OCI from EU country (outside the UK)

Hi there,

I was wondering if it is possible to apply for OCI from a country other than the UK or India for a British Citizen?
I might move to Switzerland or Belgium soon. I do not have any intentions of returning back to the UK soon. Was wondering if I could apply for OCI from there? I recently went to vfs to get Indian visa, when I asked the lady at the counter, she said its not possible.
I do not trust VFS guys cause most of the times they provide incorrect information.

Regards,
Gem

Hi Jem

If you are in Belgium, you require a Belgium residence card before you can apply for an OCI Card on a British Passport. This is what I was told by the Indian Embassy in Brussels.
I think they said the processing time was minimum two months.
I would advise you to apply in UK where it is much quicker and easier.

Regards
Dan

Not sure about Belgium and Switzerland, but you can from Spain.

As per rules you can apply from any country where you are a resident (or from India). You don't need to be a citizen of the country where you are applying from.
However you may need to provide additional supporting documents such as proof of your residency in the country of application, legalised/apostitled version of naturalisation certificate. Also the process is expected to take longer than usual in-country applications.