Child's e-OCI Card Approved but Not Available for Download

One other thing I'd check is whether you're trying to download it immediately after approval.

The e-OCI FAQ says that generation/download can sometimes take longer because of backend processing and system validation. It specifically says that a delay in generating or downloading the e-OCI does not necessarily mean the portal has crashed.

So there can be a difference between seeing that the OCI has been approved and actually being able to generate the electronic card.

I'd give the system a little time, then log in again using the email associated with the child's OCI record.

Also, don't keep clicking the generate/download option repeatedly. The current FAQ says an e-OCI card can be downloaded up to five times per day. Once that limit is reached, another download can be made the following day.

If the child's record still isn't visible after the relevant email linking/update has been completed, I'd contact the official OCI helpdesk or the Indian Mission rather than creating another account or application.

We had something similar with our daughter, who was also a minor when her OCI was issued.

In our case, the problem wasn't that the OCI hadn't been approved. The issue was accessing the record through the portal.

The current OCI instructions say that existing OCI holders can log in, select the e-OCI tab, view their OCI details and select Generate e-OCI Card.

The FAQ also says that the e-OCI card is generated from the particulars already available in the OCI records. So I wouldn't expect the child to go through a completely new OCI application just to obtain the electronic card.

Check the exact email account you're using and whether your daughter's OCI record is linked to it. If the portal gives you “Record Not Found,” the official guidance is to verify the particulars entered and, if the issue continues, contact the concerned Indian Mission/Post, FRRO or designated helpdesk.

I had this issue with my son's OCI last year, although the portal process may have changed since then.

The first thing I'd check is whether your daughter's OCI record is actually linked to the email account you're using. I initially assumed that because I had my own OCI under my email, my child's record would automatically appear there too.

That wasn't how it worked for us. We had to make sure the email associated with my son's OCI record was updated before we could manage it through the same user account.

The current e-OCI FAQ specifically says that a single user account can manage OCI services for multiple family members, but each OCI card needs its own Email ID update request before it can be linked to the common account. The request has to be approved first.

So I wouldn't submit another OCI application. I'd first check the email linked to your daughter's OCI record and whether the email update/linking process has actually been completed.

I applied from Australia for my daughter's e-OCI Card earlier this year.

In our case, the application status was approved, but I received an email notification several hours before the download link actually appeared on the portal. By the next morning, everything was available.

I'd also suggest checking the portal during different times of the day because I noticed updates weren't always reflected immediately. Sometimes the system simply takes a little time to synchronize after the final approval.

Of course, every application is different, so if the delay continues, it's reasonable to verify the status with the appropriate Indian Mission.

Our application was processed through the UK, and the timeline was a little different.

The approval status appeared on a Friday, but the downloadable e-OCI Card wasn't available until the following Monday. I assumed the system was still updating in the background.

One thing I'd recommend is checking whether you're logged into the same account that was used to submit the application. My spouse initially logged into a different account and couldn't see the download option, which caused some confusion.

If nothing changes after a few more days, it may be worth contacting the Indian Mission or VFS handling your application to ask whether any further action is needed.