Citizenship (Amendment) Rules 2026: e-OCI and minor passports
Why in the news
The Home Ministry replaced much of the 2009 rulebook on May 1, 2026, moving Overseas Citizen of India services fully online and closing a gap on foreign passports for children.
Key facts
- Notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs on May 1, 2026; it overhauls the 2009 Rules.
- e-OCI: a digital certificate under Form XXIX, allowing instant verification and fewer lost or damaged cards.
- Form XXVIII is for registration and Form XXXI for renunciation; these and cancellation go through the OCI services portal only.
- Minor passport proviso (Rule 3): no foreign passport alongside an Indian one for a child, to avoid dual-citizenship tangles.
- Biometric consent is now needed at registration, tying OCI to modern border systems.
About the OCI scheme
- Introduced in 2005 as a kind of pseudo-dual citizenship for the diaspora, with a lifelong visa and most citizen rights.
- Not allowed: voting, constitutional posts and buying agricultural land.
- An OCI holder is a foreign national on a foreign passport; the card is a multi-purpose lifelong visa.
Rights barred under Section 7B(2), Citizenship Act 1955
- Voting in elections.
- Membership of Parliament or a State Legislature.
- Constitutional posts such as President, Vice President and judges of the Supreme Court or High Courts.
- Government jobs, unless specially notified.
Why the minor rule matters
- India follows single citizenship (Article 9 of the Constitution).
- Some parents kept both passports for a child; the new rule forces a single travel document and reduces misuse in custody or residency disputes.
Exam angle
- Notifying ministry: Home Affairs.
- e-OCI form: XXIX; registration form: XXVIII; renunciation: XXXI.
- Related terms: OCI, Article 9, Section 7B(2), dual citizenship.