Indian Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on May 19 launched a revamped version of the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) services portal in New Delhi. Shah said the upgraded system will improve the user experience for more than five million OCI cardholders worldwide and “make registration of overseas citizens seamless”.

The launch event, held in the National Capital, was attended by top officials including the Union Home Secretary and the Director of the Intelligence Bureau. The updated portal, which retains its existing web address https://ociservices.gov.in, comes with a modern user interface and enhanced functionality designed to simplify the registration and application processes for OCI cardholders.

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is continuously striving to provide world-class immigration facilities to its OCI cardholder citizens," Shah said during the launch. "A revamped OCI portal with an updated user interface has been launched to simplify the registration process for Overseas Citizens."

He added that the government is committed to ensuring that Indian-origin citizens living abroad face no inconvenience when visiting or staying in India. “Many Indian-origin citizens reside in various countries worldwide, and we must ensure they face no inconvenience when visiting or staying in India,” he said.

The OCI scheme, introduced through a 2005 amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, allows persons of Indian origin to register as Overseas Citizens of India if they were citizens of India on or after Jan.26, 1950, or were eligible to become citizens on that date. Individuals with Pakistani or Bangladeshi lineage are not eligible under the scheme.

The existing OCI services portal, developed in 2013, processes around 2,000 applications daily and is currently operational in over 180 Indian missions abroad and 12 Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs). Officials said the upgraded portal is a response to both the technological progress of the past decade and extensive feedback from users.

The new platform offers several key features aimed at improving efficiency and ease of access. These include a streamlined sign-up and registration process, auto-filling of user details, a dashboard for tracking applications, and an integrated online payment system for users applying through FRROs. Applicants can edit their forms at any point before submission, receive reminders to verify their data, and access in-built FAQs and document guidelines tailored to their application type. It also includes a tool to crop and upload photos and signatures directly within the portal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was a “major step forward”.

On X, he wrote: “With enhanced features and improved functionality, the new OCI Portal marks a major step forward in boosting citizen friendly digital governance.”

|