Answer 3–4 quick questions and find out in under a minute whether you qualify for an OCI card — and which route is yours.
This free checker mirrors the Government of India's published OCI rules for UK applicants — covering former Indian passport holders, UK-born children of Indians, spouses, and African-route cases. No signup, nothing stored.
Almost every successful OCI application from the UK runs through one of four routes. The self route is for people who once held an Indian passport and have since naturalised as British — it needs a Surrender Certificate first. The parent/ancestry route is the most common path for UK-born applicants: you link your birth certificate to a parent's or grandparent's Indian passport or origin documents. The spouse route is open to the foreign husband or wife of an Indian citizen or OCI holder, once the marriage has been registered and continuous for two years. Finally, African-route cases (applicants born in East or Southern Africa to Indian-origin families) are possible but need apostilled birth certificates and certified translations.
If the checker shows you're likely eligible, the fastest next step is to start your Fresh OCI application — we send a tailored document checklist within one working day and handle the portal forms, document checks, and VFS booking end to end. If your case needs a closer look, send us your details on WhatsApp and a specialist maps your cleanest route, usually within 24 hours.
The services this tool relates to — handled end to end, with document checks and VFS booking included.
Get your first OCI card from the UK. We handle forms, documents, and VFS booking — 98% first-time approval.
From £100Apply for OCI as the spouse of an Indian citizen or OCI cardholder. Full application, document verification, and VFS booking.
From £120Surrender your Indian passport and apply for your OCI card in one guided bundle. Fixed £130 service fee. Pre-filled forms, VFS booking, and full document review.
From £160You qualify if you previously held an Indian passport, if one of your parents (or grandparents in some cases) was an Indian citizen, or if you're married to an Indian citizen or OCI holder for 2+ years. Citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh — and those with such ancestry — are not eligible under standard rules.
Yes. If you held an Indian passport and have since naturalised as British, India requires a formal Surrender Certificate before OCI can be issued. For naturalisations on or after 1 June 2010 we run Surrender and OCI together as a combined service to avoid double waits.
Yes — spouses of Indian citizens or OCI holders qualify, provided the marriage is registered and at least 2 continuous years old at the date of application.
Most UK Fresh OCI applications take 4–8 weeks after your VFS appointment. Combined Surrender + OCI cases run longer end-to-end. We give you a realistic timeline up front based on your specific route.
No — it's a guide based on published Government of India rules. For edge cases (special clearances, lost documents, mixed-citizenship lineage) a specialist review is the right next step.