Married to an Indian citizen or OCI holder? Check in under a minute whether you qualify for OCI through the spouse route.
The spouse route lets the foreign husband or wife of an Indian citizen or OCI holder obtain an OCI card. This free checker walks the official conditions — marriage status, registration and the 2-year rule.
OCI through marriage rests on three things. First, your husband or wife must be an Indian citizen or an existing OCI cardholder. Second, the marriage must be officially registered — a religious ceremony alone isn't enough. Third, the marriage must have been continuous for at least 2 years at the date you apply.
As with all OCI routes, citizens of or people of origin from Pakistan and Bangladesh are excluded under standard rules.
Plenty of couples come to us before the 2-year mark. There's real value in preparing early: we verify your marriage certificate, gather your spouse's Indian passport or OCI documents, and complete the forms so the file is ready to submit the day you qualify.
If you might also qualify through a parent or your own Indian passport history, the standard OCI eligibility checker can point to a faster route.
The services this tool relates to — handled end to end, with document checks and VFS booking included.
The foreign-national spouse of an Indian citizen or an existing OCI cardholder can apply, provided the marriage is registered and has been continuous for at least 2 years at the date of application.
It counts from a registered, subsisting marriage. The marriage must be officially registered and have lasted at least 2 continuous years by the time you apply. NriDirect checks your dates and documents before submission.
You can't submit yet, but NriDirect can prepare your entire file in advance — marriage certificate verification, spouse documents and forms — so you apply the moment you cross the 2-year mark.
Yes. Citizens of, or people of origin from, Pakistan and Bangladesh are not eligible for OCI under standard rules, including through the spouse route.