Dual Citizenship

It is possible for someone to be considered a citizen under the laws of two or more countries at the same time. This is known as dual citizenship. The Indian Parliament passed a Bill to grant dual citizenship to the people of Indian origin on December 22, 2003. The Bill received the President's approval on January 7, 2004, and became operational from 2nd December 2005. The Bill will help grant dual citizenship to Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) belonging to, or having citizenship of other countries subject to certain conditions. The grant of dual citizenship was intended to remove for those who have taken foreign passports, the obstacle in travel to and from India, permit invstmet in business ventures and foster a greater sense of belonging.

The Overseas citizenship of India (OCI) is granted to persons who migrated from India and acquired citizenship of a foreign country other than Pakistan and Bangladesh. They are eligible for grant of OCI as long as their home countries allow dual citizenship in some form or the other under their local laws. However persons registered as OCI shall not have any voting rights and rights for public employment

Every registered OCI will be issued a registration certificate which is printed like an Indian passport in different colour and an OCI visa sticker will be pasted in the person’s foreign passport. These two documents will have the photograph of the individual and all necessary security features.