In its latest foreign-travel advice bulletin issued on 18 September, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) quietly made two changes that matter to every British or third-country national planning a business trip to India this autumn. First, London now explicitly recognises India’s new electronic Overseas Citizen of India card (e-OCI) as a valid document for entry and in-country services. The digital credential—rolled out in July—replaces the old booklet and is linked to the traveller’s passport via QR code. UK nationals of Indian origin no longer need to carry paper copies of ancestral proof, but must ensure the e-OCI record is updated each time they renew their passport. Second, the advisory reinstates a mandatory Self-Declaration Form for all international arrivals, citing heightened Ebola surveillance after fresh outbreaks in West Africa. Travellers must complete the form online within 72 hours of departure and present the QR-coded receipt on arrival. Airlines have been told to deny boarding if the confirmation is missing, and India’s Bureau of Immigration has added random temperature checks at major gateways including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Corporates should move quickly to embed the new requirements into travel-approval workflows. Mobility managers should (1) verify that employees of Indian origin hold the e-OCI PDF in mobile wallets or have printed copies as contingency; (2) update traveller checklists to capture the Self-Declaration Form alongside the existing Air Suvidha e-Arrival Card; and (3) brief assignees about possible delays in the “Red Channel” if they have transited through or recently visited affected Ebola-zone countries. The FCDO continues to advise against all travel within 10 km of the India-Pakistan border, so companies arranging plant inspections in Punjab or Rajasthan should confirm GPS coordinates before booking accommodation. Insurers are already flagging premium surcharges for trips that stray into the exclusion zone. The advisory also reminds women travellers to exercise increased caution after dark—an operational cue for companies to arrange secure transportation rather than leaving employees to hail app-based taxis.
