Dec 5, 2022, 2:15 am
Last edit by: oliver2002
Link to the latest guideline in force: https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default...s_16072021.pdf
If you are below 20 and get a new passport:
go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of your new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.
You will receive an email confirming the submission and sometime later get another email confirming the update. Nothing is reissued.
If you were issued an OCI card when you were younger than 20 and get a new passport:
you have to apply for a reissue of the OCI card.
go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of you new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.
Then contact your local mission to submit the old OCI card and receive the new one. Some missions do this on site, mssions with a larger Indian community like the UK/US use a service provider like VFS for that.
If you were issued an OCI card when you were older than 20 and get a new passport:
You don't need to do anything. The next time you fly to India, it would be advisable to carry the old passport with you. If you have time on hand and nothing else to do:
go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of you new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.
You will receive an email confirming the submission and sometime later get another email confirming the update. Nothing is reissued.
If you were issued an OCI card when you were older than 20 and get a new passport after you turned 50:
go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of your new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.
You will receive an email confirming the submission and sometime later get another email confirming the update. Nothing is reissued.
The TIMATIC entries are currently as follows: checked on EK on 09FEB2024: https://www.emirates.com/de/english/...destination=in
Visa Exemptions:
Passengers with an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card or booklet. A physical OCI card or booklet is required. A digital or photocopy of the OCI card or booklet is not accepted.
...
Passengers with an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card must apply for a new Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card only once when they obtain a new passport after turning 20 years old.
If you are below 20 and get a new passport:
go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of your new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.
You will receive an email confirming the submission and sometime later get another email confirming the update. Nothing is reissued.
If you were issued an OCI card when you were younger than 20 and get a new passport:
you have to apply for a reissue of the OCI card.
go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of you new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.
Then contact your local mission to submit the old OCI card and receive the new one. Some missions do this on site, mssions with a larger Indian community like the UK/US use a service provider like VFS for that.
If you were issued an OCI card when you were older than 20 and get a new passport:
You don't need to do anything. The next time you fly to India, it would be advisable to carry the old passport with you. If you have time on hand and nothing else to do:
go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of you new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.
You will receive an email confirming the submission and sometime later get another email confirming the update. Nothing is reissued.
If you were issued an OCI card when you were older than 20 and get a new passport after you turned 50:
go to https://ociservices.gov.in/ click on 'OCI Miscellaneous Services' and update your details, upload a pdf of your new passport and a jpg of a recent passport foto.
You will receive an email confirming the submission and sometime later get another email confirming the update. Nothing is reissued.
The TIMATIC entries are currently as follows: checked on EK on 09FEB2024: https://www.emirates.com/de/english/...destination=in
Visa Exemptions:
Passengers with an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card or booklet. A physical OCI card or booklet is required. A digital or photocopy of the OCI card or booklet is not accepted.
...
Passengers with an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card must apply for a new Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card only once when they obtain a new passport after turning 20 years old.
QUESTIONS about OCI re-issue after turning 20/50 years
Mar 15, 2023, 12:20 pm
#166
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: AA 1M
Posts: 31,475
How would this really help anyone? Most OCI holders will still need to carry their national passports for travel out of India when they need to leave, so you're not saving on carrying just one document. The set of people who need to travel urgently to India on their OCI but who don't have a valid national passport must be vanishingly small.
Much more practical and useful (IMO) would be the following:
* Change the format of the OCI to be a credit-card size document (like a US passport card, "green card", or Global Entry card, or driver's license, etc.) so it's easy to carry. There seems to be zero need for the paper pages in the OCI (has anyone heard of any endorsements or remarks being added in the OCI booklet??)
* Just declare it as sufficient as an ID for most things in India - hotels, domestic flights or other travel, getting a SIM card, or 1,001 other things an OCI holder might want to do in India on a short or long stay.
Much more practical and useful (IMO) would be the following:
* Change the format of the OCI to be a credit-card size document (like a US passport card, "green card", or Global Entry card, or driver's license, etc.) so it's easy to carry. There seems to be zero need for the paper pages in the OCI (has anyone heard of any endorsements or remarks being added in the OCI booklet??)
* Just declare it as sufficient as an ID for most things in India - hotels, domestic flights or other travel, getting a SIM card, or 1,001 other things an OCI holder might want to do in India on a short or long stay.
In the absence of the above, I like your suggestion of a card.
Mar 15, 2023, 3:14 pm
#167
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Delta
Posts: 270
The current OCI card is actually machine-readable with the ICAO standard format. If you take a look at that, you will see that it actually has an expiration date, it's not really the "lifetime" validity that the text on the document claims. The expiration date is the day before your 100th birthday.
Mar 15, 2023, 3:18 pm
#168
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Delta
Posts: 270
This is definitely a problem - ideally the OCI (in whatever format, booklet or card) should simply not mention the passport number, especially now that they've done away with the requirement to renew it when your passport changes.
Mar 16, 2023, 4:38 am
#169
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,168
Once upon a time the OCI used to be a 'U' type visa in the form of a sticker in your passport which you had to carry with you even if the passport had expired. The current OCI card came about after the merger of the PIO and OCI programs and is the visa sticker in a handy booklet format that doesn't need the old passport (once the new passport is registered in the system). Since they switched to a central database (which is queried by the airlines at checkin) to record the passport number the empty pages to endorse/update things are no longer required/used.
Mar 16, 2023, 6:30 am
#170
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: AA 1M
Posts: 31,475
Sometimes having a sticker in a passport would be good so at to have one less thing to worry about keeping safe. I hope they give a choice - Indian national passport, credit card sized green card or sticker in passport.
Last edited by UA Fan; Mar 16, 2023 at 7:20 am
Mar 16, 2023, 7:12 am
#171
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Delta
Posts: 270
Once upon a time the OCI used to be a 'U' type visa in the form of a sticker in your passport which you had to carry with you even if the passport had expired. The current OCI card came about after the merger of the PIO and OCI programs and is the visa sticker in a handy booklet format that doesn't need the old passport (once the new passport is registered in the system). Since they switched to a central database (which is queried by the airlines at checkin) to record the passport number the empty pages to endorse/update things are no longer required/used.
My most recent booklet actually has a rubber stamp in one of the pages that's basically a reminder that all foreigners, including OCIs, need permits for certain activities, including missionary work and such. Not sure if that's standard in the booklets now or random or specific to me (nothing in my travel history has anything to do with these restricted activities).
Mar 19, 2023, 5:39 pm
#172
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 3
hi, I am due to fly with Lufthansa to india this week from Birmingham and am in a similar situation where I have a new British passport but this has not been updated on my OCI which is linked to my old passport. I am now over 20 yrs old and so this reissue is due but I am stressing out as to whether I’ll be able to travel with my OCI card linked to old passport. When you say doc control, what do you mean by this? I have both old and new passports but what other documentation would I need? Thanks
Last edited by sukhman; Mar 19, 2023 at 6:04 pm
Mar 20, 2023, 1:13 am
#173
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: EY
Posts: 852
hi, I am due to fly with Lufthansa to india this week from Birmingham and am in a similar situation where I have a new British passport but this has not been updated on my OCI which is linked to my old passport. I am now over 20 yrs old and so this reissue is due but I am stressing out as to whether I’ll be able to travel with my OCI card linked to old passport. When you say doc control, what do you mean by this? I have both old and new passports but what other documentation would I need? Thanks
Mar 20, 2023, 1:47 am
#174
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 3
Mar 21, 2023, 7:40 am
#175
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: EY
Posts: 852
I would probably apply for an e visa in that case just to be safe. Immigration will laugh at you and say you have money to burn like they did to some other guy who was in a similar situation but the alternative is having a risk of being denied entry. I don’t know why it takes 70 days, an update should take a few days at best
Mar 21, 2023, 11:21 am
#176
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,168
Don't apply for an evisa. Just look upthread, the GoI published a directive which says OCI holders can continue to travel after applying for a reissue.
Mar 21, 2023, 2:39 pm
#177
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: EY
Posts: 852
I did see this message from last year so take it what you will
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/34824744-post140.html
Mar 26, 2023, 1:36 am
#178
Join Date: Mar 2023
Posts: 3
[QUOTE=xobile;35106014]I couldn’t find the directive you were referring to and everything on the Indian embassy pages only reference an extension until December 31,2022. Nothing for 2023 for whatever reason.
I did see this message from last year so take it what you will
update: it was all fine, we carried old passport but they didn’t even ask for it. Lufthansa did a visa/OCI check which was given the all clear andwe did not face any issues during immigration when we landed, for anyone who is worried and is going soon!
I did see this message from last year so take it what you will
update: it was all fine, we carried old passport but they didn’t even ask for it. Lufthansa did a visa/OCI check which was given the all clear andwe did not face any issues during immigration when we landed, for anyone who is worried and is going soon!
Mar 26, 2023, 10:37 am
#179
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SJC
Programs: Does it matter any more?
Posts: 2,153
A case of YMMV and the agent checking you in at the airline counter.
Mar 26, 2023, 10:48 am
#180
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Programs: BA Silver, EY Gold, HH Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 12,210
