Guide
OCI card: documents you need, and what to do after a new passport
Which documents an OCI application needs, how to prove Indian origin, and the current rules for re-issue or update after a new passport.
Updated 30 October 2026
An OCI application needs your current foreign passport, proof of Indian origin, a square photo and signature, and proof of address. After a new passport, you only need a new OCI card once, when the passport is issued after you turn 20. Before 20, and once after 50, you upload the new passport and a photo online instead.
Proof of Indian origin
This is the document most people get stuck on. An old Indian passport is the simplest. If you never held one, you can show that a parent or grandparent was an Indian citizen, usually with their Indian passport or birth certificate, plus your own birth certificate naming them. Old documents from India sometimes need a fresh copy, a correction or a translation first.
Other documents
- Current foreign passport, valid for at least six months
- Square photo (51 x 51 mm) and signature, uploaded to the portal's size rules
- Proof of your current address
- Surrender or renunciation certificate, if you ever held an Indian passport
- Marriage certificate and your spouse's documents, if you apply as a spouse
After you get a new passport
- Under 20: upload the new passport and a recent photo online every time you get a new passport. No new card is needed.
- Between 20 and 50: apply for a new OCI card once, when you get a new passport.
- After 50: upload the new passport and photo once. No new card is needed.
- Uploads should be done within three months of getting the new passport, and the upload service is free.
Where you apply
You apply online on the official OCI portal, then submit the application and documents in the country where you live, through the Indian mission or its appointed centre, or at an FRRO office if you are in India. Check the current instructions of the mission for your country before you book.
If you need help
SafeNRI checks your papers, fills in the form for you to review, and gets missing Indian documents ready, such as a parent's birth certificate or an apostille. We don't submit the application for you. See OCI card help. SafeNRI is an independent private service.