r/OCI

Sharing my recent experience of updating my passport details on my OCI from London, UK, in case it helps anyone going through the same process.
Here’s my timeline:

16 July – I submitted a gratis (no-charge) application under Miscellaneous Services on the OCI portal to update my new passport details. On the same day, I also booked a VFS appointment in case an in-person visit was required.

Travel while application was pending – I travelled from India to London while the application was still pending. I carried the application acknowledgement/email stating that there was no hindrance to travel while the application was in progress.
29 July – I received an email from VFS asking me to pay a £23 fine/fee plus VFS charges, bringing the total to approximately £52–£54. Since I had not made the payment in person, they provided a link for me to pay online.
They also asked me to:
Fill in the pro forma form
Attach a photocopy/Xerox of my new passport
Reply to the email with the requested documents
I completed the form, attached the passport copy, made the payment online, and replied to their email with everything requested.
I already had a VFS appointment booked, which I had arranged on the same day I submitted the OCI application. Since I was able to complete the payment and submit the requested documents online, I cancelled the VFS appointment.

12 August – My OCI application status changed to “Under Process.”
16 August – I flew from London to India while the OCI passport-update application was still under process. Based on the instructions published by HCI London, travel to India is permitted while this type of application is under process.
Arrival in India – I had no issues at immigration. Nobody asked me any questions about the OCI update application, and I entered India normally.
Just sharing my personal experience because I know there can be a lot of uncertainty around travelling while an OCI passport-detail update is pending/under process.
Of course, rules and instructions can change, so I’d still recommend checking the latest guidance from the OCI portal/HCI London before travelling.

I would like to note that HCI London has not updated its instructions on the website about online payments

Spouse and I are former Indian citizens. Spouse acquired foreign citizenship few years ago and also received OCI while I recently acquired foreign citizenship and just sent out my surrender/renunciation application via VFS and it's in process.

Regarding my child's OCI application, all docs are ready but should I wait until I receive my surrender certificate and cancelled stamp in my Indian passport or can I send out child's application along with a copy of my surrender application as reference?

Submitted /misc OCI form in May'26 so that OCI can be updated for new US passport for my kid. Under process till date. Is there an email i can contact to understand the delay and is 3 months "normal" time?

Hello everyone, looking for advice on our situation:

Our 11-month-old traveled to India on a 6-month e-Visa while OCI was still being processed.

Here's the full timeline:

• Parents applied for baby's OCI (in progress at time of travel)
• Applied and got approved for a 6-month e-Visa for the baby
• Baby traveled to India together with one parent
• Parent returned to the US after about a month, leaving baby with grandparents in India
• 3 months into baby's stay, OCI got approved
• Parents in the US received the OCI card and immediately shipped it to India
• Baby has now been in India for 10 months (e-Visa expired around month 6)
• Parents traveled to India at month 10 and are now planning to bring the baby back to the US

Questions:

1. Is the baby okay to travel back to the US with the OCI card even though the e-Visa technically expired?
2. Will there be any issues at Indian immigration on the way out?
3. Does the OCI card cover the overstay since it was approved mid-trip?

Has anyone been through a similar situation? Would really appreciate any experiences or guidance before we book the return flight !!

We are going to India in 3 weeks. When do we have to fill the e-arrival forms? "within 72 hours before travel date" means anytime in the 72 hour window before travel but not before?

I'm looking for guidance from anyone who has dealt with the FRRO/MHA/Courts regarding penalty waivers in exceptional cases involving Child born in India to OCI families.

The FRRO has imposed an overstay penalty of ₹1,50,000 on our online X-1 Visa application for our 18-month-old child, who was born in India in 2024 to Canadian OCI cardholder parents. The penalty was imposed because the child could not obtain a Canadian Passport and apply for the X-1 Visa within the prescribed 90-day period after birth. However, the delay was entirely due to circumstances beyond our control, namely an extraordinary backlog at the Canadian authorities in issuing the mandatory Citizenship Certificate, without which a Passport could not be obtained. The FRRO officers were courteous and explained that they have no discretion to waive or reduce the penalty, that it is calculated strictly as per the applicable rules (Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 for the period from 1 September 2025 onwards, and the earlier applicable law for the period before that), and advised us to approach the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) if we wished to pursue the matter further.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone successfully obtained a waiver or reduction of such a penalty from the MHA or any other authority? If yes, whom did you contact (MHA, PMO, FRRO Headquarters, etc.), through which channel (official email, CPGRAMS, grievance portal, post, phone, or in person), and how long did the process take?
2. Is there any known provision, policy, circular, or precedent under which the MHA has exercised discretion in such exceptional cases?
3. If the MHA rejects the request, what is the most appropriate legal remedy? Has anyone obtained relief through a High Court or any other judicial forum?
4. Any practical suggestions or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Additional details:

• Child born in India in 2024 to Canadian OCI parents.
• Birth was promptly intimated to the FRRO by the hospital.
• Citizenship Certificate application was submitted at the earliest opportunity.
• A Canadian Passport could not be applied for until the Citizenship Certificate was issued.
• Due to the well-documented backlog at the Canadian authorities, the Citizenship Certificate took over 15 months to be issued.
• We have documentary evidence including:
  • Citizenship Certificate application acknowledgement.
  • Official status enquiry acknowledgements.
  • Multiple portal screenshots showing the increasing processing backlog over time.
  • Passport issuance date.
  • X-1 Visa application submitted within 14 days of receiving the Passport.

I'm not criticizing any authority or rules here, only trying to understand whether there is any practical or legal avenue for relief in a genuinely exceptional case supported by documentary evidence, showing that the situation was entirely beyond the control of the applicant, who did everything humanly possible to get the documents on time and comply with the rules, but couldn't succeed.

Thank you in advance for any guidance or shared experiences.

I have submitted OCI miscellaneous service request post new US passport. The online status shows pending since end of July.

Does anyone have experiences of what to expect and how long does it take? I think my application is with Washington DC jurisdiction.
I do understand that travel is not a problem, but I want to ensure that the process is complete as I tend to forget these things when they go on a back burner.

Thanks in advance.

I submitted a passport updation application for OCI in May and my application # ends in M26. Not sure if it's because it was the first time I tried updating my passport details after I turned 20 and this was before the new rules came out, because my parents' applications end in U26. For paying the fee for passport updation, the VFS website says "Ensure your OCI application ends with 'U26' confirming it's a passport update request."

Has anyone else been in the same boat as me? What do I do in my situation since my application ends in M26? Based in NY.

Hi everyone,

My family of 4 (all Canadian citizens) is planning a trip to India very soon.

Our OCI status was officially Granted on July 17th. However, while my kids received their physical OCI booklets, my spouse and I have not received our physical cards yet.

According to the online portal, we have access to our electronic OCI (e-OCI). I have already downloaded this. Everyone’s Canadian passports have 6+ months validity and we will complete the 72-hour e-Arrival card/QR code.

Has anyone recently traveled from Canada to India using just the printed e-OCI certificate without the physical booklet?

• How was the experience with Indian Immigration officers upon landing?

Would love to hear any recent firsthand experiences to give us some peace of mind. Thank you!

In the Past I do not remember where someone had to go in person to submit Biometrics to obtain their OCI, is that a new thing that they have started. If I apply through mailing my documents, when will I have to go in?

Hi all, sharing my OCI application process here for the benefit of others. I had to go through the appointment process twice, but hopefully you won't have to after reading this :)

A few things to note: I applied for my OCI from London, having recently obtained British citizenship.

Why I got rejected the first time: I didn't enter my mother's name exactly as it appears on the last page of my Indian passport — I left out her middle name. They caught it at document verification at the VFS centre, so I was turned away on the spot and had to correct the form and book a fresh appointment. Pull out your old passport, turn to the last page, and copy the parents' names across character for character. Same goes for every other detail on that page.

I started with the usual application at https://ociservices.gov.in/ and filled out everything. Then I booked an appointment on the VFS website: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/gbr/en/ind/external-interim

Documents — remember to do both: (a) print and sign a copy, and (b) scan and upload it before the appointment.

• Printed OCI application form, signed by you
• UK passport (valid for at least 6 months), plus a photocopy of the details page
• Naturalisation certificate, plus a photocopy
• Indian passport surrender certificate (original and photocopy)
• Cancelled Indian passport (original, and photocopies of the data pages)
• Proof of UK address (e.g. a utility bill or UK driving licence)
• Two identical physical passport photos (2 in × 2 in, square, white background) — these must match the one you uploaded
• Hidden requirements, which they only tell you about at the centre (or perhaps they're buried deep in the fine print):
  • OCI declaration — roughly like the photo attached at the end. I was handed this physically on arriving at the centre, but friends of mine managed to find it online.
  • Marriage certificate (if married)
  • Spouse's passport copy (if married)

Trick for scanning and uploading: this part gets nasty. You have to upload all of the documents, and ideally you'd merge them while keeping the file size below 1 MB. That's not always possible, so I split mine into two files to get each below 1 MB. Use any online PDF compression (beware of data risk). Then upload them under any category — it doesn't matter which one you select.

You can only upload across a maximum of three categories, so I'd say keep one slot free in case a new requirement shows up on the appointment date.

All the best, and may the odds be ever in your favour!

OCI declaration, for reference only:

https://preview.redd.it/ebeplx7px6jh1.png?width=768&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1be763149165618e1ee7fe4835ed97ed1f95c58

Hello Everyone,

I just received a “OCI granted” status on the OCI government portal for my minor US born daughter and wanted to write a post here and share any comments/ feedbacks etc. and try to help and give back to the community.

Date application was received at VFS : 20th July, 2026
Date application was sent to CGI Chicago from VFS : 21st July, 2026
Date application was received by CGI Chicago : 23rd July, 2026
Date application was formally updated on OCI website as “Under Process”: 28th July,2026
Date application was formally updated on OCI website as “Granted”: 12th Aug, 2026

As of today (12th Aug, 2026) I havent yet gotten the e-OCI link yet but I think this should be visible in the next 24 hrs

I followed the VFS documentation to the letter regarding application process and the documentation that need to be Apostilled and/or notary signed. The VFS checklist covers 90% of any questions you might have , but 10% I had to google.

Happy to answer any questions

My wife’s Indian OCI application has been rejected twice due to the photograph requirements, and we’re trying to figure out exactly what’s wrong before submitting it again.

For the photo, she used a 2×2 inch passport-style photo. She was smiling slightly in the photo, but otherwise the photo meets the usual requirements (plain/light background, clear face, good lighting, etc.).

Has anyone here recently applied for an OCI from the US and had their application accepted with a 2×2 photo? Could the slight smile be the reason for rejection, or is there something specific about the OCI photo requirements that we might be missing?

We really don’t want to submit it a third time and have it rejected again. If anyone has had a similar experience or knows exactly what photo specifications worked for their OCI application, I’d really appreciate the advice.

Hi all

I’m applying for the eOCI as I have recently received my British passport. How long is it taking for it to be processed digitally.

Thanks in advance