• In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to Mauritius’ President Dharambeer Gokhool and First Lady Vrinda Gokhool.

• PM Modi also presented OCI cards to his Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam and his spouse Veena Ramgoolam.

• The OCI card grants holders the right to live, work, and study in India indefinitely, while also facilitating visa-free travel and other privileges.

• The handover took place on the first day of his state visit, underscoring India’s commitment to its diaspora and bilateral relations with Mauritius.

• During President Droupadi Murmu’s state visit to Mauritius in March 2024, India extended eligibility for OCI cards to Mauritian nationals of Indian lineage traceable up to the seventh generation, an initiative aimed at fostering closer ties with the Indian diaspora.

• Mauritius is home to 22,188 Indian nationals and 13,198 OCI card holders, reflecting the significant presence of the Indian community in the country.

• Mauritius has long maintained a welcoming stance toward Indian visitors, having introduced a visa-free regime for Indian tourists staying up to a month back in 2004. In reciprocity, Mauritian nationals are entitled to gratis visas for travel to India, further easing people-to-people exchanges.

Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)

• A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) who possesses a foreign passport, can apply for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Cardholder subject to fulfillment of criteria laid down in Section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955. 

• The OCI Cardholder is entitled to a lifelong visa for visiting India.  

• He/she is exempted from registration with Foreign Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) or Foreign Registration Officer (FRO) for any length of stay in India.

• They are treated at par with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in respect of all facilities available to them in economic, financial and educational fields except in matters relating to the acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.

• OCI is not to be misconstrued as ‘dual citizenship’.

• OCIs are not entitled to hold public offices in India nor can they vote in elections in India.

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