Check your OCI eligibility

Former Indian passport holder

If you were born in India or previously held an Indian passport and have now acquired British or another foreign citizenship, Fresh OCI may be possible once your Indian passport surrender / renunciation is complete.

If surrender has not been done yet, the route is usually surrender first, then Fresh OCI. We confirm the right sequence for your case before you start — this guide does not guarantee eligibility.

UK-born child or adult applying through parents

UK-born applicants usually look at a parent's Indian passport or a parent's OCI as the first route.

For minors, a parent's Indian passport or OCI proof is usually the starting point. For UK-born adults, parent documents are usually cleaner than grandparent documents where parent evidence exists.

Matrix Solutions can confirm which proof is strongest for your family before preparing the file.

Foreign spouse of an Indian citizen or OCI cardholder

Spouse OCI may apply where you are married to an Indian citizen or an OCI cardholder. It generally needs the marriage to have continued for at least two years before applying, along with a marriage certificate, spouse documents and supporting proof — Matrix Solutions confirms the exact requirements for your country.

This route is stricter than a standard Fresh OCI and may need apostille / legalisation depending on your country, joint address or cohabitation proof, spouse documents, and possible attendance at the High Commission or VFS.

Already have OCI and changed passport

If you already hold OCI and only your passport has changed, this is not Fresh OCI.

Each new foreign passport generally needs OCI Link / update within the recommended 90-day window — at any age, for life. OCI holders under 20 generally use OCI Link for each new passport, and turning 50 does not by itself need a new OCI card.

If your OCI was issued while under 20, the first new passport after turning 20 generally needs a one-time OCI re-issue; we confirm the exact route for that case, and after it normal OCI Link applies again.

A name change, nationality change, a lost or damaged OCI, a correction, or a major appearance change is handled by the online OCI Passport Details Update rather than a simple link. A simple passport change past the 90-day window is still an OCI Link, completed at a VFS appointment we book, with £52.78 payable at VFS (£20 Government of India fee + £3 ICWF + £29.78 VFS service fee). The Passport Details Update is a different service from OCI Link.

Complex or senior-review cases

These cases are not ineligible — they usually need a senior review of your documents before you pay, so we confirm the strongest route first.

Send your documents to Matrix Solutions for a route review before paying — we confirm the strongest route for your case.

• •Africa-born applicants, or Indian-origin proof through parents or grandparents from countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Zambia or Mauritius.
• •Missing Indian passport or missing surrender evidence.
• •Name mismatch across passport, birth, marriage or naturalisation certificates.
• •A previous OCI refusal.
• •Adoption, step-parent, guardianship or unclear parentage documents.
• •Spouse route with short marriage evidence or an overseas marriage certificate.
• •Unsure whether you already held OCI or PIO.