The Embassy of India in Minsk has circulated an official note (23 July) summarising nationwide amendments to Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) regulations that quietly took effect at the end of June. The headline change: holders will no longer need to apply for a fresh OCI card every time they renew a passport after turning 20. Instead, they must simply upload new passport details on the OCI portal and present biometrics at the next entry or exit. At the heart of the reform is the new ‘e-OCI’—a secure, digitally downloadable document linked to immigration e-gates at all integrated check-posts. Existing physical booklets remain valid but travellers can now carry a QR-coded PDF on their phone, a convenience expatriate families have lobbied for since pandemic-era digital passes normalised paper-less travel. For global-mobility managers the change removes a recurring compliance chore: many Indian-origin employees abroad were losing 6–8 workweeks awaiting replacement booklets, particularly in countries with no local Indian mission. The shift also reduces courier costs and risk of document loss. Indian authorities emphasise that passport-particular updates are still mandatory; failure to do so may trigger fines at immigration. Missions are deploying biometric kiosks to capture fingerprints when travellers first pass through. The Ministry of Home Affairs says e-OCI integrates stronger security features, paving the way for automated immigration gates at major airports by 2027.
Source: Embassy of India, Minsk
