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OCI renewal no longer required after passport changes
Online portal now handles passport, personal and biometric updates.
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Ankita Baidya - Wed, 08, Jul 2026
- 02:23 EDT
- 21
The Bureau of Immigration has introduced an online process for updating OCI card details. / pexels
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders will no longer need to apply for a fresh physical OCI card after obtaining a new passport or updating personal details, with the entire process now available online, according to the Bureau of Immigration, Government of India.
Also read: OCI cardholders face new reminder on restricted activities
In a post on X, the bureau said OCI cardholders who obtain a new passport after turning 20 or 50 years of age, or who update personal particulars such as their name, nationality or gender, can complete the process through the OCI Services Portal and download an updated electronic OCI (e-OCI) card without applying for a replacement physical card.
According to the Bureau of Immigration, applicants must log in to the OCI Services Portal at ociservices.gov.in, select "Online Registration" followed by "OCI Miscellaneous Services," and access their profile using the passport number last linked to the OCI card, the OCI card number and their date of birth.
Applicants can then choose the relevant service, including passport particulars updation, personal particulars updation, or address and occupation updation, complete the online application and upload the required documents, according to the bureau. The application will be processed by the concerned Indian Mission or the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), after which the updated e-OCI card will be available for download through the applicant's dashboard.
The bureau said OCI cardholders updating passport particulars after obtaining a new passport on or after turning 20 years of age must also update their biometric details at the concerned Indian Mission or FRRO office, or at an international airport during their next international travel.
According to the Bureau of Immigration, passport particulars must be updated within 90 days of the issuance of a new passport. Failure to do so will attract a late penalty of $25, the post said.
Renewal of OCI Card is no longer required!
— Bureau of Immigration, Government of India (@BOIndiaOfficial) July 7, 2026
Have you obtained a new passport after attaining the age of 20 years?*
Or obtained a new passport after attaining the age of 50 years?
Or updated your personal particulars? (such as name, nationality, gender, etc.)
You no… pic.twitter.com/y9tie5bSWF
The revised process follows the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs through a Gazette notification. Under the amended rules to the Citizenship Rules, 2009, all applications for OCI card registration and renunciation are now required to be submitted electronically through the official OCI portal.
The ministry has also clarified under the amended rules that a minor child cannot simultaneously hold an Indian passport and the passport of another country.
The OCI scheme was introduced in 2005 through an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. It allows registration of persons of Indian origin who were citizens of India on or after Jan. 26, 1950, or were eligible to become Indian citizens on that date.
According to the ministry, the scheme is not available to individuals who are or have been citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh.
The OCI card provides holders with a multiple-entry, multipurpose lifelong visa to India and grants parity with Non-Resident Indians in several financial, economic and educational matters. However, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, OCI cardholders are not entitled to voting rights or to hold public offices and government positions reserved for Indian citizens.
The latest changes are intended to simplify compliance for millions of OCI cardholders worldwide by replacing the earlier requirement for repeated physical card reissuance with a streamlined digital update process while maintaining verification through Indian missions and FRRO offices where required.
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