Mauritians now eligible to Overseas Citizen of India Card

The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, announced during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention held in Bengaluru, India, from 7 to 9 January 2017, that Mauritian nationals of Indian origin will be eligible to the Overseas Citizen of India Card.

This week, during a press conference held in Port Louis, the High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, Mr Abhay Thakur, announced the allocation of the Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card to people of Indian origin in Mauritius. Finance Minister Mr Pravind Jugnauth, who was also present at the press conference conveyed his appreciation regarding the grant of the OCI card targeting more people of Indian origin in Mauritius.

According to Mr Jugnauth, Mauritius has once again been privileged and has received a particular attention from the Indian government that has given due consideration to extend the OCI scheme to a greater segment of the people of Indian origin in Mauritius. This gesture on behalf of the Indian government, he added, bears testimony to the strong and longstanding relations of kinship between Mauritius and India, which he said will further cement the growing relationship at people to people level.

He further pointed out that the new provisions incorporated in the OCI scheme is a positive outcome of the appeal of the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth to his counterpart during his visit to Mauritius in March 2015 to review the criteria for the application of OCI card so as to enable more Mauritian nationals to be eligible for the card. The High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, Mr Abhay Thakur, stated that the grant of the OCI card is yet another major step into furthering the strong ties between the two countries. He added that this action will enable the Indian Diaspora worldwide to connect more closely with India.

The OCI card has repealed the People of Indian Origin (PIO) card. The OCI card, which is more accessible to a greater portion of the people of Indian origin in Mauritius, bears various advantages namely: the application for OCI is now opened to all generations upon presentation of a valid proof showing ancestry from India as compared to the PIO which was limited to four generations from the original immigrant.

Another advantage of the OCI pertains to the validity of the card, which is on a lifetime basis in comparison with the PIO which was valid for 15 years. The application cost is Rs 9,675.

The eligibility of the Overseas Citizen Of India (OCI) Card to applicants is a follows:

(a) Any person of full age and capacity,

Who is a citizen of another country, but was a citizen of India at the time of, or at any time after, the commencement of the Constitution i.e. 26th January 1950; or

Who is a citizen of another country, but was eligible to become a citizen of India at the time of the commencement of the Constitution i.e. 26th January 1950; or

Who is a citizen of another country, but belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15th August, 1947; or

Who is a child or a grand-child or a great grand-child of such a citizen; or

(b) A person, who is a minor child of a person mentioned in the clause (a) above (i-iv); or

(c) A person, who is a minor child, and whose both parents are citizens of India; or one of the parents is a citizen of India; or

(d) Spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application under this section; or

(f) Spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India cardholder registered under section 7A and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application.