OCI Card Approved but Not Yet Dispatched – What Happens Next?

I would also be careful about assuming that “approved” = “dispatched.”

The OCI FAQ specifically describes the issuance of the registration booklet after registration is granted, but the physical collection or return arrangements are a separate practical step.

If you applied through VFS and selected courier return, the next useful update may therefore come from VFS rather than the OCI portal.

For example, VFS's UK tracking page says applicants receive an email update when the decision has been returned to the Consular Application Centre and provides separate options for OCI online tracking and postal tracking.

I'd keep an eye on:

• OCI government status
• VFS application tracking
• Email inbox and spam folder
• Courier tracking, once issued

If you're travelling soon, don't assume that an approval status by itself means the physical document is already available for travel. I'd wait until you have the relevant document and confirm the current travel-document requirements before making plans around it.

Mine took a little while after approval as well.

One thing that helped me was keeping the OCI portal and VFS tracker separate in my mind. The Government of India OCI portal is where I could see the actual OCI application status, while VFS was relevant to the application-centre and return-delivery side.

The official OCI website has a separate status enquiry page where you can check the application using the Application ID and passport number.

VFS also has its own application tracking system. For example, the VFS US tracking page says applicants can track OCI applications after they have been reviewed and processed in the VFS system.

I didn't see the two systems update at exactly the same time.

If yours was only approved a few days ago, I'd give it some time. Also check the email address you used for the application, including spam/junk, because the return or courier notification may come separately from the OCI approval notification.

If you have already waited well beyond the expected return period, then I'd contact the VFS centre handling your application rather than the OCI portal for a courier-specific question.

I had almost exactly the same situation. My OCI application was approved first, but the VFS tracking page didn't immediately show that the card had been dispatched.

I initially thought “approved” meant the physical card was already sitting at the VFS centre, but there can still be a handoff/return stage after the OCI registration has been granted.

The official OCI FAQ says that after registration is granted, a registration certificate in the form of a booklet is issued. It also explains that the booklet can be collected from the concerned Indian Mission/FRRO by the applicant or an authorised person, subject to the stated conditions.

For applications submitted through VFS, the return process depends on the arrangements selected when the application was submitted. VFS's UK OCI guidance, for example, tells applicants that they will receive information about receiving the processed and approved OCI and the method of receiving it.

In my case, I waited a few more working days and then the VFS status changed. The courier tracking appeared after that.

So I wouldn't worry solely because there is a short gap between approval and dispatch.