Got a new passport? Renew or link your OCI the right way.
If you already hold an OCI and your passport has changed — or your OCI details need updating — this guide explains which route generally applies: a simple online OCI Link, or the online OCI Passport Details Update. Both are handled online, with no VFS visit. This is guidance; the relevant Indian authority makes the final decision.
Link vs Passport Details Update
Which route — Link or Passport Details Update?
These are two different services. OCI Link is not the same as the OCI Passport Details Update — pick the one that matches your situation.
OCI Link / update
A simple passport-number change (£100). Within the 90-day window it is fully online, with no VFS visit; past the window it is completed through a VFS appointment we book, with a Government of India penalty of GBP 23 paid at VFS.
- Passport renewed or number changed
- Same name as on your OCI
- OCI card valid, not lost or damaged
- No name, nationality or detail change
- Within the 90-day window (online) or past it (a VFS appointment we book, GBP 23 penalty paid at VFS)
OCI Passport Details Update
The online update route (£125, with e-OCI included). For a name/nationality/DOB/detail change, lost or damaged card, appearance change, ex-spouse name removal, address change, or a wrong-details correction. Handled online, with no VFS visit.
- Name change or name mismatch with the OCI
- Nationality change (no Indian origin proof needed again)
- OCI card lost, damaged, or major facial appearance change
- Ex-spouse name removal or OCI address change
- Wrong details (DOB/citizenship) on OCI
- First passport after turning 20 (if OCI issued under 20)
Smart checker
Find your correct OCI route in about 30 seconds
Enter your details and tick what applies. The checker reflects the current Indian High Commission rules — the 90-day window, the first-passport-after-turning-20 rule, and OCI Passport Details Update triggers.
OCI Service Checker
Most clients spend less than a minute here — get an exact answer.
The 90-day window
Link immediately — do not wait for the deadline
Start as soon as the passport arrives
The 90-day window is counted from the passport's issue date, not from when you start the process. The OCI department's rejection emails can take time to arrive — if you submitted on day 80 and a rejection lands on day 92, the window has already closed. There is no benefit to waiting; link as soon as the new passport is in hand. This applies to adults of any age — there is no upper cut-off — and it recurs for life on each passport change.
Age & passport history
Age and passport-history rules
Under 20
A new passport for an OCI holder under 20 is generally handled by an online OCI Link / update. Each new passport is typically a straightforward online update at this age.
First passport after turning 20
If the OCI was issued while the holder was under 20, the first passport after turning 20 generally involves a one-time OCI re-issue. We confirm the exact route and cost for your case. After that one-time step, a normal OCI Link applies again for future passports.
Adults of any age (no upper cut-off)
There is no upper age cut-off: adults of any age generally use an online OCI Link for each new passport. Turning 50 does not by itself change the route — a new passport is simply linked again within the recommended window.
Passed the window?
If you have passed the 90-day window
If 90 days have passed since the new passport was issued and nothing else has changed, this is still an OCI Link. Past the window it is completed through a VFS appointment we book — you attend VFS in person. Your existing OCI is not cancelled; it is linked to your new passport. A Government of India penalty of GBP 23 is paid in person at VFS because the window has passed. WhatsApp Matrix Solutions with your dates and we confirm the route.
Worked examples
Which route do these map to?
Renewed British passport, same name, valid OCI card, within 90 days.
Likely route: OCI Link — straightforward online update.
Under 20, new passport, same name, within 90 days.
Likely route: OCI Link — a straightforward online update at this age.
Passport renewed at 58 or 65, same name.
Likely route: OCI Link — age alone does not change the route.
Changed surname on the new passport after marriage.
Likely route: OCI Passport Details Update — online, so the OCI matches the new name.
OCI issued at 16, now 21 and getting the first adult passport.
Likely route: A one-time OCI re-issue applies — we confirm the exact route and cost — then a normal OCI Link for future passports.
Changed nationality from Australian to British.
Likely route: OCI Passport Details Update — online. Indian origin proof is not required again.
OCI card lost or damaged.
Likely route: OCI Passport Details Update — handled online.
Need to remove ex-spouse's name from OCI.
Likely route: OCI Passport Details Update — online, with the updated details.
OCI address needs updating.
Likely route: OCI Passport Details Update — handled online.
90 days have passed since the new passport was issued, nothing else changed.
Likely route: OCI Link — still £100, but via a VFS appointment we book; a GBP 23 government penalty is paid at VFS.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Waiting until close to the 90-day deadline to start — link as soon as the passport arrives.
- Assuming rejection emails arrive quickly — the OCI department can be slow; by the time a rejection arrives, the 90-day window from the passport issue date may have already closed.
- A photo or signature that does not meet the current specification.
- Confusing OCI Link with the OCI Passport Details Update — they are different routes.
- Starting the process before the correct route is confirmed.
- Assuming a digital or mobile OCI card is accepted for travel — carry the physical booklet.
Next step
Open the right service or get your route confirmed
OCI Link with current passport
Online update when only your passport changed — same name, valid card, no other changes.
OCI Passport Details Update
Online update for a name/nationality change, lost or damaged card, ex-spouse name removal, address change, or a first passport after turning 20.
Not sure? Free route check
Send your OCI card and new passport details and we confirm the route before you pay anything.
Fees note
Matrix Solutions service fees are shown on the relevant service page — see OCI Link or the OCI Passport Details Update for current pricing. Within the applicable window these are handled online, with no VFS visit; a passport past the 90-day window is completed at a VFS appointment we book. Any Government of India fee is separate. If the 90-day window has passed, a Government of India penalty of GBP 23 is paid in person at VFS.
Common questions
OCI renewal & linking — quick answers
Do I need to link my OCI after a passport renewal?
Does this stop at a certain age?
Is online OCI Link enough on its own?
What if I have passed the 90-day window?
I am under 20 and got a new passport — what applies?
I have turned 50 — does the route change?
My name changed on the new passport — what now?
What is the difference between OCI Link and the OCI Passport Details Update?
I got OCI through my spouse — do I still use OCI Link?
I changed nationality — do I need to prove Indian origin again?
Do I need a physical OCI booklet to travel to India?
I have urgent travel in the next two days — what do I do?
Still unsure? Send your details and we confirm the route.
Send your OCI card and new passport details on WhatsApp — we confirm OCI Link or the OCI Passport Details Update, and the next steps, before you pay anything.