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Services

OCI card
Find out who can get an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card, apply on ociservices.gov.in, show your documents at FRRO Hyderabad if you live in Telangana, and get the card; update it when you get a new passport or your details change.
For whom: Foreign citizens of Indian origin, the foreign spouse of an Indian citizen or OCI cardholder, and children of Indian citizens who hold another citizenship; and people who already hold an OCI card. For those living in Telangana and those applying from abroad.
Published on 30-10-2026. Not every fact has been checked against its official source yet: confirm at the office.
Answer a few questions to see which steps apply to you. The whole guide is below.

Documents you need

•
Your present foreign passport
original and a copy
Valid for at least 6 more months on the day you apply. Upload a copy; take the original for verification.
•
Proof of your present citizenship (certificate of naturalisation or registration)
original and a copy
•
Cancelled or surrendered Indian passport with its Surrender Certificate
original and a copy
Only for those who surrendered an Indian passport in or after 2010.
If you don't have it:
The Surrender Certificate comes through Passport Seva; see the passport guide.
→ Passport
•
Proof of your address where you apply
original and a copy
An electricity or telephone bill in your own name or a parent's, grandparent's or spouse's. If it is in another relative's name, an undertaking from them that you live with them. If you rent, the lease.
•
Long-term visa and the FRRO's registration certificate or residential permit (RC/RP)
original and a copy
A long-term visa other than a Tourist, Missionary or Mountaineering visa, valid for at least 3 more months on the day you apply.
•
Proof of your own or your forebear's Indian origin
original and a copy
Any of: a copy of an Indian passport; a domicile or nativity certificate from the competent authority; a parent's or spouse's PIO or OCI card with proof of Indian origin; or other proof, such as a certificate of residence or place of birth from the First Class Magistrate or District Magistrate of the place.
•
Proof of relationship to the parent, grandparent or great-grandparent
original and a copy
A birth certificate naming both parents (if issued abroad, apostilled or endorsed by the Indian Mission). With a Birth Registrar's certificate, education and inherited land documents if any. The parents' marriage certificate (or the reason it is missing). If the parents are divorced, the court order giving custody to the applying parent.
•
Documents for a minor child
original and a copy
The child's birth certificate; the parents' marriage certificate (or the reason it is missing); the Indian passport, domicile or nativity certificate, or other proof of Indian citizenship of the Indian parent or parents; if divorced, the custody order (with an English or Hindi translation if it is in another language).
•
Documents for a spouse-based application
original and a copy
A registered marriage certificate (from the Marriage Registrar if married in India; apostilled or certified by the Indian Mission if married abroad; translated if not in English). For the spouse of an Indian citizen, the spouse's Indian passport or domicile or nativity certificate; for the spouse of an OCI cardholder, the spouse's passport, OCI card and the documents it was issued on. A declaration by the Indian or OCI spouse that they will surrender the OCI card in case of divorce, separation or death. Apostilled birth certificates of you and your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.
If you don't have it:
→ Marriage registration
•
A recent photo of you (digital file)
original
📷 What the photo must look like
← 51 mm →
↕ 51 mm
• Size: 51 × 51 mm (width × height)
• Background: Plain light colour (not white)
• A front view of the head and shoulders, the full face in the middle, the face filling 80% of the photo.
• The photo is square (height equal to width), at least 51 × 51 mm.
• No border.
• The file is JPEG/JPG, up to 200 KB; at least 200 × 200 pixels and at most 900 × 900 pixels.
• Photos that do not meet these rules are rejected, which can delay the application.
• File for an online form: up to 200 KB, JPG/JPEG
Not confirmed: These sizes are the FAQ's for the OCI registration application. The page does not say separately that they apply to the new photo for Miscellaneous Services; follow the instructions the portal shows when you upload. The FAQ does not say whether the photo must be in colour.
•
Your signature (scanned file)
original
A JPEG/JPG file, up to 200 KB.
•
Your OCI card
copy
•
New passport and old passport
copy
If the old passport was not returned to you when the new one was issued, no copy of it is needed.
•
If your OCI is spouse-based: a declaration that the marriage continues, and your spouse's passport
copy
A declaration by you and your Indian or OCI spouse; a copy of the Indian spouse's Indian passport, or of the OCI spouse's passport and OCI card.
Not confirmed: This is in the Ministry of Home Affairs' 2021 Office Memorandum (as published on an Indian Embassy's website). The rules changed in 2026; ask FRRO Hyderabad whether it still applies.
•
Proof of the changed detail
original and a copy
Enough proof for each change you ask for (name, address, occupation and so on). For an address: an electricity bill, a landline phone bill, an undertaking letter from the person concerned, or a rent or lease agreement.
•
Evidence that the card was lost
original and a copy
Not confirmed: The FAQ does not say what evidence is needed (for example a copy of a police complaint). Ask FRRO Hyderabad (040-29881088) before you apply.

Steps

Only if
Which of these are you? Foreign national · Where are you applying from? From Telangana: I live here on a long-term visa with an FRRO registration (RC/RP) / From abroad
1.
First check that you are eligible. You cannot get OCI if you, a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent is or was a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh. Serving or retired foreign military or police personnel, holders of a diplomatic passport, refugees and stateless persons are not eligible either. There are separate rules for those who did only compulsory military service: see question 32 of the FAQ.
💻 Online
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
2.
On ociservices.gov.in open "User Register". Enter your name and date of birth exactly as in your passport, your e-mail, nationality and mobile number, confirm with the OTP sent to your e-mail, and set a password. Do not share that OTP with anyone.
💻 Online
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
3.
Log in and fill in the OCI registration application (Form XXVIII). Upload your photo, signature and copies of all documents, and submit. Applications are taken only online; no printed copy is needed.
💻 Online
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
📎 Your present foreign passport, Proof of your present citizenship (certificate of naturalisation or registration), Cancelled or surrendered Indian passport with its Surrender Certificate, Proof of your address where you apply, Long-term visa and the FRRO's registration certificate or residential permit (RC/RP), Proof of your own or your forebear's Indian origin, Proof of relationship to the parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, Documents for a minor child, Documents for a spouse-based application, A recent photo of you (digital file), Your signature (scanned file)
Only if
Where are you applying from? From Telangana: I live here on a long-term visa with an FRRO registration (RC/RP)
4.
Take the originals of the uploaded documents to FRRO Hyderabad for verification (Telangana is in its area). Fingerprints and a face photo (biometrics) are taken there; those under 12 or over 70 are exempt. A spouse-based applicant is interviewed. If anything is missing, the FRRO tells you by e-mail. When all is in order, you get an e-mail that the application is received, and the originals are given back.
🏛️ FRRO Hyderabad (Foreigners Regional Registration Office), Shamshabad
📎 Your present foreign passport, Proof of your present citizenship (certificate of naturalisation or registration), Cancelled or surrendered Indian passport with its Surrender Certificate, Proof of your address where you apply, Long-term visa and the FRRO's registration certificate or residential permit (RC/RP), Proof of your own or your forebear's Indian origin, Proof of relationship to the parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, Documents for a minor child, Documents for a spouse-based application
Not confirmed: The OCI FAQ says only spouse-based applicants are interviewed. The Bureau of Immigration's page says an interview is mandatory for every new registration (except children under 12). Be ready as the FRRO tells you. Ask FRRO Hyderabad (040-29881088) whether you need an appointment first.
5.
After checking your documents, the FRRO sends a payment request on the portal. Then pay the fee on the portal itself (SBIePay: net banking, debit or credit card, UPI).
💻 Online
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
💰 Fee: The equivalent in rupees of US$275
Only if
Where are you applying from? From abroad
6.
Take the original documents to the Indian Embassy or Consulate for the country of your citizenship, or, if you do not live there, for the country where you ordinarily live (living there for at least 6 months). It is best to give biometrics there; otherwise they are taken at the airport when you arrive in India. The fee and the way applications are taken can differ between offices: see that office's website.
🏛️ The Indian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate for the country where you live
📎 Your present foreign passport, Proof of your present citizenship (certificate of naturalisation or registration), Cancelled or surrendered Indian passport with its Surrender Certificate, Proof of your address where you apply, Proof of your own or your forebear's Indian origin, Proof of relationship to the parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, Documents for a minor child, Documents for a spouse-based application
💰 Fee: US$275 per applicant, or the equivalent in local currency, by demand draft
Only if
Which of these are you? Foreign national · Where are you applying from? From Telangana: I live here on a long-term visa with an FRRO registration (RC/RP) / From abroad
7.
Check the status with "Track your Application" on the OCI portal. OCI is normally granted in about 30 days from the day the application is acknowledged. The card comes as a physical booklet or as an e-OCI registration. A booklet is collected in person, or by someone you authorise (while you are in that country), with your passport. A first spouse-based card is valid for 5 years.
💻 Online
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
⏱️ within 30 days · Normally about 30 days from the acknowledgement
Only if
What do you need? I got a new passport: update it in my OCI
8.
Within 3 months of getting the new passport, log in to the OCI portal and, under "OCI Miscellaneous Services", upload copies of the new passport, a recent photo, your OCI card and the old passport. You need not go to the FRRO unless a late fee is due or the FRRO asks. There is no restriction on travel to and from India while the update is processed.
💻 Online
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
📎 Your OCI card, New passport and old passport, A recent photo of you (digital file), If your OCI is spouse-based: a declaration that the marriage continues, and your spouse's passport
💰 Fee: Free within 3 months; US$25 after 3 months
Not confirmed: An Embassy of India (Minsk) notice of July 2026 says a new OCI card is no longer needed for a new passport after the age of 20: you update the passport details online and give biometrics (when updating, or at your first arrival or departure afterwards). We did not find the government notification that made this change. Ask FRRO Hyderabad (040-29881088) where and how to give biometrics in Telangana.
Only if
What do you need? My address, occupation, name, nationality or other details changed or were entered wrongly
9.
Log in to the OCI portal, choose the change you need under "OCI Miscellaneous Services", upload the proof and submit. If the FRRO asks, take the originals to FRRO Hyderabad. There is no interview. It is ordinarily decided within 15 days of the acknowledgement.
💻 Online
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
📎 Your OCI card, Proof of the changed detail, A recent photo of you (digital file)
💰 Fee: Free · Updating details is free
⏱️ within 15 days · Ordinarily 15 days from the acknowledgement
10.
If you normally live in India, tell FRRO Hyderabad by e-mail (frrohyd@nic.in) every time your permanent address or occupation changes.
🏛️ FRRO Hyderabad (Foreigners Regional Registration Office), Shamshabad
Only if
What do you need? My OCI card is lost or damaged
11.
Log in to the OCI portal and, under "OCI Miscellaneous Services", apply for a duplicate in place of the lost card, uploading the evidence of the loss. If the FRRO asks, go to FRRO Hyderabad with the originals.
💻 Online
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
📎 Evidence that the card was lost, Your present foreign passport, A recent photo of you (digital file)
Not confirmed: The OCI portal pages do not give the fee for a duplicate card (fees are in Schedule IV of the Citizenship Rules, 2009, which we could not read), nor the full list of documents. Ask FRRO Hyderabad (040-29881088) before you apply. If you have an e-OCI, you can download it again free of charge.
Only if
What do you need? Download my e-OCI (digital card)
12.
Log in to the OCI portal with the e-mail linked to your OCI record, click "Generate e-OCI Card" in the "e-OCI" tab, then download and keep the card. It is free; you can download it up to 5 times a day. If that e-mail no longer works, or none was ever recorded, first open a new account and change the e-mail with "Email ID Updation" (you need the OCI number, date of birth and the passport number linked to the OCI).
💻 Online
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
💰 Fee: Free
Only if
What do you need? Give up (renounce) my OCI
13.
Submit Form XXXI (declaration renouncing the OCI) online on the OCI portal. If you have a physical OCI card, surrender the original card to FRRO Hyderabad. The acknowledgement is given online in Form XXXII. When your OCI ends, so does the OCI of a spouse who got it through you and of your minor children who hold OCI.
💻 Online
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
📎 Your OCI card

You cannot get this

OCI is only for foreign nationals: under section 7A of the Citizenship Act it is given to people of Indian origin who hold another country's citizenship, and to their children and spouses. An Indian citizen does not get OCI.
Instead, see:
If your child holds another country's citizenship, the child can apply for OCI as a minor child of an Indian citizen: choose "Foreign national" in the first question. Your foreign spouse can also apply once the marriage has been registered and has lasted two years.

You cannot get this

OCI is only for foreign nationals. Living abroad, you are still an Indian citizen, so you do not get OCI.
Instead, see:
Once you take another country's citizenship, you surrender your Indian passport for a Surrender Certificate (see the passport guide); then you can apply for OCI as a foreign national. Your children with foreign citizenship can apply now: choose "Foreign national" in the first question.
→ Passport

You cannot get this

People on a Tourist, Missionary or Mountaineering visa cannot apply for OCI in India.
Instead, see:
Apply from the country where you live, through the Indian Embassy or Consulate there: answer "From abroad" to the question about where you apply.

Fees and time limits

Step 5
💰 The equivalent in rupees of US$275
Step 6
💰 US$275 per applicant, or the equivalent in local currency, by demand draft
Step 7
⏱️ within 30 days · Normally about 30 days from the acknowledgement
Step 8
💰 Free within 3 months; US$25 after 3 months
Step 9
💰 Free · Updating details is free
⏱️ within 15 days · Ordinarily 15 days from the acknowledgement
Step 12
💰 Free

If something goes wrong

If it is rejected
If OCI is refused, US$250 (or its equivalent) is refunded; the processing fee (₹1,400 in India) is not. Fees for Miscellaneous Services are not refunded. You can seek a revision of the order under section 15 of the Citizenship Act, or a review under section 15A; you are heard before the decision.
OCI help desk (helpdesk-oci@gov.in), FRRO Hyderabad
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
📞 04029881088
Not confirmed: These rules do not say to whom or within how many days a revision is filed ("an authority specified by the Central Government"). Ask the OCI help desk or FRRO Hyderabad.
If it is late
Registration normally takes about 30 days, Miscellaneous Services about 15. If that has passed, check the status under "Track your Application" and your e-mails (including the spam folder). Then call FRRO Hyderabad's OCI number 040-29881088, or write to frrohyd@nic.in and helpdesk-oci@gov.in.
FRRO Hyderabad (OCI)
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
📞 04029881088
If you are asked for more money
In India the fee is paid only on the OCI portal, after the FRRO sends the payment request; you do not hand cash to anyone. If you are charged twice for one application, or charged for a failed payment, it is refunded within 7 days; if not, call SBIePay's help number 1800221401.
SBIePay help
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab
📞 1800221401
Also
If an application gives false information or hides a material fact, the OCI is cancelled and the person is blacklisted from entering India in future. Fill in your application yourself.
OCI help desk (helpdesk-oci@gov.in)
Open the official page ↗
ociservices.gov.in · opens in a new tab

Related guides

→ Passport→ New PAN card→ Registering a property sale: house, flat or plot→ Marriage registration→ Foreigners' registration and visa services (FRRO)→ Power of attorney from abroad (for property in Telangana)
Updated on 30-10-2026
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