By Asia Samachar | India |
India’s new electronic Overseas Citizen of India card has moved from launch announcement to active rollout, with the latest official guidance clarifying how existing cardholders can obtain and use it.
Home Minister Amit Shah launched the e-OCI on June 30, saying the digital system would benefit more than five million OCI cardholders. The system allows applications, document uploads and card issuance to be handled online, while ending the requirement to reissue the OCI booklet when a new passport is obtained after the age of 20. Passport details must, however, continue to be updated online. See the press statement here.
The latest FAQ on the official OCI portal makes clear that the e-OCI does not replace the physical card. It is a free digital representation of the existing OCI record, and current physical cards remain valid. Existing cardholders can log in to the OCI Services Portal, open the e-OCI tab, select “Generate e-OCI Card” and save the card. The digital version may be shown at immigration checkpoints and to airlines when required. Each card can be downloaded up to five times a day.
The FAQ also says passport or personal-detail changes must first be processed through OCI Miscellaneous Services before the updated information appears on the e-OCI.
For OCI holders in Malaysia, the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur issued a July 2 advisory requiring new passport details to be updated within 90 days of renewal. The online update is free within that period; late updates require a prescribed fee of RM113.13.
The mission also announced that fresh OCI cards issued under the spouse category will initially be valid for five years, after which renewal will require a personal interview of the couple.
The e-OCI framework was enabled by Citizenship (Amendment) Rules that took effect on April 30, allowing OCI registration to be issued either physically or electronically.
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