Glossary
The terms that come up in OCI, Indian passport and India travel applications, explained in plain English: what each one means, who needs it, and where to go next.
- OCI cardAn OCI card (Overseas Citizenship of India) is the registration that gives people of Indian origin who hold a foreign passport lifelong, visa-free travel to India.
- e-OCI cardAn e-OCI card is the official digital copy of an OCI card, issued as a PDF for your phone and verified by a QR code.
- OCI Link (within 90 days)OCI Link is the online update that attaches a new passport to an existing OCI record when only the passport number has changed.
- OCI Miscellaneous ServicesOCI Miscellaneous Services is the official category for changes to an existing OCI record other than a simple, in-time passport link.
- Surrender CertificateA surrender certificate is the document issued by the High Commission of India confirming that an Indian passport has been surrendered after its holder acquired another citizenship.
- India e-Arrival CardThe India e-Arrival Card is the digital landing card that foreign passport holders complete before arriving in India.
- PCC (Police Clearance Certificate)A PCC (Police Clearance Certificate) is a certificate issued by the Indian authorities about a person's police record, which other countries and organisations ask for as part of their checks.
- NRI PAN cardAn NRI PAN card is a Permanent Account Number (PAN), the standard Indian tax identifier, issued to a non-resident Indian or foreign citizen of Indian origin.
- Indian e-VisaAn Indian e-Visa is an electronic visa for India that is applied for and granted online, with no visa centre visit.
- VFS GlobalVFS Global is the company that runs the visa and consular application centres where Indian applications from the UK are submitted on behalf of the High Commission of India.
- 90-day ruleThe 90-day rule is the window for linking a new passport to an existing OCI: about 90 days from the issue date printed in the new passport, not the day it arrived.