By Vipul Jain
OCI Card is made for people of Indian origin who have British citizenship now so that they can visit India. To get an OCI Card in UK, they need to fill OCI Card UK Application. This article discusses the steps that need to be followed while filling out the OCI Card UK Application. Each step has its value and importance, that's why skipping a single step can cause rejection of the application. A small overview of what is OCI card is is discussed for better understanding. With benefits that OCI card provides to their owner are also discussed to give a better understanding of the Topic.
Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), are such people who have their origin in India but now have some foreign citizenship. The government of India had issued a document for these individuals as their unique identity of having Indian origin. OCI Card is this unique identity card, this card holds some benefits, including, no visa requirement for entry into India, and they can plan their trip multiple times without any foundation of leaving for a particular period only. They are also given the identity of being NRIs and are given authority to participate in educational, economic, and financial sectors. They just are not allowed to buy land for plantation and agricultural reasons.
OCI Card is not just for those who have Indian origin but for those as well who are family of someone who is of Indian origin. Spouses of OCI Card holders of Indian origin can also avail of OCI cards. Minor children who hold foreign citizenship of parents who are OCI cardholders or of Indian origin can also apply for OCI Application Form UK and check the OCI Application status.
Applying for an OCI Certificate in the UK is a simple process if you follow the proper steps. Here's a full guide to help you go through the application process easily.
The first step for your application for an OCI Card in UK is to fill out the form. For this, you need to visit the official website which is the VFS Global website. Fill out the OCI application form UK available on the site and check every detail very carefully and correctly add everything. After filling out the application form, you need to get a printout of the form.
Once you have filled out the OCI Card Application UK and printed it out. The next step is to collect all the OCI card application UK documents required for getting your application accepted for further process. Go through the list of the documents that are required very carefully as this can make your application get rejected and you will have to refill the form again. Documents for OCI application UK majorly require passport-sized photographs, proof of your Indian origin, proof of your current citizenship, proof that you have a residence in the UK, and some other supporting documents that are mentioned in the guidelines. All of these need to be submitted on the VFS global website.
Once you have gathered all the required documents. Carry your printed form and all the documents to your nearest VFS global center in the UK. Also, carry your application UK fees. The OCI application UK fee is £194.00 for your new OCI card. Carry all these things and submit them to the VFS global center where they will verify all the documents and submit your application if you match all the documents. They will ask you for any missing documents.
Next step for your Application For OCI Card in the UK Once your application is accepted by VFS and sent for further processing, you need to wait for the application to be processed. The processing time for this is said to be around between 6 to 8 weeks. With the reference number that is provided during the submission of your application, you can check the status of the application. You can check it on the website of VFS Global only.
By checking on your status you see your status getting updated to ‘Processed’. Once you have your status as ‘Processed’ you need to visit the VFS global center once again. Visit your OCI application VFS UK, and get your printout of the status of your application as proof. When you visit the OCI application VFS UK office this time, also carry your British passport with you. You will need to submit your original passport for this stage. You will receive your original passport again in the next step.
This is the final step of the application for an OCI card in the UK. Where you will be receiving an OCI card and a British passport. VFS Global will provide you with your British passport before they provide you with your OCI card. Your British passport will be given back to you in 7 to 10 days with a stamp of OCI visa in your passport. Once you receive after fe times you will also receive your OCI card with the stamp on it. This stamp will prove the originality of the OCI card and your British passport and also complete the process of Indian Passport Renewal in UK.
| One-time Investment |
The OCI application UK fees are a one-time investment. Once you have the fees for the OCI card you do not need to Apply for UK VISA every time you want to visit India. It saves a lot of money for those who travel frequently. |
| No Limits on Entry |
Once you have your OCI card you won’t have any limitations on you. You can visit as many times as you want there is no such limitation on visiting multiple times. |
| Duration of Time |
One other major benefit is that there is no such requirement for reporting authorities for how long you will stay in India. You can stay for however long you want to stay. |
| Becoming NRIs and enjoying their benefit |
You will also become NRI, once you have your OCI card. You can enjoy participating in the educational, economic, and financial sectors. This means they can buy, invest in properties, and have their education from India. |
| Fast Immigration Clearance |
OCI Card helps you in saving your time by not having any kind of immigration process at the airports. Also, it will allow to have access to consular services in India. |
The Fees For an OCI Application in the UK are provided below:
| Fresh OCI Card | £194 |
| PIO To OCI | £66 |
| OCI Miscellaneous Service | £23 |
| OCI Renewal (Lost Case) | £73.00 |
2 Passport-Size Photos
Foreign Passport Copy
Current Citizen Proof
Proof of Indian Origin Documents
Domicile Certificate
Marriage Certificate, If the Spouse is of Indian Origin
If the Spouse is an OCI Card Holder, So the Photos Copy is required.
Certificate of Residence or birthplace, grandparents, parents.
In a minor child case, one of the parents is a citizen of India.
For a New OCI Card, you need to pay £194.00 and for a PIO to OCI the price will be £66.
You have to carry both, the original and a copy of the documents. A copy of the documents will be submitted to VFS Global whereas your original document will be given back to you after the verification.
Do not worry, you can submit a duplicate of that document. But remember to file a police complaint for loss of that document and you will have to attend a personal interview for this process.
Yes, you can apply on behalf of any of your family members, you need to add a document showing your relationship with that member.
