OCI linking before you fly — a quick checklist

Travelling to India and holding OCI? The main thing to check before you fly is that your OCI is linked to your current passport. If you renewed your passport since your last trip, it generally needs linking first.

Matrix Solutions checks your case and handles the online linking, so there is no last-minute problem at the airport.

Your before-you-fly checklist

• Is your current passport linked to your OCI? If you renewed it, it generally needs linking before you travel.

• Are you carrying your OCI and your current passport? At Indian immigration you generally present both. The digital e-OCI on your phone can be presented at immigration check posts and to airlines (Bureau of Immigration advice); where possible, carry your physical card as well.

• Did you renew your passport recently? Link as soon as possible — the 90-day window runs from the passport issue date, not from when you start. Within 90 days it is an OCI Link (£100), fully online. Past 90 days, our fee is £125 (the OCI Passport Details Update, e-OCI included) and it is completed through a VFS appointment we book, with £52.78 payable at VFS (£20 Government of India fee + £3 ICWF + £29.78 VFS service fee).

• Has your name changed (for example after marriage)? That is generally the OCI Passport Details Update, not a simple link — on the same 90-day rule as above; see which do I need (/oci-link-vs-oci-miscellaneous).

Matrix Solutions runs through this with you and confirms what your trip needs.

If you renewed your passport since your last trip

A renewed passport generally needs linking to your OCI before you travel. For a straightforward passport-number change with the same name, this is usually an online update. For the full picture, see our OCI renewal and linking guide (/oci-renewal-informations). Matrix Solutions prepares and submits the link for you.

If you have already passed the 90-day window

If 90 days have passed since the new passport was issued, your OCI is not cancelled — but the simple OCI Link no longer applies, even when nothing else has changed. Past 90 days, our fee is £125 through our OCI Passport Details Update service (e-OCI included), and it is completed through a VFS appointment we book, which you attend in person, with £52.78 payable at VFS (£20 Government of India fee + £3 ICWF + £29.78 VFS service fee). WhatsApp Matrix Solutions with your passport issue date and we confirm the route before your travel.

How Matrix Solutions helps before you travel

• Checks whether your current passport is linked.

• Confirms whether your case is a simple link or the OCI Passport Details Update.

• Prepares and submits the online linking.

• Keeps an eye on timing so it is sorted before your trip.

Send your OCI and passport details on WhatsApp and Matrix Solutions confirms your route. See the OCI Link service (/oci-link-current-passport) if your new passport is within the 90-day window, or the OCI Passport Details Update (/oci-miscellaneous-service) if it is past 90 days or other details have changed.

Common questions

Do I need to link my OCI before travelling to India?

Generally yes if you renewed your passport — the current passport needs linking to your OCI. Matrix Solutions checks and handles it.

What do I carry at Indian immigration?

Your current passport and your OCI. The Bureau of Immigration advises that the digital e-OCI can be presented at immigration check posts and to airlines; individual carriers and officers may still run their own checks, so where possible carry your physical card as well. Matrix Solutions confirms what your case needs before you fly.

I renewed my passport recently — is it a simple link?

For a passport-number change with the same name, generally yes within the 90-day window — an OCI Link (£100), handled online. Past 90 days, it moves to the OCI Passport Details Update (£125, e-OCI included), completed through a VFS appointment we book, with £52.78 payable at VFS. If your name changed, it is generally the OCI Passport Details Update — online within the 90-day window, or through a VFS appointment we book if past it.

I have passed the 90-day window — can I still travel?

Your OCI is not automatically cancelled. Past 90 days, our fee is £125 (the OCI Passport Details Update, e-OCI included) and it is completed through a VFS appointment we book — you attend VFS in person — with £52.78 payable at VFS (£20 Government of India fee + £3 ICWF + £29.78 VFS service fee). For urgent travel, contact Matrix Solutions immediately on WhatsApp.

Can Matrix Solutions link my OCI before my trip?

Matrix Solutions prepares and submits the online linking and keeps an eye on timing so it is sorted before you travel. The final update rests with the relevant authority.