Relaxing travel until June 2020, MHA issues fresh instructions on re-issuance of OCI cardholders

New Delhi, December 28: Amid the ongoing protest and debate over Citizenship Amendment Act, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued fresh instructions regarding re-issuance of Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders. The Ministry has stated that they have been informed that immigration authorities and airlines in some countries are not allowing OCI cardholders to travel to India on few grounds. In view of the problems being faced by OCI cardholders regarding re-issuance of OCI cards, MEA has been requested to advise Indian missions of temporary relaxation till June 30, 2020.

 

According to the information given to the MHA, it stated that some were not given the OCI on few grounds like “the OCI cardholder has not got the OCI card re-issued mandatorily after attaining 50 years of age or the OCI cardholder below 20 years of age has not got his or her OCI card re-issued on renewal of passport.” Furthermore, “In this regard, it is informed that instruction regarding re-issuance of OCI card on renewal of passport or on attaining the specified age is a requirement expected to be timely complied with by the OCI cardholders,” MHA said.

According to the ministry, in view of the problems being faced by OCI cardholders regarding re-issuance of OCI cards, MEA has been requested to advise Indian missions of temporary relaxation till June 30, 2020. “In case an OCI cardholder below the age of 20 years has not got the OCI card re-issued on change of passport, he/she may travel on the strength of his/her existing OCI card bearing old passport number till June 30, 2020 subject to the condition that along with the new passport, the OCI cardholder carries old passport mentioned in the OCI card,” MHA said.

“In case an OCI cardholder who has attained the age of 50 years and got his/her passport renewed subsequently but has not got his/her OCI card re-issued on renewal of passport, he/she may travel till June 30, 2020 on the strength of the existing OCI card along with the new and old passports,” it said.