Amit Shah launches new OCI portal to enhance user experience

ANI May 19, 2025 249 views

Amit Shah launched a revamped OCI portal to modernize services for overseas Indians. The new platform addresses past tech limitations and user complaints. It ensures smoother visa-free travel and economic benefits for cardholders. This move aligns with India's push for digital governance and diaspora engagement.

"A new OCI portal has been developed to address existing shortcomings and enhance the user experience." – Ministry of Home Affairs
New Delhi, May 19: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Monday inaugurated a revamped Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) portal here in the national capital to improve the digital experience for OCI cardholders.

Key Points

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Amit Shah inaugurates upgraded OCI portal for smoother user experience

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Portal addresses decade-old tech gaps and user feedback

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Offers lifelong visa-free travel and economic rights

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Part of India's push for digital governance

The launch marks a significant step in the government's efforts to modernise citizen services for the Indian diaspora.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the new portal has been developed in response to rapid technological advancements over the past decade and feedback from existing OCI cardholders regarding issues with the previous system.

"Union Home Minister Amit Shah today launched the new Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) portal in New Delhi. In light of significant technological advancements over the past decade and feedback received from OCI cardholders, a new OCI portal has been developed to address existing shortcomings and enhance the user experience," said the MHA in a statement.

Officials stated that the revamped platform addresses existing shortcomings and is designed to offer a more user-friendly, efficient, and seamless interface for individuals of Indian origin residing overseas.

The OCI card is issued to people of Indian origin who have obtained citizenship in another country, allowing them lifelong visa-free travel to India and certain economic and educational rights. Over the years, the demand for improved digital services and more responsive systems has grown with the increasing number of OCI holders globally.

With this launch, the Ministry of Home Affairs continues its push toward a digitally empowered governance framework, especially for Indians living abroad.

Reader Comments

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Rahul K.
This is a much-needed upgrade! My cousin in Canada has been facing issues with the old portal for years. Hope this new system reduces the endless paperwork and delays. Kudos to the government for listening to diaspora concerns 🇮🇳
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Priya M.
As an NRI, I appreciate this initiative but hope they've also improved backend processing times. The portal is just one part - approvals still take months! The real test will be whether this actually speeds up OCI renewals.
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Arjun S.
Great move! My parents in the US struggle with technology, so I hope the interface is simple enough for senior citizens too. Maybe they could add multilingual support for those more comfortable in regional languages?
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Neha T.
Digital India making life easier for global Indians! 👏 Now if they could just standardize the document requirements across embassies - every consulate seems to ask for different paperwork.
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Vikram J.
While this is good, I hope they've invested equally in cybersecurity. These portals handle sensitive personal data - we don't want another CoWIN data leak situation. Security should be priority #1.
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Sunita R.
My daughter in Australia will be so relieved! Last time she applied, the portal crashed three times and she had to reupload all documents. Fingers crossed this works better 🤞

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Tags:
Amit Shah OCI portal Indian diaspora digital governance Ministry of Home Affairs