
The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card is a type of identification form that grants people of Indian origin several benefits when they travel to India. For them, the OCI card serves as a connection to the homeland of their ancestors, allowing them to enter visa-free and live and work in India for an indefinite time. With this, if you are also a foreign citizen seeking to apply for OCI from India then you need to follow a specific application process. Considering this, it includes several steps that make the process quite tricky. Want to know about it and how to apply for OCI from India? Then this guide is surely for you. It explains every step of the process in detail. So, without wasting a second, let’s know about it but before that understand the benefits of having an OCI card.
As an OCI cardholder, you get the following benefits while staying in India:
These are the benefits a foreign nation gets when he/she has an OCI card by their side. With this, moving ahead, let’s know about what is X1 visa for OCI application and its eligibility criteria.
An X visa also known as an entry visa is a visa type granted by the Indian government. It is designed for specific categories of individuals who fulfill the set eligibility criteria by the government. It is a special visa granted by the government to people of Indian origin or foreigners who married Indians. It is an alternative option for them in a situation where their tourist visa is expiring and they want to stay in India for a longer time.
Also, it is one of the basic requirements of having an X1 visa to apply for OCI from India. However, not every person who comes to the country on a tourist visa can convert it into an X1 visa. There are specific restrictions on it with some eligibility criteria. Want to know about it? Read below and get your answers.
These are the following eligibility criteria that you need to fulfill to convert your tourist visa to an X1 visa:
This is what an X1 visa is and the eligibility that you need to fulfill to convert your tourist visa to an X1 or entry visa. With this, you also need to submit some documents to begin the OCI application process. So, let’s know about them in the next section.
To duly filled the X1 visa for OCI application individuals need to submit the following documents:
These are the documents needed to convert an Indian e-visa to X1 visa. Moving ahead, let’s know the OCI application process from India and how Visament helps you in this.
To apply for OCI from India you need to a set application government process. However, handling the process alone without having a proper understanding of it can be daunting. To ease it all you can apply for your OCI card from India through Visament. Here our experts simplify all things for you from filling out the application form to booking an appointment and applying for the OCI card. Moving ahead, it is how at every step of the process we assist you:
The basic and one of the most important requirements of the OCI application process from India is that you need to enter the country on an E-visa. Since you directly cannot apply for OCI through an e-visa. For this, first, you need to visit the country in a tourist or other e-visa category. This is how with visa services of Visament you can easily get your Indian e-visa.
It is vital to know that this e-tourist visa is non-convertible and it does not come in the Indian visa extension process. Considering this thing, we certify that your e-visa validity is long enough to complete your X1 visa process.
After getting your e-tourist visa, you can enter in India. After that to begin your OCI application process from India you need to apply for an X1 visa. As stated above it allows you to stay in the country for an extended time. Moving ahead, this is how you can apply for an X1 visa through us:
X1 visa is one of the vital documents you need when you apply for an OCI card from India. With this, you also need FRRO registration for OCI within 14 days of approval. So, do not forget to begin your application process with us on time.
Once you get your X1 visa you need to do a 180-day stay for OCI. According to Indian visa rules for OCI, it is one of the important eligibility criteria that you need to fulfill before applying for an OCI card from India. Your stay should be continuous in the country. With this, during this time you should maintain your visa status and documentation address.
Along with it keep proof of your stay duration in the country for verification. Also, while being within the country follow the general rules in the public areas to avoid any legal issues. It further may impact your OCI card status. So, avoid doing so to get your OCI card on time.
As per Indian visa rules for OCI, after fulfilling your 180-stay for OCI in India you become eligible to apply for the card. In this also Visament assist you as along with visa we do offer OCI services to our customers. So, this is how you can apply for OCI from India with us:
This is how can apply for OCI from India with Visament without dealing with the hectic process alone. With us, you do not need to take the tension of getting OCI approval as we give a 100% successful guarantee of it. With this, moving ahead, let’s know the OCI processing time in India after applying.
Generally, the OCI application takes 4 to 8 weeks to process. However, the application time may vary depending on your situation and the volume of OCI applications. With this, the processing time also may vary because of the following reasons:
You can avoid all these reasons and get your OCI card from India on time with Visament. We ensure to fill out the application form correctly without making any mistakes and attached the correct documents. So, you do not need to get tense when we are here to assist you.
Handling the OCI application process all alone can be a daunting thing as it requires detailed submission of documents and a corrected filled application form. However, things become easy when you apply for OCI from India with Visament. We are one of the best OCI, visa, and immigration service providers in India. Our experts simplify the complex OCI process for you and assist you at every step of the process. From filling out the application form to booking a biometric appointment we do all things on your behalf. Also, to assist you we offer around-the-clock services. So, connect with us now and you just sit and relax and let us handle the OCI process for you.
Foreign nations who belong to Indian origin or are married to an Indian cannot apply for the OCI card in India while being on missionary, tourist, or mountaineering visa. For this, first, they need to apply for an X1 visa and stay up to 180 days in the country then apply for a card from India.
Yes, with an OCI card, you can stay in India forever. The card grants a lifetime visa to the cardholder with multiple entries in the country for multiple reasons. Also, with the OCI card by your side, you do not register yourself with local authorities for your stay in the country.
Yes, OCI cardholders can apply for an Aadhaar card. However, for this, they need to fulfill the 182-day stay residency requirement in India. In this, within 12 months, they need to live in the country for at least 182 days preceding the Aadhaar card application.
Generally, the OCI application takes 4 to 8 weeks to process. However, this time may vary depending on the available volume of applications and individual circumstances.
Yes, an OCI can become an Indian citizen again. According to section 5(1) (g) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, provision an individual who has been a registered OCI cardholder for 5 years and has been living in India for one year out of the five years, is eligible to apply for citizenship in the country.
Yes, an OCI cardholder can take health insurance in India despite having preexisting health conditions. In case of preexisting medical conditions disclose this thing to the insurer or else there is a chance that at the time of requirement, your claim can be rejected.
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