In May 2025, Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Ministry of Cooperation (MoC), has launched the revamped Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Portal in New Delhi, Delhi. This initiative aims to enhance the digital experience for over 5 million existing OCI cardholders and streamline the application process for new applicants.
- The existing OCI Services portal was launched in 2013. It is currently operational across more than 180 Indian missions worldwide and 12 Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs), handling approximately 2,000 applications daily.
Key People:
Govind Mohan, Secretary of MHA; Tapan Deka, Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), and other senior officials of the MHA were present at the launch event.
About Revamped OCI Portal:
The revamped portal is available at the existing Uniform Resource Locator (URL): https://ociservices.gov.in/, this shows India’s commitment to supporting its international Diaspora by providing secure, efficient and user-centric digital services.
Key Features:
i.User-friendly features: The new OCI portal offers various user-friendly features aimed to enhance accessibility and convenience, like: sign-up; auto-fill of user profile details in OCI registration forms; dashboard will display completed and partially-filled application forms;
- The portal will enable applicants to upload categorised documents based on their application type;
- Use an integrated online payment system for those who filed in Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs)
- Applicant has the option to edit their application form at any stage prior to final submission;
ii.Technical Features: The revamped OCI platform features upgrades to the existing software and platform and has enhanced security protocols like:
- Infrastructure modernization include multiple web servers and load balancer on latest operating system(OS) (RedHat 9);
- Software upgrades include switching to updated frameworks such as JDK, Struts 2.5.30 and Bootstrap 5.3.0; which ensures better compatibility across devices;
- The portal incorporates robust security protocols to protect user data and ensure secure transactions.
- Improved process automation to streamline backend workflows, optimized data management for centralised storage and access;
- User Experience enhancement includes responsive web design (optimized for all) and faster load times and mobile optimization.
About Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) Scheme:
i.The scheme was introduced by the Government of India (GoI) through an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, in year 2005.
ii.The scheme enables the registration of Person of Indian Origins (PIOs) as OCI, subjected to the certain conditions like: they were citizens of India on or after January 26, 1950, or were eligible to become citizens that date.
iii.However, the scheme has classified individuals who are or had been citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh, or whose parent or grandparent or great parent are or had been citizens of those two countries are not eligible to get OCI status.
Note: OCI cardholder is entitled to a multiple-entry, lifelong visa for visiting India.
About Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA):
Union Minister- Amit Shah (Constituency- Gandhinagar, Gujarat)
Minister of State (MoS)– Bandi Sanjay Kumar (Constituency- Karimnagar, Telangana)
