Country

Pathways to Indian Residency and Citizenship

India

India has a narrow statutory citizenship-by-descent route for some people born abroad to an Indian parent, with strict timing, registration, and dual-citizenship limits. Many people with Indian parentage or ancestry instead use the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, a lifelong status that grants the right to live, work, and own most property in India without a visa. This guide gathers India's citizenship and citizenship-adjacent pathways and links to the detailed requirements for each route.

Could you qualify?

Answer a few quick questions to see which pathways in India fit your background. It's free, and takes just a few minutes.

See if you're a match →

Ways to qualify

Ancestry & heritage

A parent, grandparent, or birth in the country can make you a citizen already — or let you claim it, often without relocating.

Indian Citizenship by Descent Indian citizenship by descent is a narrow statutory route for people born outside India to an Indian parent, with different rules for births before… citizenship India OCI Card The OCI card is for people with qualifying Indian ancestry or a qualifying Indian-citizen spouse who want long-term access to India. It generally… other