MHA notifies Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026; OCI applications to go online

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026, updating the Citizenship Rules, 2009, and introducing revised provisions related to Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) services and application procedures.

According to the ministry, OCI applications will now be required to be filed online, with provisions for both physical OCI cards and e-OCI documentation. The revised framework also states that a minor cannot hold both Indian and foreign passports simultaneously. The OCI cards offer multiple-entry, multi-purpose lifelong visas to persons of Indian origin and their spouses, along with certain economic and educational rights.

The OCI cards continue to provide multiple-entry, multi-purpose lifelong visas to persons of Indian origin and their spouses, along with certain economic and educational benefits in India. However, the government has reiterated that OCI status does not confer political rights such as voting or holding constitutional posts. The government maintained that OCI status is a privilege and not an entitlement, and it may be withdrawn if the holder is found violating Indian laws.

The Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) scheme was originally introduced through an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, in 2005. The scheme allows registration of Persons of Indian Origin as Overseas Citizens of India, provided they were citizens of India on or after January 26, 1950, or were eligible to become citizens on that date. However, individuals who are or have been, or whose parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents were citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh, are not eligible under the scheme.

In recent years, the MHA has also tightened norms governing OCI registration. On August 11 last year, the Ministry issued a notification stating that OCI registration shall be liable for cancellation if an individual is sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more, or is charge-sheeted for an offence punishable with imprisonment of seven years or more.

The notification was issued in exercise of powers conferred 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 stated.

The latest rules are aimed at streamlining OCI application processes while reinforcing compliance and security-related provisions under the citizenship framework. (ANI)