OCI Holder Traveling to India – Was Your e-Arrival Card Checked?

I travel frequently between Toronto and Bangalore, and I’ve noticed a pattern over the last few months.

Even though the e-Arrival Card is not always actively checked at boarding gates, airlines still prefer passengers to have it completed to avoid delays during immigration coordination.

In my recent trip, Air Canada did not check it at all, but another passenger was asked to complete it during boarding because their details were missing in the system.

At Bangalore airport, immigration officers didn’t ask for it separately, but they did confirm digital entry records for some passengers.

From what I understand, the Bureau of Immigration India system is still transitioning, so enforcement is not uniform yet.

For OCI holders especially, it’s safer to assume it will be checked somewhere in the process—even if not consistently.

I flew from London to Mumbai recently and had a slightly different experience.

At Heathrow, the airline did NOT ask me for the e-Arrival Card at check-in. I was actually surprised because I expected stricter enforcement. However, a few passengers ahead of me were asked to complete it on the spot because they hadn’t filled it.

I’m an OCI holder, and I think enforcement is still evolving. Some airlines are strict, others are not.

At Mumbai immigration, no one asked me for it either, but I still saw signs reminding passengers to complete digital arrival forms.

So in my opinion, OCI card holders are not always checked strictly, but that doesn’t mean it can be skipped. It just depends on the airport staff and airline policy.

I would say it’s “randomly enforced but officially required.”

I travelled from New York to Delhi in April 2026 and can share my experience.

I’m an OCI holder as well, and I had completed the e-Arrival Card a day before travel. At JFK check-in, the airline staff actually asked me if I had completed it, but they didn’t physically verify the QR code in detail. They just wanted confirmation before issuing boarding pass.

So in my case, it was more of a “soft check” rather than strict enforcement.

At Delhi immigration, they did not ask for a printout, but they did scan my passport and had the arrival data already in their system.

From what I observed, OCI holders are definitely expected to complete it, but enforcement is inconsistent depending on airport and airline.

I would still recommend doing it before travel because it avoids unnecessary questions at check-in.