- The Canberra mission notice also includes applications pending as of October 31, 2026.
- Late-update penalties are set to resume January 1, 2027.
- Canberra lists AUD 43; Santiago lists CLP 25,900.
Checked against hcicanberra.gov.in
India is waiving the reported $25 late fee for eligible OCI passport updates submitted through the e-OCI portal from November 1 to December 31, 2026. The relief applies to fresh applications from cardholders who missed the deadline to add details from a new passport.
The Bureau of Immigration’s notice on X, posted by @BOIndiaOfficial, gives the waiver period. It describes a temporary penalty waiver, not a change to the passport-update requirement.
The High Commission of India in Canberra says applications pending as of October 31 qualify for a one-time waiver. Indian Eagle says late applications submitted before November 1 are not eligible, so cardholders with an earlier-filed case should check with their Indian mission.
The notices do not describe a general waiver for other OCI services. The filing period ends December 31.
The waiver cuts the penalty, not the passport-update requirement
OCI cardholders normally must submit new passport details within three months of receiving the passport. An update filed within that period is free online, according to the Embassy of India in Santiago.
Late applicants face a penalty under the usual process. The waiver addresses that penalty only; it does not say that every charge associated with an application is removed. Mission fees may be listed in local currencies: the Canberra notice dated November 3, 2026 lists AUD 43, while the Santiago embassy’s OCI guidance lists CLP 25,900.
The penalty is set to return for late updates from January 1, 2027.
Changes to personal details follow a separate route. A name, nationality, parent’s name or spouse’s name change must be filed under “updation of personal particulars,” rather than as a routine passport update. That category remains subject to the $25 fee.
The waiver also does not cover duplicate OCI card issuance, renunciation of an OCI card or reissue after age 20. Cardholders should confirm any other applicable charge with the Indian mission handling the application.
Pending applications do not stop travel, the government says
OCI cardholders can travel to and from India while a passport-update application is being processed, the government has clarified. They do not have to wait for the update to finish.
Travelers should carry three documents: the old passport, the new passport and the OCI card. Keep them together for the journey.
Submit a fresh update through Miscellaneous Services by December 31
Cardholders with an eligible fresh application can use the OCI Services portal’s Miscellaneous Services section.
Submit the update online through Miscellaneous Services by December 31.
The ordinary three-month reporting window still applies to new passports received after the waiver period.
