• Non-Portuguese applicants must have lived in the jurisdiction of this Mission for at least one year before applying for an OCI card.
• All foreign documents (non-Portuguese birth certificate, marriage certificate and similar) must be apostilled by the competent authorities — the relevant embassy or ministry.
• If the supporting documents submitted are not satisfactory, the applicant will be asked to provide further documentary evidence.
• It is an offence to knowingly furnish false information, or to suppress material information, when applying for OCI.
• The grant of an OCI card does not entitle the holder to visit Restricted or Protected areas without prior specific permission.
• An OCI card does not entitle the holder to undertake missionary, mountaineering or research work without prior permission.
• The e-OCI card has been introduced and printing of physical OCI card booklets has been discontinued for all categories. Applicants should download their e-OCI card from the OCI Services Portal.

• With effect from 23 January 2019 the Government of India has made biometrics mandatory for all OCI applicants.
• Applicants may give biometrics at the application stage or at the Immigration Check Post on arrival in India. Giving them at the document verification stage is strongly advised.
• Where an applicant cannot give biometrics at the application stage, the Indian Mission must be informed in writing; biometrics will then be captured at the Immigration Check Post on arrival.
• Fingerprints of existing OCI cardholders are captured at Immigration Check Posts on entry to and exit from India.
• Biometrics remain valid for five years from the date of enrolment; re-enrolment within that period is not required.
• Applicants above 70 years of age or below 12 years of age are exempt from biometric capture.

1. Application form, duly filled in and signed wherever necessary
2. One recent passport photograph measuring 5 × 5 cm
3. Copy of Surrender Certificate
4. Copy of previous Indian passport
5. Copy of present passport
6. Copy of Citizen Card
7. Copy of birth certificate, translated into English and notarised
8. Copy of marriage certificate, if applicable
9. Affidavit regarding Voter ID and Aadhaar card — Specimen 1

1. Application form signed by both parents. Where a child cannot sign, a thumb impression may be provided.
2. One recent passport photograph measuring 5 × 5 cm
3. Copy of previous Indian passport
4. Copy of Surrender Certificate
5. Copy of present passport
6. Copy of Citizen Card
7. Copy of birth certificate, translated into English and notarised
8. Copy of the father's and mother's passport identification pages
9. Copy of marriage certificate. Where the parents are not married, a joint affidavit stating that the child was born out of wedlock.

1. Application form, duly filled in and signed wherever necessary
2. One recent passport photograph measuring 5 × 5 cm
3. Copy of the Portuguese marriage certificate, translated into English and apostilled by the competent authorities. The marriage must have subsisted for at least two years at the time the application is submitted.
4. Proof of the spouse's OCI status or Indian nationality — passport copy or OCI card copy
5. Copy of present passport
6. Copy of Citizen Card
7. Copy of birth certificate or naturalisation certificate, translated into English and notarised
8. Apostilled birth certificate of the foreign spouse, and an identity document issued by a government authority for the spouse's parents, grandparents or great-grandparents
9. Affidavit stating that the applicant has never held an Indian passport, and that the OCI card will be returned to the Embassy of India, Lisbon, if the marriage is dissolved by divorce or by the death of the spouse — Specimen 2

1. Application form, duly filled in and signed wherever necessary
2. One recent passport photograph measuring 5 × 5 cm
3. Copy of present passport
4. Copy of Citizen Card
5. Copy of Portuguese birth certificate or naturalisation certificate, translated into English and notarised
6. Evidence of Indian citizenship of the applicant, their parents or grandparents — see the list below
7. Affidavit stating that the applicant has never held an Indian passport — Specimen 2
8. Affidavit from the applicant explaining how they, their parents or grandparents left India, with full details and the passport on which they travelled to Portugal

• Indian passport copy, if applicable
• OCI card copy, if applicable
• Birth certificate
• Educational certificate
• Property documents
• Domicile or nativity certificate
• Baptism certificate

1. Application form signed by both parents. Where a child cannot sign, a thumb impression may be provided.
2. One recent passport photograph measuring 5 × 5 cm
3. Copy of Portuguese birth certificate, translated into English and notarised
4. Copy of present passport
5. Copy of Citizen Card
6. Copy of the father's and mother's passport identification pages
7. Copy of the parents' marriage certificate
8. Evidence of Indian citizenship of the applicant, one or both parents, or grandparents — for example a copy of the father's or mother's Indian passport or OCI card
9. Affidavit stating that the applicant has never held an Indian passport — Specimen 2

1. Application form, duly filled in and signed wherever necessary. For a minor, signed by both parents; where a child cannot sign, a thumb impression may be provided.
2. One recent passport photograph measuring 5 × 5 cm
3. Copy of present passport
4. Copy of Citizen Card
5. Copy and original of the applicant's OCI card

For a minor applicant, a copy of the father's and mother's passport identification pages is also required.

1. Application form, duly filled in and signed wherever necessary. For a minor, signed by both parents; where a child cannot sign, a thumb impression may be provided.
2. One recent passport photograph measuring 5 × 5 cm
3. Copy of present passport
4. Copy of Citizen Card
5. Copy of the police report quoting the OCI card number, translated into English and notarised
6. Signed affidavit giving a written explanation of how the OCI card was lost

For a minor applicant, a copy of the father's and mother's passport identification pages is also required.

An OCI cardholder can select the OCI Miscellaneous Service option and upload the latest photograph and the requisite documents. The details are updated in the OCI system records and an acknowledgement is sent to the cardholder's registered email address.

Where a new passport has been issued that is not the one on which the OCI card was obtained, the details must be updated on the OCI portal (ociservices.gov.in) within three months of the passport being issued. This applies to all OCI cardholders.

1. Register on ociservices.gov.in
2. Log in and go to online registration
3. Apply for OCI miscellaneous services
4. Fill in and upload the requisite details, including photographs and signatures
5. Submit the application

Under Ministry guidelines, conversion of a PIO card to an OCI card was possible only for applications received up to the deadline of 31 December 2025.

PIO cardholders should now apply for a fresh OCI card, following the instructions above.

Once the complete application has been submitted online, including documents, photograph and signature, copies of the supporting documents must be submitted to the Indian Mission with a prior appointment, for verification and payment. The Mission is responsible for verifying the supporting documents.

If there is any deficiency in the application, uploaded documents or photographs, the Mission will inform the applicant by telephone or email.

Application status can be checked on Online OCI Services.

Applications are made through Online OCI Services.

Yes. It is mandatory that no column is left unanswered.

No, where they state the national status of the holder as a British subject by birth.

Yes, where they state the national status of the holder as a person of British Protectorate, originally a citizen of a place in India.

No. If you are travelling in the near future and have an emergency, please apply for a visa or e-visa.

Around 5 to 6 weeks. Applicants are required to check the status on the MHA website; no separate intimation is sent about the status of an application.

No enquiry will be entertained before 5 to 6 weeks from the date the application was submitted. After that, the OCI card is dispatched to the applicant's address.

Please read all the instructions on the Ministry of Home Affairs website, ociservices.gov.in, paying particular attention to the Brochure, FAQ and FAQ (OCI Miscellaneous) sections.

If problems persist, contact Dr. B. N. Shetty by email at shettybn@nic.in. The Embassy of India, Lisbon is an end user like any other applicant and cannot assist in this regard.

Yes. Applicants wishing to apply in India should see item 6 on the Ministry of Home Affairs website, Online OCI Services.

Further questions are answered at Online OCI Services — FAQ.