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India notifies citizenship rules changes, tightens norms for minors
The new rules require electronic OCI applications and prohibit minors from holding another country’s passport.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 01, May 2026
- 17:58 EDT
- 14
Indian guy holding Indian Passport / Gemini
India’s Home Ministry has notified changes to the Citizenship Rules, 2009, barring minors from holding passports of another country while retaining an Indian passport.
In a gazette notification issued on April 30, the Ministry of Home Affairs inserted a proviso in Rule 3 stating that “the minor child cannot at any time hold the passport of any other country while also holding the Indian passport.”
The move addresses concerns around dual citizenship misuse, although Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status does not confer full citizenship rights.
The amendments also revise procedures related to OCI registration, renunciation, and cancellation. Applications for registration under Section 7A will now be filed electronically in Form XXVIII on the designated government portal, replacing earlier requirements for physical submissions and duplicate paperwork.
Under the revised rules, OCI cards may be issued either in physical form or as an electronic registration, with records maintained in a centralized digital registry. The changes also shift renunciation and cancellation processes online, requiring electronic submission of forms and issuance of digital acknowledgements.
The notification also strengthens provisions related to cancellation and renunciation of OCI status, including deemed cancellation in cases of non-compliance and a structured appeals process. Applicants seeking review will be given an opportunity to be heard, with cases handled by an authority senior to the original decision-maker.
The rules further require OCI applicants to provide consent for sharing biometric data, enabling integration with fast-track immigration programmes and potential automatic enrolment.
The amendments aim to streamline procedures, reduce paperwork, and formalize practices that were previously followed but not codified. Earlier, OCI processes involved a mix of online and offline submissions.
The OCI scheme was introduced through an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, in 2005. It allows persons of Indian origin to obtain a lifelong visa and parity with non-resident Indians in several economic and educational fields, but without political rights or full citizenship status.
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