Washington: The OCI cardholders can heave a sigh of relief worldwide, with these new guidelines, he said. He expressed thanks to Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla for the new guidelines.
People of Indian origin and the Indian diaspora having Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards are now not required to carry their old, expired passports for travel to India, as required earlier, according to a government notification that has been welcomed by members of the community.
The Overseas Citizens of India or OCI card is issued to people of Indian origin globally which gives them almost all the privileges of an Indian national except for the right to vote, government service, and buying agricultural land. The OCI card gives them visa-free travel to India.
In a March 26 press release, the Indian missions in the US said that in order to ease the travel of OCI cardholders, it has been decided that the “timeline for re-issuance of OCI cards in r/o OCI cardholders, who may be required to get their OCI card reissued has been extended until 31 December 2021.”
Further “requirement of carrying old and new passports along with the OCI card has been done away. Henceforth, the OCI cardholders travelling on the strength of their existing OCI card bearing old passport numbers are not required to carry their old passport. However, carrying a new passport is mandatory.” New York-based social activist Prem Bhandari, who has been taking up the cause of OCI cardholders for the past several years, welcomed the announcement. He expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, and the Government of India for not only extending the renewal up to December 31 this year but also for relaxing the guidelines and not requiring OCI cardholders to carry their old, expired foreign passports.
