The Bureau of Immigration (BOI) issued a fresh public notice on 1 July 2026 clarifying that Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card-holders must seek prior approval before engaging in six specified activities inside India. The reminder follows reports of foreign journalists and researchers arriving without the requisite clearances. The activities—research, journalistic work, missionary/Tablighi outreach, mountaineering, internships or employment in foreign diplomatic missions, and visits to Protected, Restricted or Prohibited Areas—have long required a ‘special permit’ or an FRRO/Mission endorsement, but awareness remains patchy among frequent visitors. Failure to comply can lead to cancellation of OCI status, fines or deportation. The BOI has urged applicants to file online through the OCI Services portal at least eight weeks in advance. Processing times vary depending on clearances from the ministries of defence, home and external affairs. The advisory matters to multinational firms that use OCI staff on short-term India assignments: HR teams must check whether project roles constitute ‘research’ or ‘journalistic activity’. Media houses and NGOs should build the lead-times into their deployment calendars, while adventure-tour operators must ensure foreign climbers carry permits when tackling Himalayan peaks. The notice comes amid the government’s wider digitisation drive—OCI registration moved fully online on 1 May 2026—and a push for stricter compliance following security lapses during last year’s G20 events.
Source: Babushahi
