While getting through the OCI application process can be quite challenging for people who are not the most tech-savvy, some teams and agencies are open to assist them, get through the process. There are teams supporting people by providing onground coordination of the documents, assisting with filling out the forms, submitting the certificates and anything else that might be needed.
The creation of the online passport and OCI application website was a means to provide information about the OCI
application process and to receive what they re looking for at their doorstep. They can fill out and download the forms or download the, along with a list of supporting documents so they can gather everything at their end before beginning the process.
If a person matches the criteria and requirements to apply for an OCI card, the process takes anywhere between a week to a month, after submitting all the supporting documents. To quicken the response time, uploading all the information online is faster, and the forms and information submitted have to match the passport that goes with it. Issues and spelling mistakes would unnecessarily delay the process, which could end up becoming an issue.
Since India does not allow dual citizenship,
people have to surrender their Indian passports if they want to apply for a
foreign nationality. They could decide in favour of it since they are staying or immigrated there and are planning on availing some benefits from that country.
If they do have a requirement
of travelling back and forth to India, for any reason, including that their
family, an OCI card makes
more sense than applying for a visa each time that they are travelling. Other than various rights
that come with the OCI card, the primary reason
that people apply
for it is the ability to
travel in and out of India without having to keep getting a visa. Additionally,
they can come in for as long as they want, and they do not have to explain the reason for their trip.
If an individual has to renew their passport, there are instances where they would have to reapply for their OCI card once they get their updated passport. However, there are exceptions to this rule for older citizens, and they can use the same OCI card throughout the process. Other exceptions include that people with passports from Pakistan and Bangladesh cannot apply for an OCI card no matter what while all other countries are entitled to it.
For any information or issues relating to the OCI process, people can get all the assistance they need through the website, or they are allowed to visit the hundreds of Indian missions across the world. The rules state that applicants have to get the forms online and while they can get through the process online, by filling out the online forms and uploading their document, they can also submit the same at the mission, closest to them. The mission also coordinated getting the OCI card, and they could have it mailed to their address if needed.