parent's naturalisation certificate from a foreign country, if the parent naturalised — to show the bridge between Indian and foreign citizenship.
- Land records, school leaving certificate, matriculation certificate as supplementary proof where the primary document is missing.
Surrender Certificate — for former Indian citizens who acquired foreign citizenship after 1 June 2010. Obtained from the Indian mission on cancellation of the Indian passport. See surrendering an old Indian passport.
Marriage certificate (for spouse category) — registered; proof of two-year subsistence.
Spouse's Indian passport or OCI card (for spouse-category applicants).
Birth certificate for minor children linking them to the Indian-origin parent.
Photograph — OCI specification (see below).
Current residential address proof — utility bill, bank statement, lease, or government-issued ID with address.
Marriage certificate of parents where the Indian-origin link is through a specific parental line.
Name-change affidavits / gazette notifications / deed poll if the applicant's name has changed across documents.

Photograph specification

This single issue causes the largest share of OCI rejections. The current OCI photograph specifications:

Size: 51 mm × 51 mm (2 × 2 inches).
Background: plain white (not off-white, not light grey).
Composition: full frontal face; both ears visible; face occupies approximately 75% of the frame; face straight to the camera.
Expression: neutral, mouth closed; eyes open and clearly visible.
Lighting: even, no shadows on face or background.
Recency: not older than six months.
No glasses (even if the applicant wears them daily); no head covering (except for religious reasons with face fully visible).
Two copies typically required — one affixed to Part B, one held in reserve.

Several consulates publish sample photos. Photo studios familiar with OCI / Indian-consular specifications exist in most diaspora cities; use one.

Step 4 — Pay the fee

Adult OCI — US$275 (or local-currency equivalent).
Minor OCI (under 18) — US$25 (or equivalent).
In India, at FRRO — ₹15,000 adult, ₹7,500 minor. See applying for OCI in India.
VFS / BLS service fees on top of the consular fee — vary by country.

Payment methods vary by mission:

Most missions / VFS / BLS accept credit / debit card online or at the counter.
Demand draft payable to the Indian mission remains an option in many jurisdictions.
Cash is increasingly phased out.

Fees are non-refundable once the application is submitted, even if the OCI is later refused.

Step 5 — Submit the application

Abroad

Through the Indian embassy / consulate / high commission with jurisdiction over the applicant's country or state. Most missions use an outsourcing partner:

United States — VFS Global.
United Kingdom — VFS Global.
Canada — BLS International.
Australia — VFS Global.
Rest of world — VFS Global, BLS International, or (rarely) direct mission submission. Confirm on the mission's website.

The submission includes:

Signed Part A + Part B in duplicate.
Original supporting documents for verification.
Self-attested photocopies for retention.
Photograph on Part B.
Fee payment receipt.

Walk-in at the mission is generally not accepted; appointments at the VFS / BLS centre are the norm.

Inside India

Through the FRRO / FRO with jurisdiction via the e-FRRO portal at indianfrro.gov.in. See applying for OCI in India.

Step 6 — Processing

What happens on submission

VFS / BLS / mission verifies the document set against the Part B.
Biometrics captured where required (some missions require it, some do not; policy varies).
Application digitally forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division through the mission.
MHA processes; issues the OCI booklet and card.
Dispatched back to the mission, then to the applicant (by tracked mail or collection at the VFS / BLS centre).

Typical processing times (2026)

Straightforward cases — 4 to 8 weeks at most missions.
Cases requiring MHA reference (prior refused visa, Pakistani / Bangladeshi lineage, spouse category, disciplinary- service check) — 3 to 6 months or longer.
US missions — currently running longer (8–14 weeks is common) due to volume.
UK, Canada, Australia — generally 6–10 weeks.

No Tatkaal / urgent mechanism is available for OCI. Plan ahead.

Tracking

Log in at ociservices.gov.in with your file number.
Progress updates: Under Process → Granted → Printed → Dispatched.
VFS / BLS portals also provide in-country tracking once the card is back from MHA.

Step 7 — Receipt of OCI

When the OCI card arrives:

You receive the OCI registration booklet (like a small passport) and the OCI card (wallet-size).
Older cards (pre-2021) carried a "U" visa sticker in the applicant's foreign passport; since the 2020–2021 simplification, the card alone is sufficient at immigration.
Retain the OCI card and booklet carefully; loss requires a replacement application. See OCI replacement.

Mandatory post-grant: upload new passport

Whenever you acquire a new foreign passport after OCI grant, upload the new passport details at ociservices.gov.in → Passport Update. Airlines at check-in routinely verify the OCI record is linked to the passport on hand; mismatches lead to boarding refusal.

For the simplified post-2020 re-issue rule (one re-issue at age 20 for those whose OCI was granted as a minor; no re-issue thereafter on passport renewal), see OCI card — complete guide.

Family group vs individual — when to use which

Family group

One parent + minor children applying together, or
A married couple applying together.

Benefits:

One acknowledgement number tracks all.
Fee paid per person, not per family.
Simpler document bundling.

Individual

Everyone else — siblings, adult children applying with a parent, unmarried couples, multiple children with differing parent involvements — files separately.

Minor applications — additional notes

Both parents sign the Part B parental consent section.
Both parents' passports (foreign or Indian as applicable) required.
Minor's birth certificate linking to the Indian-origin parent is the primary Indian-origin proof.
Marriage certificate of parents usually required.
Single-parent filings with sole custody need a court order or equivalent legal document.
Minors pay the US$25 / ₹7,500 fee, not the adult fee.
Minors' OCIs issued while the child is below 20 need one re-issue on the first passport after age 20; after that, no further re-issue is required.

Former PIO cardholders

If you hold an old PIO card:

PIO cards were withdrawn in 2015 and ceased to be travel documents on 30 September 2019.
Apply for OCI via the "OCI in Lieu of PIO" option where the mission's portal exposes it, or a standard OCI application citing the PIO card as Indian-origin proof.
Fee waivers for conversion ended around 2022–2023; standard OCI fees now apply.

See PIO card status in 2026 and OCI / PIO merge.

Common refusal reasons

Photograph non-compliance. Most common single cause.
Missing Surrender Certificate for post-1-June-2010 naturalisations.
Pakistani / Bangladeshi lineage at any level.
Foreign military / police / paramilitary service in the applicant's record.
Marriage not yet subsisting two years for spouse-category applicants.
Insufficient Indian-origin documentation — blurred photocopies, undocumented lineage gaps, names not matching across documents.
Prior Indian visa refusal not disclosed on the application.
Criminal record undisclosed or disclosed without rehabilitation evidence.
Name inconsistency across applicant documents, without a name-change affidavit.

Common pitfalls

Starting the application without the Surrender Certificate in hand. Post- 1-June-2010 applicants cannot proceed without it.
Filing on the wrong Indian-origin basis. If claiming through a grandparent, supply grandparent's Indian passport / birth certificate, not parent's.
Uploading low-resolution scans. Keep photocopies clear; the officer / MHA reviewer cannot process a blurred document.
Paying the fee and then finding a document is missing. Fees are non- refundable. Prepare the full document set first.
Submitting pre-signed Part B when the mission requires in-person signature.
Missing the photograph specification. Use an OCI-specialist studio.
Travelling before OCI grant and expecting the mission to hold / forward the file. Missions process against the address of submission; travel complicates delivery.
Assuming family-group fees are consolidated. They are not — each person pays the US$275 / US$25 fee.
Ignoring the post-grant passport upload on subsequent passport renewals.
Believing an OCI in-principle agreement from a mission representative is final. Only the printed OCI card is binding.

Checklist — OCI application

Confirm eligibility — lineage, no disqualifiers.
Obtain Surrender Certificate if post- 1-June-2010 naturalised.
Gather Indian-origin documents traced from applicant to Indian-citizen ancestor.
Arrange OCI-specification photographs.
Register and fill Part A at ociservices.gov.in.
Print Part A and Part B; sign per mission instructions.
Book VFS / BLS / mission appointment for submission.
Pay the fee — US$275 adult / US$25 minor (abroad); ₹15,000 / ₹7,500 in India.
Submit originals and photocopies at the appointment.
Track the application at ociservices.gov.in.
Receive the OCI card; verify data printed matches the application.
Each new passport thereafter — upload at ociservices.gov.in.
File re-issue once at age 20 for OCIs granted while a minor.

Summary

Part A online at ociservices.gov.in, Part B printed and signed, supporting documents and fee at the Indian mission via VFS Global / BLS International / mission direct.
Family group covers one-parent-plus- minors or married couples; everyone else files individually.
Fee — US$275 adult / US$25 minor (abroad); ₹15,000 / ₹7,500 in India.
Processing — 4 to 8 weeks straightforward; 3 to 6 months for MHA-referred cases.
Photograph — 51 × 51 mm, white background, OCI-specific composition — the single most common cause of rejection.
Surrender Certificate is mandatory for post-1-June-2010 naturalised applicants.
Post-grant — upload each new passport on the portal; re-issue once at age 20 for OCIs granted as minors; otherwise no re-issue on passport renewal.

For the broader OCI framework, see OCI card — complete guide. For applying from inside India, see applying for OCI in India. For corrections on an issued card, see change name / DOB on OCI. For address updates, see change address on OCI. For replacing a lost card, see OCI replacement. For the Surrender Certificate step, see surrendering an old Indian passport. For the historical PIO conversion, see PIO card status in 2026.