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Home The Constitution Part II Article 8
Art. 8 Part II: Citizenship

Rights of Citizenship of Certain Persons of Indian Origin Residing Outside India

Exact text — Constitution of India

Notwithstanding anything in article 5, any person who or either of whose parents or any of whose grand-parents was born in India as defined in the Government of India Act, 1935..., and who is ordinarily residing in any country outside India as so defined shall be deemed to be a citizen of India if he has been registered as a citizen of India by the diplomatic or consular representative of India in the country where he is for the time being residing on an application made by him therefor to such diplomatic or consular representative, whether before or after the commencement of this Constitution...

In Plain English

What this Article actually means

This Article addressed people of Indian origin (by birth or ancestry) who were living outside India entirely at the time — rather than being physically present in India, they could become citizens by registering with an Indian diplomatic or consular office in the country where they lived.
Why This Matters To You

How it shows up in everyday life

This Article reflects the historical reality of a significant Indian diaspora already established abroad (in places like East Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean) at the time of independence — it gave them a formal route into Indian citizenship without requiring physical relocation, a precursor to today's more developed NRI/OCI framework.

Related Articles

Read alongside this one

Art. 9 — Persons Voluntarily Acquiring Foreign Citizenship
Frequently Asked

Quick answers about Article 8

Is this how the modern OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) system works?
No — Article 8's registration mechanism was a one-time, 1950-era provision for citizenship itself; the modern OCI card (created much later by amendments to the Citizenship Act) is a different, separate long-term visa-like status, not full citizenship.
← PreviousArticle 7: Rights of Citizenship of Certain Migrants to PakistanNext →Article 9: Persons Voluntarily Acquiring Citizenship of a Foreign State Not to Be Citizens

The text above reproduces Article 8 of the Constitution of India as amended to date, for general educational reference. It is public-domain legislative text, but we recommend cross-checking the authoritative version at legislative.gov.in or india.gov.in before relying on it for a legal matter. The explanation, examples and FAQs are general information, not legal advice — consult a qualified advocate for guidance on your specific situation.