VOI World/ Desk
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in India has notified that Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards may now be cancelled if the holder receives a jail sentence of two years or more, or is formally named in a charge sheet for an offense punishable with seven years or more of imprisonment.
OCI cards, introduced in August 2005, grant lifelong multipurpose visa benefits to foreign nationals of Indian origin, allowing multiple entries into India without the need for local police registration.
The recent change, issued under Section 7D(da) of the Citizenship Act 1955, expands the grounds for cancelling OCI status. The MHA’s gazetted notification states that these legal penalties now trigger automatic cancellation.
This move underscores the government’s stricter stance on legal compliance by OCI cardholders, reinforcing that serious criminal convictions or charges may lead to revocation of their privilege to visit India under the OCI scheme.
