British or Indian Passport for new born to OCI Parents from Bahrain

[justinmathews]

Hi friends,

My wife and I are both British passport holders (naturalised in 2014) with OCI cards. Both are working in Bahrain, but wife is on maternity leave in India. We would like to go back to Bahrain soon after the baby is born and resume life as normal, but the British passport application process from India seems to be a long and painful waiting game.

Can we apply for an Indian passport for the baby? What category does the baby qualify for Indian passport under - by descent or by birth or by registration?

We plan to apply to British passport for the baby after reaching Bahrain, as it is faster from there and would not be under time pressure. Is this likely to cause the baby to then have to surrender the Indian passport and apply for OCI?

Many thanks in advance.
Justin

[secret.simon]

It seems that it is possible for a child born to parents with OCI to apply for a full Indian passport if the child is born in India. In that sense, OCI seems to equate to full Indian citizenship, at least for the purpose of acquiring Indian citizenship.

I disagree with that interpretation (see earlier in the thread), but who am I to argue with the Indian passport authorities?

If the child applies for a British passport, then yes, s/he needs to surrender his Indian passport and apply for OCI. Alternatively, s/he can hold the Indian passport with CoE-RoA until the age of 18, when s/he must decide whether to retain British or Indian citizenship.