Govt notifies Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026

• Kashish Kumar
• 02 May 2026
• 56 Views

On 30 April 2026, the Union Home Ministry notified the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026. Under the amended rules, electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) cards, fully online applications and stricter norms on dual passports for minors have been introduced. 

The Ministry notification said, “These rules may be called the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026. They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. In the Citizenship Rules, 2009 (hereinafter referred to as the said rules), in rule 3, the following proviso shall be inserted, namely: Provided that the applicant in such cases shall note that the minor child cannot at any time hold the passport of any other country while also holding the Indian passport.”

According to Indian Express, an MHA official stated the following, “The rules introduce a fully digital OCI framework, mandating online applications, electronic records, and acknowledgements, while phasing out duplicative physical processes. A new provision allows issuance of electronic OCI (e-OCI) alongside physical cards, signalling a shift toward paperless identity for overseas Indians. Applicants must now consent to sharing biometric data for integration with fast-track immigration programmes, enabling possible automatic enrolment in the future.” 

Objective of Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026

The amendment aims to streamline procedures, reduce paperwork and clarify processes such as the registration, renunciation and cancellation of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status. Previously, OCI procedures involved a combination of online and physical submissions. They included paperwork and duplicate filing requirements. The amendment also formally codifies certain kinds of practices that were followed before but were not explicitly mentioned under regulations. 

A significant update includes requirement that minors holding Indian passports cannot possess passports from other countries at the same time. This change, added as a new proviso to Rule 3, addresses concerns regarding the misuse of dual citizenship, even though OCI status does not grant full citizenship rights. 

Forms for OCI Registration

According to the notification, the application for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) u/s 7 needs to be made electronically using Form XXVII. It said, “For OCI registration under Section 7A, applications must now be filed electronically in Form XXVIII on the designated portal, scrapping physical duplicates (Rule 29). Rule 33 has been revamped to issue either physical OCI cards or e-OCI registrations in Form XXIX, with records maintained digitally in Form XXX.”

It further stated, “Renunciation (Rule 34) and cancellation (Rule 35) processes are now online: Holders must submit Form XXXI electronically, surrender physical cards if applicable, and receive digital acknowledgments in Form XXXII. Non-compliance on cancellations could lead to cards being treated as invalid.”

Biometric Data during OCI Registration

A new provision enables use of biometric data collected during the OCI registration process to facilitate future immigration procedures. Applicants must give their consent for their biometric data to be used for registration under the Fast Track Immigration Programme or for automatic registration under such programmes in the future, according to the notification released by the Ministry. 

Source: The Indian Express