Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday launched a revamped Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) portal in the national capital, aiming to streamline immigration services for over five million OCI cardholders worldwide.
Shah said the government was committed to providing world-class facilities to OCI cardholders and ensuring a seamless experience for citizens of Indian origin living abroad.
The upgraded portal features a new user interface and enhanced functionality, and is accessible at the existing URL: https://ociservices.gov.in.
The launch event was attended by the home secretary, the director of the Intelligence Bureau, and other senior officials of the ministry.
The OCI scheme, introduced in 2005 through an amendment to the Citizenship Act, allows persons of Indian origin to register as Overseas Citizens of India if they or their ancestors were Indian citizens on or after January 26, 1950.
Individuals with roots in Pakistan or Bangladesh are ineligible.
The existing portal, in use since 2013, is currently operational in over 180 Indian missions abroad and 12 Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs), processing approximately 2,000 applications daily.
The new platform incorporates several user-centric features such as a personalised dashboard, auto-filled forms, integrated FAQs, online payment gateways, and built-in tools for uploading documents and images.
Applicants can also edit their forms at any stage before submission.
The portal has been modernised with infrastructure upgrades including high availability servers, updated frameworks like JDK and Bootstrap, SSL encryption, process automation, multi-device compatibility, and enhanced cybersecurity measures such as multi-factor authentication and server hardening.
Officials said the improvements were made following feedback from users and to address the technological limitations of the older system.