Amit Shah launches FCRA 2.0 portal and e-OCI card

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) 2.0 Portal and the Electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) Card in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Shah said both initiatives will improve citizen services and address the difficulties faced by those receiving donations through the FCRA portal. He said when the intention is clear, the policy is transparent, and there is a mindset to embrace technology, then all forms of governance becomes easier for honest people. He underlined that a strict surveillance system is established against wrongdoers, and the country becomes increasingly secure.
The Home Minister informed that the initial problems faced in the OCI system have been resolved in the new system, and it will bring great convenience to more than 50 lakh OCI cardholders. He added that after 20 years, when a new passport is issued, there will be no need to re-issue the OCI booklet, and the cardholder’s registration number will remain unique.
The FCRA 2.0 Portal has been developed to simplify compliance under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act and to strengthen the monitoring and enforcement mechanism. All major processes related to applications, renewals, annual returns, and other services have now been made fully digital through an end-to-end online system. Hosted on the National Government Cloud (MeghRaj), the portal features Aadhaar-based authentication, e-Sign facilities, OCR-based document analysis, integrated dashboards and API-based integration with key government databases, including PAN, Aadhaar, OCI, NGO Darpan and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India’s Unique Document Identification Number (UDIN) system.
The ministry said around 14,500 organisations currently hold active FCRA registrations, while 15,000–20,000 applications and nearly 17,000 annual returns are processed per year. The new platform also incorporates provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2026 and has been designed to support future features such as an AI-powered chatbot, mobile access and dedicated dashboards for banks.
e-OCI Card is a major citizen-centric initiative aimed at transforming OCI services for the global Indian diaspora through a fully digital platform. Under the new system, applicants can complete the entire OCI process online, from submitting the application and uploading supporting documents to downloading the digitally generated card after approval.According to the ministry, the e-OCI system is expected to benefit more than 50 lakh OCI cardholders by reducing paperwork, enabling digital verification, minimising the risk of loss or damage to physical documents and facilitating faster immigration clearance through integration with digital immigration systems.