The Immigration Department has increased the service charges for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to USD 275 (approx. ₹25,700). The increased service charge for OCI cardholders has come into effect from April 1, 2026. But that’s not all. The revised fee depends on where the application is made.
As per the revised framework, the application fee has to be deposited in Indian currency or its equivalent in local currency.
If you are applying in India, the application fee is set at ₹15,000. The official notification reads: “In case the OCI application is made in India, a fee of Rs.15,000/- through draft drawn in favor of “Pay and Accounts Officer (Secretariat), Ministry of Home Affairs” payable at New Delhi.”
If the OCI application is made outside India, applicants will be charged USD 275. “In case of OCI application to be made outside India through demand draft for USD 275 per applicant or equivalent in local currency. The amount of fee to be paid in local currency can be found on the website of the concerned Indian mission/post.”
OCI cardholders who wish to update their documents will also have to pay a certain fee. After reaching the age of 20, cardholders who get a new passport will need to have their OCI card reissued once. The fee for this is USD 25 (approx ₹1,400 in India). The same amount will be required if someone needs to change some personal information.
If you lose your OCI card, you will be charged $100 (approx ₹9,386) for reissue. The Immigration Office said in the post that updating passport details must be done within three months of the new passport being issued. If passport details are updated after three months, a fee of USD 25 ( ₹will be charged approximately 2,348).
There is also a $25 fee to surrender an OCI card.
How to register for OCI cards?
An application for registration as an OCI can be submitted online. Before filling out the application form, it is possible to read the instructions so as not to make a mistake when submitting the application form.
To apply for OCI registration, go to ociservices.gov.in/onlineOCI
Click “Click here to continue”
Enter your details and captcha code and click ‘register’
If you have already registered, please log in with your credentials.
