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QUESTIONS about OCI re-issue after turning 20/50 years

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Old Dec 5, 2022, 2:15 am
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Last edit by: oliver2002
Link to the latest guideline in force: https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default...s_16072021.pdf

If you are below 20 and get a new passport:
go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of your new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.

You will receive an email confirming the submission and sometime later get another email confirming the update. Nothing is reissued.

If you were issued an OCI card when you were younger than 20 and get a new passport:
you have to apply for a reissue of the OCI card.

go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of you new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.

Then contact your local mission to submit the old OCI card and receive the new one. Some missions do this on site, mssions with a larger Indian community like the UK/US use a service provider like VFS for that.

If you were issued an OCI card when you were older than 20 and get a new passport:
You don't need to do anything. The next time you fly to India, it would be advisable to carry the old passport with you. If you have time on hand and nothing else to do:

go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of you new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.
You will receive an email confirming the submission and sometime later get another email confirming the update. Nothing is reissued.

If you were issued an OCI card when you were older than 20 and get a new passport after you turned 50:
go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of your new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.

You will receive an email confirming the submission and sometime later get another email confirming the update. Nothing is reissued.

The TIMATIC entries are currently as follows: checked on EK on 09FEB2024: https://www.emirates.com/de/english/...destination=in

Visa Exemptions:
Passengers with an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card or booklet. A physical OCI card or booklet is required. A digital or photocopy of the OCI card or booklet is not accepted.
...
Passengers with an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card must apply for a new Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card only once when they obtain a new passport after turning 20 years old.





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QUESTIONS about OCI re-issue after turning 20/50 years

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Old Jan 18, 2020, 8:05 am
  #61  
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It is a topic... I my older son turned 12 and had to get a new proper passport, so technically I need to get a OCI reissue for him. I'm 45 and have to renew my passport in Q3... luckily that will be valid till 2030 so no new OCI till then. My wife just renewed and it will be vaild when she in 50.

OTOH Germany just jacked the price of a simple visa for Indians to 80€, so the investment of 1000$ into a PIO card back in 2002 is paying off
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Old Jan 21, 2020, 5:53 am
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Originally Posted by oliver2002
It is a topic... I my older son turned 12 and had to get a new proper passport, so technically I need to get a OCI reissue for him. I'm 45 and have to renew my passport in Q3... luckily that will be valid till 2030 so no new OCI till then. My wife just renewed and it will be vaild when she in 50.

OTOH Germany just jacked the price of a simple visa for Indians to 80€, so the investment of 1000$ into a PIO card back in 2002 is paying off
For children in the UK it seems to be better to go for a Evisa as the OCI needs renewal which time the passport is renewed.

Evisa for British passport holders is $80 ( yes 80 USD) for 5 year multiple entry and it can be all done online and you can get the ETA back within a day or two ( all done online)

For the OCi renewal you need to make a personal visit to the VFS office.
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Old Jan 21, 2020, 6:38 am
  #63  
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Originally Posted by ukdoctor
For the OCi renewal you need to make a personal visit to the VFS office.
Well, the advantage of living in Germany is that thanks to the (relatively) smaller PIO population all OCI matters are handled by the consulate themselves ^
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Old Jan 23, 2020, 3:26 pm
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Only reasons to get OCI were:

a) Kangress govt had introduced stupidity that on multile entry visa you can not revisit india within 60 days. A DC based doctor went home for parent bypass and a month later when parent passed awy, he was not allowed to go back (well, took 4 days to sort things ourt with embassy) - NOTE: THIS RULE HAS BEEN REMOVED

b) If you need to stay in India for more than 180 days (usually for retiree or students)

Otherwise, 5 year eVisa is much much less painful and make complete sense (especially for children)
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Old Jan 23, 2020, 10:56 pm
  #65  
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Having a PIO and later OCI card made things super easy when I had to take care of things after my mother died. Having a passport like document with an ashok stambh on it makes life in many places much easier
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Old Jan 24, 2020, 5:28 am
  #66  
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Originally Posted by desi
a) Kangress govt had introduced stupidity that on multile entry visa you can not revisit india within 60 days. A DC based doctor went home for parent bypass and a month later when parent passed awy, he was not allowed to go back (well, took 4 days to sort things ourt with embassy) - NOTE: THIS RULE HAS BEEN REMOVED
the rule was actually put in place by the government after the terror attacks (& it was supported by all parties)....also, you could revisit but permission had to be taken before you could....finally, the rule was removed by the congress themselves once sufficient time had passed....
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Old Jan 25, 2020, 9:09 am
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If OCI card was first issued after age 50, is it required to be renewed after getting a new passport?
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Old Jan 25, 2020, 12:11 pm
  #68  
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If you get a new passport and you are older than 50 you need to get your OCI card reissued with an updated picture and the new passport info.
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 1:17 pm
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Originally Posted by oneworldflyer
If OCI card was first issued after age 50, is it required to be renewed after getting a new passport?
No.

By now, several websites of Indian Govt (including Embassy) have spelled out (ridiculosly illogical) requirements very clearly.

You are good until some idiot babu changes rules again.
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 1:28 pm
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Originally Posted by oliver2002
If you get a new passport and you are older than 50 you need to get your OCI card reissued with an updated picture and the new passport info.
Oliver,
Your statement is valid ONLY when your current OCI card was issued before you turning 50.

For example:

CASE 1:
You get your US passport at age 41
You get OCI at age 49.
Get new US passport at age 51
You need to re-issue your OCI (even though your OCI is just 2 years old)

CASE 2:
You got US passport at age 43.
You got OCI at age 51.
Get new US passport at age 53 and 63 and 73 and 83 and 93...
No need to do anything. Even your 6th passport at age 93, you dont need to do anything.
(of course by then some babu will come up with some other rules)

The explanation from bureacratic babu that this requirement is due to facial changes is so ridiculous.
How come facial changes from 21 to 49 or from 51 to 99 dont matter but one between 49 and 51 matters??
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 1:54 pm
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Originally Posted by Keyser
the rule was actually put in place by the government after the terror attacks (& it was supported by all parties)....also, you could revisit but permission had to be taken before you could....finally, the rule was removed by the congress themselves once sufficient time had passed....
As congress's own Shashi Tharror said at that time:
Terrorists did not come with ANY visa.
This rule CAN NOT prevent any terrorism realistically.
Why are we harrassing our own NRI desi people?

Sonia Gandhi very nexy day told him to shut up publically.


Typical Indian mindset:
If there is govt rule, we should never question its sensibility. If you cant follow it, find loophole/workaround/bribe or just break it.
If someone questions it, response should be "We are like that only. That is our rule, sir".

A better mindset:
Do we still need this idiotic rule? Can we repeal or modify it to make sense?
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 2:00 pm
  #72  
 
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Originally Posted by oliver2002
Having a PIO and later OCI card made things super easy when I had to take care of things after my mother died. Having a passport like document with an ashok stambh on it makes life in many places much easier
Agree with you that it could help. But in theory that does not add any legal value. Your foreign passport should be enough. You dont even need PAN ID from what I have been told.

If you manage to get Aadhaar card (easy to get even if you are nonresident and not suppose to get), it seems to be magic lamp currently.

A standard advice that has been given from people in the know currently is that empty back acounts to bare minimum balance through joint account holder or using presigned fully made out but undated checks or ATM card before disclosing parent's death to the bank (this is for simple estates, complicated estates can afford to hire local attorney)
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 2:06 pm
  #73  
 
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Originally Posted by malgudi
Is it correct to interpret this as "need to get a new OCI card if you get a new passport AFTER turning 50".



In other words, the existing OCI card is kosher even after you turn 50 as long as the passport you are using now is valid.
Clarification to the above. (which is correct)
You need to do this only if your current OCI card was issued BEFORE you turned 50.

You got your foreign passport at 45
Got your OCI at 51
Got new passport at 55
You dont need to do anything. (now or in future unless they change rules)
Your facial changes over ney 50-60 years dont matter.

You got your foreign passport at 41
Got your OCI at 49
Got new passport at 51
Need to get OCI card re-issued even though OCI card is only 2 years old
Your facial changes in last 2 years are a risk to national sekuriti.

Link included in your post, clarifies the above requirement explicitely. (without example or sarcasm)

Last edited by desi; Jan 27, 2020 at 2:12 pm
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 6:02 pm
  #74  
 
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Originally Posted by oliver2002
Having a PIO and later OCI card made things super easy when I had to take care of things after my mother died. Having a passport like document with an ashok stambh on it makes life in many places much easier
Agree 100% - this was my experience as well after my father died.

Originally Posted by desi
Agree with you that it could help. But in theory that does not add any legal value. Your foreign passport should be enough. You dont even need PAN ID from what I have been told.
Technically it may be the case that you can take care of your deceased parents' finances, etc., without any extra documentation. However, there is some actual legal value to the OCI status because OCIs are categorized along with NRIs for the purposes of financial transactions (banking, stocks, etc.) and so it makes things smooth because - in the eyes of the Indian bureaucracy at every level - there is a standard, well-understood path for you through the paperwork as the banks and other institutions have dealt with OCIs (and NRIs) a lot. E.g., the rules around transfer of shares or opening bank accounts or who can be a joint account-holder, etc., all treat NRIs and OCIs on par, and while it may not be on par with residents, at least it does get a mention, whereas it is hard to find the rules on what applies to you if you are in the country on a tourist visa. What is to be done with a complete foreigner covered by neither the "resident" rules nor the "NRI" rules is something that will almost certainly stump your typical bank office-worker, even if technically there are ways out of the maze.

Originally Posted by desi
A standard advice that has been given from people in the know currently is that empty back acounts to bare minimum balance through joint account holder or using presigned fully made out but undated checks or ATM card before disclosing parent's death to the bank (this is for simple estates, complicated estates can afford to hire local attorney)
Yes, agreed, that certainly avoids suffering any delays inherent in the process of closing out accounts.
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Old Jan 27, 2020, 11:42 pm
  #75  
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Originally Posted by desi
As congress's own Shashi Tharror said at that time:
Terrorists did not come with ANY visa.
This rule CAN NOT prevent any terrorism realistically.
Why are we harrassing our own NRI desi people?

Sonia Gandhi very nexy day told him to shut up publically.


Typical Indian mindset:
If there is govt rule, we should never question its sensibility. If you cant follow it, find loophole/workaround/bribe or just break it.
If someone questions it, response should be "We are like that only. That is our rule, sir".

A better mindset:
Do we still need this idiotic rule? Can we repeal or modify it to make sense?
it's not that simple actually....the rule was not put in place because terrorists had a visa or not....it was put in place so that it becomes difficult for people coming in repeatedly to do recon or people coming in repeatedly to plan something of this nature in the future....

would it stop terrorists from coming into the country in the future????probably not....

would it make it more difficult to plan something in the future????probably....

either way, the rule was not perfect & caused inconvenience to many....the same can be said about many decisions this current government has taken or many other governments have taken around the world....something had to be done at that moment & it was....the rule was removed once other measures had been put into place....
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