‘Finally I am Indian’: Russian woman jumps in joy as she shows off her OCI passport

A Russian woman’s joyous expression while holding a passport has gone viral on social media. Marina Kharbani, a Russian influencer married to an Indian man, shared, “Finally, I am Indian,” while excitedly showing off her new document.

“Almost! I was waiting for this precious document for 3.5 years!!! And I am a proud holder of OCI now,” she wrote. The video shows her carrying her kid on her lap while showing her passport. Throughout the video, she could hardly control her smile and happiness.

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What is OCI?

OCI stands for the Overseas Citizenship of India programme run by the Government of India. According to its official website, “spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder” is eligible for registering as an OCI cardholder.

Take a look at the video:

What did social media say?

An individual remarked, “Congratulations! I have one, too! Enjoy not having to worry about expiry dates or visa paperwork any more!” Another added, “People from India are migrating to Europe. Europeans are coming to India for citizenship.”

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A third added, “I have never seen anyone waving an Indian passport with so much happiness. Congratulations.” A fourth wrote, “But it's only the OCI. You're not Indian. The OCI doesn't give you Indian nationality. If you get divorced, the OCI is revoked. The OCI only gives us some rights, not all of them, like the ability to enter and leave without a visa. But it's not nationality.” Marina Kharbani replied, “Yes. So…?”

Last year, another video of Marina Kharbani went viral on social media. It showed how her parents reacted to the news of her pregnancy. She lives with her husband, kid, and in-laws in Shillong, Meghalaya.