Govt notifies changes to Citizenship Rules; focus on OCI registration

New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry on Thursday notified changes to the Citizenship Rules, 2009, introducing a digital shift across various processes for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and citizenship applications.

In a gazette notification published on Thursday, 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 Citizenship Rules, 2009, allowed a person to submit an application for the registration of the birth of his minor child born outside India to the Indian consulate in the country where the child was born, together with a declaration that the child does not hold a passport of any other country.

The changes, known as the Citizenship (Amendment) 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.

"An application for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India cardholder under section 7A shall be made in Form XXVIII electronically on the designated online portal, namely, https://ociservices.gov.in," it said, replacing the paper and ink procedure prescribed in the older rules.

On the declaration of renunciation of the OCI, the individual must surrender the original physical card to the nearest Indian Mission, Post, or Foreigners Regional Registration Officer. In case of cancellation of OCI status by the government, the physical card must be returned.

If the card is not returned, the government can still declare it officially cancelled. For those with an e-OCI, the government can cancel digital registration in its records, the notification said.

The government has removed the previous requirement for applicants to submit documents "in duplicate" and introduced electronic OCI (e-OCI), in which registered individuals may now be issued either a physical OCI card or an electronic OCI registration, it said.

The government will also maintain its official register of OCI holders digitally, it added.

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, which will be shared for future fast-track applications or used for automatic registration in the programme.

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. The challenge will now be handled by an authority "one rank higher" than the authority that made the original decision.

The rules also introduced the right to be heard, allowing the affected person a reasonable opportunity to present their case in all cases of revision or review before a final decision is made, the notification said.

The government also introduced a new rule that says: "If an application is made by a person for review under section 15A, (grant of citizenship by naturalisation), the said application for review shall be disposed of by the Central government after giving a reasonable opportunity to the person affected to present his case." The OCI scheme was introduced through an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, in 2005.

The scheme provides for the registration of Persons of Indian Origin as Overseas Citizens of India, provided they were citizens of India on or after 26th January 1950, or were eligible to become citizens on that date.

However, individuals who are or have been or whose parent, grandparent or great-grandparent was a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh are not eligible.