Just when the busiest travel season of the year started, the Government of India has waived the $25 late fee for OCI Cardholders with delayed passport updates on the OCI portal. Usually, the 2026 OCI Card rules include a $25 penalty for updating passport details online after 3 months of a new passport issued to an Overseas Citizen of India. However, the late fee waiver is a one-time relief.

OCI Passport update late fee waiver timeline

India announced the $25 penalty waiver for two months, from 1 November to 31 December 2026. The OCI Card rules require you to update the passport details on your OCI Card within 3 months of receiving a new passport every time or pay a penalty of $25 for missing the deadline. However, you can apply to update your new passport information through the e-OCI portal any time until 31 December 2026 without paying the late fee, even though the passport was renewed three months ago.

There is no certainty about possible extension of the penalty waiver window. Late OCI Passport update applications will resume attracting the late fee from 1 January 2027.

All OCI Cardholders should know

The temporary fee waiver for late updation of new passport details should not be mistaken for applicable fees for other OCI services, like duplicate OCI Card issuance, OCI Card renunciation, and OCI Card reissuance after 20 years of age. Even a $25 fee continues to apply to OCI Cardholders seeking to change personal details like name, nationality, parents’ or spouse name. Applications for changes in personal details must be made under the “updation of personal particulars’ category.

OCI Cardholders who submitted late applications for updating new passport details before 1 November 2026 are not eligible for the penalty waiver.

Can OCI Cardholders travel to India with pending passport updates?

Recently, the Government of India clarified that OCI Cardholders can travel to and from India even though they delayed updating new passport details on the OCI portal. There are no travel restrictions for them while their applications for updating new passport details are under process.

The post Latest OCI News: India Removes Late OCI Passport Update Fee $25 and Relaxes Travel Rules first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Latest OCI News: India Removes Late OCI Passport Update Fee $25 and Relaxes Travel Rules appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

Gold is next to God for Indians, no matter where they are. Most Indians immigrating to the United States do carry their gold items, such as wedding jewelry, inherited ornaments, coins, etc. They travel back to India with the same for personal use at family functions or gifting to dear ones. Understandably, traveling with this precious yellow metal in any form is subject to some regulations and restrictions. Indian Eagle, your trusted travel-booking partner, brings you this guide for

• India’s duty-free gold jewelry allowance for NRIs
• Indian customs rules for gold jewelry purchased abroad
• How to save India’s customs duty on your gold jewelry in excess
• Temporary baggage import certificate from Indian Customs
• Export certificate for taking your gold abroad from India and its validity
• How to declare your gold (beyond duty-free allowance) online while flying to India

What is duty-free allowance for carrying gold jewelry to India?

India’s Baggage and Customs Rules 2026 simplified the duty-free gold jewelry allowance for overseas Indians by removing the value-based cap. Among NRIs from USA and other countries, women travelers can bring 40-gram gold jewelry and male travelers can bring only 20-gram gold jewelry duty-free to India. The weight-based duty-free allowance is effective starting February 2026 for those Indians and Indian-origin people who have been abroad for more than 12 months.

Also, the same gender-wise duty-free gold allowance applies to NRI children traveling to India. This allowance does not extend to gold bars, coins, and bullion – which must be declared and are subject to customs duty in India.

Can you take 24-carat gold jewelry duty-free to India?

Usually, 24-carat gold in any form incurs customs duty at Indian airports. Indian Customs’ duty-free allowance is limited to 22-carat jewelry in permissible weights for women and men. 24-caract gold jewelry may be considered a commercial import to India from abroad unless it is accompanied with an export/import certificate. However, Indian high courts delivered verdicts in favor of travelers in some cases where customs confiscated their 24-carat jewelry.

Customs rules for carrying to India gold/diamond jewelry purchased abroad

Usually, carrying gold or diamond jewelry beyond the duty-free allowance is subject to customs duty on arrival in India, irrespective of where it was purchased. However, there is a way out if you want to carry your personal jewelry (in excess) for a family function in India.

Make sure you carry the purchase receipts and proof of personal use. During checking, convince the Indian customs officer that your jewelry is not a commercial import to India and that you are carrying it for your personal use at a family wedding. Show your return flight ticket and proof of the family function, if there’s any, as supporting documents. It is also advisable to keep photographs of yourself wearing the same jewelry, as this can help establish personal ownership if required.

Also, you may obtain a temporary baggage import certificate from the customs on arrival in India, according to the 2026 customs rules that permit overseas Indians to bring their personal jewelry (in large quantity) without paying any duty. You must take back the same jewelry after attending a wedding or any other family event in India.

Bringing back to India your gold jewelry that you had taken to USA

If you obtained an export certificate from Indian Customs for taking your gold jewelry from India to USA (or anywhere else), you can bring the same jewelry back to India without paying customs duty. The export certificate serves as the official proof that you are re-importing to India the same jewelry that you had carried abroad earlier. Irrespective of your period of stay abroad, you can bring back jewelry to India from USA, over and above the duty-free allowance. The jewelry must match the details mentioned in the export certificate.

Also Check: Customs Rules and Duty for Carrying iPhone Duo to India

How to get an export certificate from customs officers in India

At a departure international airport in India, you can approach the Customs office prior to check-in and declare the jewelry you are taking abroad. The officer will examine the items, record details such as description and weight, and issue an export certificate. Keep this certificate safely and present it to Customs when you return to India. If the jewelry matches the recorded details, it can be re-imported without paying customs duty, even if it exceeds the normal duty-free allowance.

What is the validity of the export certificate?

The export certificate will remain valid for six months from the date of issuance, or till the time you return to India, whichever is earlier.

How much gold you can carry to India in cabin/hand baggage?

Not everyone is allowed to import gold to India as part of cabin baggage. Only Indian residents, NRIs, and OCI cardholders can import gold as baggage, provided they stayed abroad for over 1 year. You can import up to 1 kg of gold in your carry-on bag on international flights to India from USA and other countries.

Customs duty for carrying gold coins or bars to India

Yes, you can carry gold coins or gold bars to India, but they are treated as gold in raw form and do not qualify for any duty-free allowance. Gold coins and bullion must be declared to Customs on arrival and are subject to customs duty on the total value. As per the current customs tariff structure under the Union Budget 2026, gold imports attract around 6% customs duty, which includes 5% Basic Customs Duty and 1% Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess. The duty is calculated on the assessable value determined by Customs at the airport.

This guide explaining the customs rules for NRIs and OCI cardholders carrying gold to India is brought to you by IndianEagle.com, a leading US-based travel tech company offering unbeatable airline deals from USA to India and beyond. Call or WhatsApp Indian Eagle for the best phone-only flight deals cheaper than regular online fares. Subscribe to Indian Eagle for international travel news, festive discounts, travel hacks and guides.      

How to declare online excess gold to Indian customs before arrival

To declare your gold at Indian customs, follow these steps:

• Go to the Red Channel at the airport if carrying gold jewelry above the duty-free allowance for men or women. Green Channel is only for passengers with non-dutiable and duty-free items.
• Complete the Customs Declaration Form (Form 1) with details of your gold, flight, and stay duration abroad.
• You can also declare your gold online through ATITHI mobile app provided by Indian customs, prior to boarding international flights.
• At the Red Channel desk, show your gold items along with receipts, invoices, or purity certificates to the customs officer.
• Customs calculate the duty based on the declared weight of the gold coins and/or bars. Pay the duty in INR or a convertible foreign currency. Once duty is paid and documents verified, you are cleared to exit.
• Customs let your gold/diamond jewelry (in excess) go duty-free if you provide a temporary baggage import certificate or a previously obtained export certificate (explained above).

The post Carrying Your Gold Jewelry to India from Abroad? Know Customs Rules 2026 for NRIs and OCIs first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Carrying Your Gold Jewelry to India from Abroad? Know Customs Rules 2026 for NRIs and OCIs appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

Getting an Aadhaar card for your OCI child in India may seem straightforward. Minor discrepancies in the child’s documents can even cause rejection of Aadhaar application. The process to apply for Aadhaar is somewhat different for OCI minors under and above 5 years. Travel Beats’ editorial team came up with this latest guide – How OCI children can get Aadhaar in India – at the request of some overseas Indians who book Indian Eagle flight tickets to travel home from the US, Canada, Singapore, Australia, and the UK.

Can minor OCI cardholders get Aadhaar Card in India?

Yes. OCI cardholders can enroll for Aadhaar as resident foreign nationals, irrespective of age. However, the applicant must have resided in India for 182 days or more in the 12 months immediately preceding the Aadhaar enrolment application. This means simply having an OCI card does not make an Indian-origin foreign minor eligible for Aadhaar in India. They must meet India’s residence requirement among the current Aadhaar rules.

What documents OCI children require for Aadhaar

Below is the list of documents required for Aadhaar enrolment of an OCI child below 18:

• Valid foreign passport and valid OCI card as Proof of Identity
• An acceptable document showing the child’s Indian address as Proof of Address
• Birth certificate or other applicable Date of Birth proof/Relationship document
• Form 8 for a resident foreign national below 18 years of age

An OCI kid born on or after 1 October 2023 must have a birth certificate as mandatory Proof of Date of Birth / Relationship, as per UIDAI’s current Aadhaar guidelines for overseas citizens of India.

How to apply for Aadhaar Card for an OCI kid in India in 2026

You need to complete the initial Aadhaar enrolment at a UIDAI Aadhaar Seva Kendra. Resident foreign nationals cannot rely entirely on an online application for the child’s enrolment. The process includes submitting demographic details, supporting documents, and biometrics as applicable.

Here is the process:

• Confirm that your child meets the 182-day India residence rule.
• Complete Form 8 and keep the required documents ready.
• Visit an Aadhaar Seva Kendra with your child.
• Submit the passport, OCI card, address proof and other required documents.
• Provide the child’s demographic information and biometrics as applicable.
• Check the details carefully before submitting the enrolment.
• Keep the acknowledgement slip and enrolment details for tracking.

UIDAI lists the child’s name, date of birth, gender, Indian address and email among the mandatory demographic details for resident foreign nationals. Photographs, fingerprints, and iris scans are collected as biometric information, subject to the child’s age and the applicable rules.

Aadhaar 2026 rules for OCI children under 5 and over 5

The Aadhaar Card enrolment process for an OCI child depends on the child’s age. Under the 2026 Aadhaar rules for OCIs, Head of Family (HoF)-based enrolment is generally mandatory for children below 5, but foreign nationals are specifically exempt from this requirement. Since an OCI child is treated as a resident foreign national for Aadhaar, this exception applies.

For children aged 5 to below 18, HoF-based enrolment is encouraged where applicable. A parent or legal guardian can act as the HoF. If HoF or Proof of Relationship documents are not available, the child can enroll through the applicable document-based process. Regardless of the age at enrolment, a child must undergo mandatory biometric updates at ages 5 and 15.

What if an OCI child’s Aadhaar application is rejected?

An Aadhaar application may face rejection for several reasons, including issues with documents, personal details, biometrics, or verification. For OCI children, photo or ID document mismatch is one of the most common reasons.

If your child’s Aadhaar application is rejected:

• Check the reason for rejection in the enrolment status or notification.
• Correct the error or fix the issue before applying again.
• If the issue involves a photo mismatch, check the child’s photograph and personal details across the passport and OCI records.
• If the OCI record requires an update under the applicable rules, use the official OCI Miscellaneous Services.
• After an approved update, you can download the updated digital e-OCI Card and carry it along with the child’s passport, Date of Birth proof, Form 8, and other required documents when re-enrolling for Aadhaar.

How long is Aadhaar valid for OCI minors?

An Aadhaar Card issued to OCI Cardholders is valid for 10 years from the date of enrolment. It does not come with lifetime validity.

OCI child vs NRI child: What is the difference

Do not confuse an OCI child with an NRI child. An OCI child is treated as a foreign national and must meet the 182-day requirement. An NRI is an Indian citizen and holds a valid Indian passport. NRIs can apply for Aadhaar without meeting the 182-day residence condition.

What is the 182-day rule for OCI kids’ Aadhaar application? 

India’s 182-day residence rule is one of the critical Aadhaar requirements for OCI children, similar to adult OCI cardholders. Make sure your child has stayed for at least 182 days in India during the previous 12 months preceding the application.

What is the Aadhaar enrolment form for OCI children under 18 years? 

OCI cardholders under 18 years must fill out Form 8 to apply for Aadhaar. Otherwise, their application will be rejected outright. Form 7 is only for Aadhaar applicants among OCI cardholders above 18 years.

The post How to Get Aadhaar Card for OCI Children? A Guide on Aadhaar Rules, Documents, Process first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post How to Get Aadhaar Card for OCI Children? A Guide on Aadhaar Rules, Documents, Process appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.