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The Ministry of Home Affairs has officially launched the “e-OCI” platform today, transitioning the entire Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) program to a paperless, digital-first system. Under the new Citizenship (Amendment) Rules 2026, physical OCI booklets are now optional, and applicants will instead receive electronic credentials that can be stored in mobile wallets. The move aims to slash processing times from the current 60-day average to just 15 days by utilizing a new automated back-office workflow. A significant policy change included in this rollout is the “One-Passport” rule for minors, which prevents children from holding both an Indian and a foreign passport simultaneously, closing a long-standing legal loophole. The government has also integrated the e-OCI system with the “Fast-Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme,” allowing cardholders to use automated e-gates at 13 major international airports by the end of the year. While the digital shift has been praised by tech giants like TCS for reducing paperwork by 70%, some overseas centers are still reporting technical glitches during the transition. Fee structures have also been updated, with fresh applications now costing ₹22,500. This overhaul represents a major step in India’s broader “Digital India” initiative, streamlining immigration for the multi-million-strong global Indian diaspora.
