Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

[rahul_yanina]

Does anyone know the customs limit for value of goods imported into India for non Indians? I know for Indians it is something like Rs 25000, but can't seem to find any limits for foreigners? And any ideas whether this will be any different for PIO card holders or OCI holders?

[anonymous10]

I had been to HCI London a week ago to apply for PIO card. I met a PIO card holder who got his OCI that day. Apparently he had to wait for only 2 weeks for his OCI. So if you are a PIO card holder you have a shorter waiting time for your OCI.

[basis]

There is one direct number in India for OCI cell Mr Kanyal - 0091 11 2467 4141.

The number is answered always in the first attempt (surprise surprise). People speak very nicely and politely (surprise surprise). And they have told PIO card holders or not the application is processed the same day the OCI cell receives it. If you have file number from the Indian Mission abroad then you can get your status from this number. Ofcourse it will be no different from the online enquiry facility http://ociindia.nic.in/ociindia/OnlineOCIenquiry.jsp?

But if there are any specific queries you can get known abt it from the very source.

[anonymous10]

That is a very useful info basis. Are there any email ids/ direct numbers one call to find out about issues about citizenship such as the one we discussed a while ago about conditions under which minors can have dual citizenship?

[NRI]

Thanks to Dabar for posting such valuable information on these forums about applying for OCI. I made my application yesterday and was lucky to get token number 3 as I got there about 7:45am. Only 15 tokens are issued everyday (used to be 25 when they first started accepting applications) !!
Note that Part 'A' of the application MUST be filled online as otherwise the embassy staff will not accept your application. Photocopies of first and last pages of Indian passport, one page (the one with photo) of British passport, registration/naturalisation cert and birth cert (for minor born in UK) are needed. I had taken photocopies of all pages and they made me stand aside and remove all of them !! Also, when self-attesting documents you need to write the word 'Self-attested' and then sign below and date it.
While I was there, I met a guy who had applied on 10th Jan and received a letter from HCI on 17th Feb, that his OCI had been granted and he should come to the embassy to get the 'U' visa sticker.
Hope this information is useful to any future applicants.

[basis]

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=15813

Rajya Sabha

The Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Shri Vayalar Ravi told the Rajya Sabha today that as on 17.2.2006 a total of 4748 Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) applications were received, out of which 1690 incomplete applications were returned to Missions/MHA. The remaining 3058 OCI applications were processed and OCI documents sent to the Missions direct by courier/through MHA for handing them over to the applicants. This is an on-going process, he added.

The Minister further said that OCI applications have been received mainly from US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK and UAE.

The above information was given by the Minister in reply to a question by Smt. Kum Kum Rai.

[rogerroger]

Hello

after clearing the naturalisation hurdle, i am looking to gettingthe oic sticker. i wen through the new posts on this thread and have the following questions

what basis is the oic application processed on. if you are from a disturbed state(assam,punjab, j&k), does the process take longer?

hey basis you mentioend

I attended ceremony on 10th Nov and got PIO on the 17th Nov.

how did you manage that? Did you not have to submit a british passport to get the pio or did you just present your naturalisation certificate.

if i wait for a month(so that i have a british passport) before i hand back my indian passport, is that ok

does one need to tell the home ofice if one acquires oic?

by acquiring oic, will we lose british consular protection in all countries or just in india?

[basis]

Hello

what basis is the oic application processed on. if you are from a disturbed state(assam,punjab, j&k), does the process take longer?

The basis is 'A foreign national, who was eligible to become citizen of India on 26.01.1950 or was a citizen of India on or at anytime after 26.01.1950 or belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15.08.1947 and his/her children and grand children, provided his/her country of citizenship allows dual citizenship in some form or other under the local laws, is eligible for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI). Minor children of such person are also eligible for OCI. However, if the applicant had ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, he/she will not be eligible for OCI.'

Should not take longer so long you have a clean history. but then again with Indian administration anything is possible. The most straightforward and clean cases can take ages and the most complicated can be done within hours.

hey basis you mentioend

I attended ceremony on 10th Nov and got PIO on the 17th Nov.

how did you manage that? Did you not have to submit a british passport to get the pio or did you just present your naturalisation certificate.

I applied for guaranteed one week service. The passport actually came in within two days. Went and applied for PIO card very next day. Passport is a must for both PIO / OCI. You cannot apply for either without your UK passport.

does one need to tell the home ofice if one acquires oic?

by acquiring oic, will we lose british consular protection in all countries or just in india?

No need to tell the HO about OCI or PIO.

You will arguably loose consular protection while in India. OCI is not a citizenship and hence no other countries would it recognise outside india. There is no document, no passport. It is merely a visa status. So no chance of loosing consular protection outside India.

[rogerroger]

thanks for the reply basis, it demystifies the oic/pio process and my rights as a british citizen/oic card holder

[q]The most straightforward and clean cases can take ages and the most complicated can be done within hours.
[/q] absolutely

[mhunjn]

Can't help but comment on this one... What made you think that Punjab is a 'disturbed' state?... Don't you think you are being a bit biased here?...

what basis is the oic application processed on. if you are from a disturbed state(assam,punjab, j&k), does the process take longer?

[basis]

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=15762

Persons of Indian Origin of all countries, except Pakistan and Bangladesh who fulfill certain conditions, are eligible to apply and become Overseas Citizens of India (OCI). OCIs are entitled to multiple-entry, multi-purpose, life-long visas with no requirement of registration with police. Hence they can live and work in India or in the country of their naturalization. OCIs are not entitled to hold constitutional posts and employment in the Government. They are however eligible to work in the private sector. OCIs enjoy parity with NRIs in respect of economic, financial and educational fields except in relation to acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.

A proposal to grant voting rights to Indian citizens who are not ordinarily resident in India on account of employment, education or otherwise has been approved by the Government. The facility will meet a long-standing demand of Indian workers in the Gulf who take up employment there on a contract basis and cannot be naturalized in the countries they work. The facility will be granted after Parliament approves the necessary amendments to the Representation of the People Act. A Bill in this regard is expected to be introduced in the current session of Parliament.

Both OCI and grant of voting rights are part of Government’s efforts to promote a broader and stronger engagement with the Indian diaspora.

This information was given by Shri Vayalar Ravi, Minister in the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in reply to a question by Shri Pankaj Chowdhary, Shri Eknath M. Gaikwad, Smt. Nivedita Mane and Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh.

AK/SK/JA

[rogerroger]

i thought broadly speaking the indian government for security checking had classified j&k, assam & punjab as distrubed areas.

perhaps the classification for punjab has been withdrawn, in that case i stand corrected

[mhunjn]

No worries... just wanted to clear any misconceptions...
Punjab has been a very peaceful state relative to rest of India for more than a decade now... infact, Gujrat and Maharashtra have seen more violence in the last 10-15 yrs than Punjab.

Thanks.

i thought broadly speaking the indian government for security checking had classified j&k, assam & punjab as distrubed areas.

perhaps the classification for punjab has been withdrawn, in that case i stand corrected

[basis]

No worries... just wanted to clear any misconceptions...
Punjab has been a very peaceful state relative to rest of India for more than a decade now... infact, Gujrat and Maharashtra have seen more violence in the last 10-15 yrs than Punjab.

Barring a few riots (which is most normal in any state in India ) I dont see violence in Gujrat and Maharashtra. I agree that Punjab has been peaceful region in last 10 years relative to its militant history in years before that. But that does not mean that it is better relative to rest of India.

All the states on the border will continue to have some or the other issues continuously.

Anyway let's not discuss this too much. It will only lead to regional biased discussions.

[rogerroger]

All the states on the border will continue to have some or the other issues continuously.

yeah i agree, we have had issues in U.P. as well as bihar, and they are border states too. so yeah generally speaking the border states do have issues[/quote]

[jaihind]

Having read most of the discussion around the issue of OCI, I think the GOI should refer this as Permanant Residency rather than OCI.
Permanant Residents have most rights of citizens and that's what it is there for. Most HOs the world over understand this rather than the incomprehensible OCI status.

Effectively Permanant residents:
1. Do not have a passport of a secondary country, unless they apply for citizenship of that country (which in the case of India is not possible presently if one holds a foreign passport).
2. Have a right to Consular access of the country which they hold a passport for.
3. Freedom from immigration restrictions wrt the secondary country.
4. Right to work, set up business or trade in the secondary country (with or without restrictions).
5. Right to stay indefinetely in a secondary country (although for the UK it is restricted to 2 years)

The above are what an OCI has wrt India, so why not just refer OCI persons as Permanant Indian Residents without calling them 'Citizens'. This would clarify matters for the HO in the UK as well as others who cannot understand the anomaly that the GOI desparately tries to simplify.

[lemess]

Having read most of the discussion around the issue of OCI, I think the GOI should refer this as Permanant Residency rather than OCI.
Permanant Residents have most rights of citizens and that's what it is there for. Most HOs the world over understand this rather than the incomprehensible OCI status.

Effectively Permanant residents:
1. Do not have a passport of a secondary country, unless they apply for citizenship of that country (which in the case of India is not possible presently if one holds a foreign passport).
2. Have a right to Consular access of the country which they hold a passport for.
3. Freedom from immigration restrictions wrt the secondary country.
4. Right to work, set up business or trade in the secondary country (with or without restrictions).
5. Right to stay indefinetely in a secondary country (although for the UK it is restricted to 2 years)

The above are what an OCI has wrt India, so why not just refer OCI persons as Permanant Indian Residents without calling them 'Citizens'. This would clarify matters for the HO in the UK as well as others who cannot understand the anomaly that the GOI desparately tries to simplify.

it is close to a permanent residence permit but not quite. This is simply because with OCI or PIO cards there is no actual requirement to ever be resident in India ( on a permanent basis or otherwise) or be an Indian taxpayer . It is an instrument that effectively becomes a permanent resident visa when you choose to work or settle in india.
Permanent residence permits from almost all countries have a minimum residence requirement along with stipulations for tax domicile etc.

[basis]

5. Right to stay indefinetely in a secondary country (although for the UK it is restricted to 2 years)

It is not restricted to 2 years in the UK. It is absences from the UK of more than 2 years at any one time which could result in using ILR. Other Indefinite Leave to Remain is as the name suggests for Indefinite period.

The above are what an OCI has wrt India, so why not just refer OCI persons as Permanant Indian Residents without calling them 'Citizens'. This would clarify matters for the HO in the UK as well as others who cannot understand the anomaly that the GOI desparately tries to simplify.

Whatever they call it. That's not the point. In fact the key question is why are they not allowing proper dual citizenship as has been promised for past 3+ years.

In a way many people prefer this name because it gives them mentally a feeling (may be false) that they have been granted some sort of citizenship.

[jaihind]

basis wrote:

It is not restricted to 2 years in the UK. It is absences from the UK of more than 2 years at any one time which could result in using ILR. Other Indefinite Leave to Remain is as the name suggests for Indefinite period.

My fault in not presently it clearly, although I understand it the way your presented it ... I stand corrected.

Would you think that if the Indian embassy in London is informed of this anomaly in the undertanding of 'citizenship', they would clarify it with the HO in the UK?

[jaihind]

lemess wrote:

it is close to a permanent residence permit but not quite

I understand but as there is no other catagory status easily enough understood by most HOs the world over, I tried to refer it to to closest known understanding, that of PR of India.

[basis]

lemess wrote:

it is close to a permanent residence permit but not quite

I understand but as there is no other catagory status easily enough understood by most HOs the world over, I tried to refer it to to closest known understanding, that of PR of India.

IMHO all the consulates, governments understand things if said clearly. india govt is confusing everyone including us and iself - by calling it 'dual citizenship' and putting a condition 'citizens of countries allowing dual citizenship'.

[TintinHerge]

Hello

...

what basis is the oic application processed on. if you are from a disturbed state(assam,punjab, j&k), does the process take longer?

...

Punjab , Disturbed ????? When was the last time you read the news ?? 1985 ??

[mhunjn]

Precisely...

Punjab , Disturbed ????? When was the last time you read the news ?? 1985 ??

[basis]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... urpg-1.cms

India Calling may seem like the name of this game. Overseas Indian Affairs ministry has seen a massive rush from people of Indian origin for overseas citizenship of India (OCI).

The scheme, launched in January, has seen 30,271 applications, mostly from the US, Australia, Canada and the UK. The ministry has already issued 7,062 OCI cards till date.
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An OIC card costs $275 to apply and if the application is rejected, $250 is refunded. It is similar to a passport. The card-holder can visit India all his life without a visa.

He also gets exemption from registration with local police for any length of stay in India. He's also entitled facilities at par with NRIs but he's not entitled to political rights including seeking election or casting votes here.

"There is a proposal to grant them voting rights but no decision has been taken so far," says the official.

[basis]

http://www.ibnlive.com/article.php?id=6191&section_id=3

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/03/05/1429860.htm

No wonder PIOs from US top list for dual citizenship