Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah has launched the Electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) Card and the FCRA 2.0 Portal in New Delhi, introducing two major digital initiatives aimed at enhancing citizen convenience, simplifying services and strengthening governance through technology. The launch ceremony was attended by the Union Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and other senior government officials.
The e-OCI Card is a major citizen-centric initiative designed to transform OCI services through a fully digital platform. Under the new system, applicants can complete the entire OCI process online, from submitting applications and uploading supporting documents to downloading the digitally generated card after approval. Existing OCI cardholders can also obtain their e-OCI Card digitally in most cases without submitting a fresh application or undergoing physical verification.
The new initiative eliminates the need for OCI cardholders to carry their physical OCI booklet everywhere. The e-OCI Card can now be downloaded and stored on a mobile phone and presented digitally at Immigration Check Posts and to airlines whenever required. Existing physical OCI Cards will continue to remain valid.
Existing OCI cardholders can download the e-OCI Card by logging into the OCI Services Portal using their existing User ID and Password. Users who are not already registered can complete the registration process using the email address provided at the time of their OCI application. After logging in, cardholders can click on the e-OCI tab on the dashboard, select ‘Generate e-OCI Card’, and download the digital card to their mobile phone.
Another key feature of the new system is the removal of the requirement to reissue the OCI booklet when a new passport is issued after the age of 20 years. Instead, cardholders will only need to update their passport details online whenever a new passport is issued. The government said the digital platform will eliminate the risk of losing or damaging physical documents, enable real-time verification and facilitate faster immigration clearance through integration with digital immigration systems.
Addressing the gathering, Amit Shah said the new OCI system resolves long-standing issues and will greatly benefit more than 50 lakh OCI cardholders.
He said that the initial problems faced in the OCI system have been resolved in this new system, and it will bring great convenience to more than 50 lakh OCI cardholders. After 20 years, when a new passport is issued, there will be no need to re-issue the OCI booklet, and the cardholder’s registration number will also become unique. Moreover, with the digital OCI card, the problem of losing or damaging documents will be eliminated, and cardholders will be able to carry out real-time verification themselves.
Alongside the e-OCI Card, the Home Minister also launched the FCRA 2.0 Portal, developed to simplify compliance under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) and strengthen monitoring and enforcement.
The upgraded portal digitises the entire lifecycle of FCRA-related services, including applications, renewals, annual returns and other compliance requirements. Around 14,500 active FCRA organisations currently operate across India, with approximately 15,000 to 20,000 applications and 17,000 annual returns received every year.
Hosted on the Government Cloud MeghRaj, the portal incorporates Aadhaar-based authentication, e-Sign, OCR-based document analysis, integrated dashboards and API integration with key government databases, including PAN, Aadhaar, OCI, NGO Darpan and the ICAI’s UDIN system. It also incorporates the provisions of the FCRA Amendment Rules, 2026.
According to the government, the portal will reduce paperwork, accelerate application processing and strengthen monitoring of foreign contributions through faster verification and improved compliance. Future enhancements will include an AI-powered chatbot, a mobile application and a dedicated online dashboard for banks.
Speaking at the launch, Amit Shah said both initiatives reflected the government’s commitment to the principle of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’. He said that when governance is driven by transparent policies and technology, it becomes easier for honest citizens while strengthening surveillance against misuse.
He noted that the upgraded FCRA system would simplify operations for organisations while improving the government’s ability to monitor foreign contributions in the interest of national security.
