OCI card can be cancelled for serious criminal charges or convictions, Home Ministry warns

The Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, which allows Indian-origin foreign nationals to visit India without a visa, can now be cancelled if the holder is convicted or charged with serious offences, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said in a gazette notification.

According to the notification, an OCI registration will be liable for cancellation if the cardholder is sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, or if they are named in a charge sheet for an offence carrying a punishment of seven years or more. The provision has been introduced under clause (da) of Section 7D of the Citizenship Act, 1955.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by the clause (da) of section 7D of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955), the central government hereby states that an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration shall be liable to get cancelled when a person has been sentenced to imprisonment for term of not less than two years or has been charge-sheeted for an offence entailing punishment of imprisonment for seven years or more,” the notification said.


The OCI scheme, introduced in August 2005, allows registration for persons of Indian origin who were citizens of India on or after January 26, 1950, or were eligible for citizenship on that date. The scheme excludes those who are or have been citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, or any other country notified by the central government.