Glossary
90-day rule
Also called: OCI 90-day rule, OCI linking window
The 90-day rule is the window for linking a new passport to an existing OCI: about 90 days from the issue date printed in the new passport, not the day it arrived. Inside the window, a passport-number change alone is an online OCI Link. Past 90 days, any change, even a simple passport-number change, moves to the OCI Passport Details Update, and a £52.78 late-update penalty applies. The OCI is not cancelled.
Who needs it
Any OCI holder who renews or replaces their foreign passport. Past the window, the route also depends on where the card was issued: a London-issued card with only a passport or address change is handled with a file submission, while a name change or a Birmingham-issued card, which covers Manchester, Leicester and Bradford, needs an appointment.
What Matrix Solutions does
We confirm your route before you pay: OCI Link for £100 inside the window, or the OCI Passport Details Update for £125 after it.
OCI renewal guide and route checker →