The Bureau of Immigration has quietly pushed through a change that removes one of the most frustrating hurdles for foreigners of Indian origin who apply for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card while physically present in India. Under the revised rule—circulated to Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs) late on 17 July and published on 18 July—applicants no longer need to present a Registration Certificate/Residency Permit (RC/RP). Instead, they must show any long-duration visa (other than the short-term E-3 e-tourist category) with at least three months’ validity left at the time of filing. Passports still need six months’ validity. Practically, this means business travellers on multiple-entry business visas, inbound employees on employment visas, and family-based entrants on X-miscellaneous visas can convert to OCI status without first undergoing the often lengthy residency-permit process. The change aligns in-country documentation with the requirements that already apply at Indian missions abroad, creating a single, predictable checklist. FRROs have been told to treat the physical submission date as the ‘application date’ and to issue an online payment link only after document verification. Once approved, cards will be issued in digital “e-OCI” format; the legacy passport-sized booklet will be discontinued. For multinational mobility managers, the update translates into faster permanent-residence outcomes for assignees of Indian origin, lower compliance risk (because RC/RP renewals are no longer needed) and reduced government-fee exposure. Companies should review their mobility policies and alert any transferees who postponed OCI conversion because they lacked an RC/RP.
Source: New India Abroad
