New Delhi, The Union Home Ministry has notified changes to the Citizenship Rules, 2009, introducing a digital shift across various processes for Overseas Citizen of India cardholders and citizenship applications.
The government has added a specific proviso for citizenship applicants involving children that 'the minor child cannot at any time hold the passport of any other country while also holding the Indian passport.'
The changes, known as the Citizenship Rules, 2026, introduce a slew of online initiatives for OCI cardholders, including a digital application and renunciation process.
All applications for card registration and OCI card renunciation will now be submitted electronically through the official portal https://ociservices.gov.in, the notification said.
The government has removed the previous requirement for applicants to submit documents 'in duplicate' and introduced electronic OCI , in which registered individuals may now be issued either a physical OCI card or an electronic OCI registration.
OCI applicants will now have to sign a new consent form to opt in to the Fast Track Immigration Programme by agreeing to allow the collection of their biometric information during their OCI registration.
The new rules also introduced measures for those who wish to challenge a decision in the event of the rejection of an OCI or citizenship application.
