Are Airlines Accepting e-OCI Cards Without a Physical Booklet?

I recently flew Emirates from Dubai to Bengaluru.

The check-in staff hadn't processed many passengers with an e-OCI yet, so they called a supervisor just to confirm the new procedure. It took around 10 minutes longer than usual, but they accepted the digital e-OCI without asking for the physical booklet.

I also saved the PDF offline because I didn't want to rely on internet access. If you've already got the physical OCI booklet, there's no downside to carrying it as a backup, especially while the new system becomes more familiar to airlines.

I traveled from London to Mumbai with British Airways.

I had both the e-OCI on my phone and a printed copy in my backpack. Surprisingly, the airline representative only looked at the digital version. They compared my passport details with the e-OCI and that was enough.

The only advice I'd give is to download the e-OCI before arriving at the airport. The airport Wi-Fi wasn't great, and logging into the portal at the counter would have been stressful.

Overall, I didn't experience any issues, but I think procedures may vary depending on the airline and the airport.

I flew from Chicago to Hyderabad on Air India last week.

I only carried my passport and the downloaded e-OCI on my phone. The check-in agent wasn't immediately familiar with the digital version, so she asked another staff member to verify it. It only added a couple of minutes to the process, and after checking the QR code and my passport, they issued my boarding pass.

Immigration in India was completely straightforward.

Even though I didn't need the physical booklet, I'd probably still carry it if I already owned one. The official guidance says it isn't necessary, but airline staff around the world are still getting used to the new system.