About Us PIO Services/OCI Services
  • Home ›   Consular Services ›   PIO Services/OCI Services

High Commission of India

(Brunei Darussalam)

****

Introduction of new e-OCI card system-Regarding.

New e-OCI card registration system has been introduced with effect from 01 July 2026 in place of existing OCI Card system. The e-OCI card registration is secure, digitally verifiable, and electronically accessible document hosted through OCI Services Portal. With e-OCI registration, Persons eligible for registration as OCI cardholder will not require to carry and preserve a physical OCI booklet, reducing the risk associated with loss, damage, duplication, or forgery of physical documents.

  1. Under this system, a unique OCI registration number shall be allotted to the OCI cardholder with lifetime validity, irrespective of subsequent changes in the passport particulars. However, in the case of registration of a spouse of foreign origin of an Indian citizen or spouse of foreign origin of an OCI cardholder under section 7(A)) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, the validity of the e-OCI card registration shall be intially for a period of five years and extension of the validity beyond five years shall be subject to the renewal of the registration beyond five years.

  2. The requirement of re-issuance of the OCI booklet upon issuance of a new passport after attaining the age of 20 years has been dispensed with under the e-OCI registration system. However, all OCI cardholders irrespective of age shall be required to update the passport particulars on the online system under OCI Miscellaneous Services whenever a new passport is issued and upload a copy of the new passport containing the photo of the passport holder along with a latest photograph on the online system

  3. An OCI cardholder obtaining a new passport after attaining the age of 20 years shall be required to give his/her biometric information to the Indian Missions/Posts or FRRO concerned at the time of updation of details on the online system or at the Immigration Post at the time of first entry or departure, as the case may be, after such updation of the details.

  4. It is informed that now onwards, only digital OCI Card (e-OCI) will be issued to all new OCI applicants as well as existing physical booklet OCI Card holders. Sample copy of e-OCI Card is attached herewith for reference.

OVERSEAS CITIZEN OF INDIA (OCI) registration process and eligibility criteria, please visit the weblink https://ociservices.gov.in/onlineOCI/

Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Scheme was introduced in August 2005 under Section 7 (A) of Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955). The scheme provides for registration as Overseas Citizen of India of all Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) who were citizens of India on 26th January, 1950 or thereafter or were eligible to become citizens of India on 26th January, 1950 except who is or had been a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh or such other country as the Central Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, specify.

Eligibility Criteria:

(a) Any person of full age and capacity:-

(i) who is a citizen of another country, but was a citizen of India at the time of, or at any time after the commencement of the Constitution i.e. 26.01.1950; or

(ii) who is a citizen of another country, but was eligible to become a citizen of India at the time of the commencement of the Constitution i.e. on 26.01.1950; or

(iii) who is a citizen of another country, but belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15.08.1947; or

(iv)who is a child or a grandchild or a great grandchild of such a citizen; or

(b) a person, who is a minor child of a person mentioned in (a) above; or

(c) a person, who is a minor child, and whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India; or

(d) spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder registered under section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the the presentation of the application.

Note: Appostilled Birth Certificate of foreign spouse, spouse’s parent’s/ grandparent’s/great grandparent’s in order to ensure they are not of Pakistan /Bangladesh origin or any other country as notified by the Government of India.

OCI Benefits:

  • Multiple entry, Multi-purpose life long visa to visit India.
  • Exemption from reporting to police authorities for any length of stay in India.
  • The OCI Cardholder shall be required to obtain a special permission or a Special Permit, as the case may be, from the competent authority or the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer or the Indian Mission concerned, namely
    • to undertake research;
    • to undertake any Missionary or Tabligh or Mountaineering or Journalistic activities;
    • to undertake internship in any foreign Diplomatic Missions or foreign Government organisations in India or to take up employment in any foreign Diplomatic Missions in India;
    • to visit any place which falls within the Protected or Restricted or prohibited areas as notified by the Central Government or competent authority.
  • Note: For requisite special permission, OCI Cardholder may visit https://ociservices.gov.in
  • exemption from registration with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer or Foreigners Registration Officer for any length of stay in India: Provided that the OCI Cardholders who are normally resident in India shall intimate the jurisdictional Foreigners Regional Registration Officer or the Foreigners Registration Officer by email whenever there is a change in permanent residential address and in their occupation;
  • parity with Indian nationals in the matter of,-
    • tariffs in air fares in domestic sectors in India; and
    • entry fees to be charged for visiting national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, the national monuments, historical sites and museums in India,
  • parity with Non-Resident Indians in the matter of,-
    • inter-country adoption of Indian children subject to the compliance of the procedure as laid down by the competent authority for such adoption:
    • appearing for the all India entrance tests such as National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Joint Entrance Examination (Mains), Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) or such other tests to make them eligible for admission only against any Non-Resident Indian seat or any supernumerary seat: Provided that the OCI Cardholder shall not be eligible for admission against any seat reserved exclusively for Indian citizens;
    • purchase or sale of immovable properties other than agricultural land or farm house or plantation property, and
    • pursuing the following professions in India as per the provisions contained in the applicable relevant statutes or Acts as the case may be, namely:-
      • doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists;
      • advocates;
      • architects;
      • chartered accountants;
  • For more details please OCI Services weblink:-
  • https://ociservices.gov.in/onlineOCI/#benefit

Note: An OCI Cardholdeer has to update the passport particulars on the OCI card (including e-OCI card registration) each time a new passport is issued irrespective of age, as pet the procedure mentioned below:

(i) OCI cardholder has to upload a copy of new passport with a latest photo of the passport holder on the online system under OCI Miscellaneous Services. Updation of new passport details within three months will be on gratis basis. After three months of receipt of his new passport, the applicant needs to pay US 25/- or equivalent to B$ 33 plus ICWF fee B$ 4, Total B$ 37/-

OCI cardholder and his/her Indian /OCI cardholder spouse shall, in addition to the documents mentioned above in (i), nedds to give a declaration that their marriage is still subsisting, Copy of the Indian passport of the Indian spouse/ Passport and OCI card of the OCI cardholder spouse shall also be uploaded in such cases.

Revised PIO/OCI related fees w.e.f. April 1, 2026

SOP for e-OCI Card Registration

****