The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) refreshed its India travel advisory on 25 July 2026, less than three weeks after New Delhi rolled out the electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) card. The update formally recognises the e-OCI as a valid document for entry and long-term stay, ending confusion for dual-nationals who previously carried physical OCI booklets. The guidance also introduces a new section on Ebola screening. Passengers arriving from or transiting through affected African countries must now complete a health declaration on the Air Suvidha 2.0 platform and may be subject to temperature checks on arrival. Airlines operating Heathrow-Delhi and Birmingham-Amritsar routes confirmed they have received the new protocols and will advise travellers at check-in. In addition, the FCDO reiterated its long-standing advice against travel within 10 km of the India-Pakistan border and highlighted continuing curfews in Manipur. Travellers impacted by flight diversions linked to the West Asia conflict are told to contact the nearest Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) if they need to extend Indian visas. For mobility managers, the recognition of e-OCI simplifies document management for British employees of Indian origin, who can now store the card on their mobile devices. However, the Ebola clause introduces a new compliance checkpoint; companies should track staff itineraries through high-risk regions and budget extra time for health-screening on arrival. Travel-insurance providers say premium surcharges may rise for trips including multiple Ebola-affected stops, while relocation firms expect a surge in queries about converting physical OCI booklets to the digital format now that a major destination country has accepted it.
