Embassy of India – Manila reminds OCI card-holders to update passport details before travelling to India

On 19 October the Embassy of India in Manila published a dedicated advisory for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card-holders, stressing the importance of uploading new passport particulars before travel and carrying print-outs of the digital acknowledgement at check-in. The mission notes that airline staff in several Asian hubs have refused boarding where the OCI database still showed an expired passport. Under the e-OCI system rolled out nationally on 8 July 2026, card-holders must update the online record each time they obtain a new passport up to the age of 20 and once after turning 50. Failure to do so may result in denial of entry, fines or detention by Indian immigration on arrival. The Manila post says processing times for online updates currently average seven working days, but may stretch to 14 days during peak travel periods. For Philippine-based companies sending employees of Indian origin on short-notice trips, the new requirement introduces an additional compliance step. Mobility managers should verify passport-matching in the OCI portal well ahead of ticketing and retain electronic proof to show airline supervisors. The advisory also clarifies that minors should travel with the same passport number reflected in the portal, or risk being treated as non-visa-exempt. Although the notice was issued locally, similar complaints have emerged at Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Doha airports, indicating a region-wide tightening of carrier liability checks. Industry bodies are urging India’s Bureau of Immigration to grant a brief grace period around the upcoming Diwali travel surge, but no extension has yet been announced. Companies running large expatriate or commuter programmes into India should update their pre-trip checklists, train travel coordinators on the e-OCI upload process and build at least one week of lead-time into deployment schedules.