Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

[bookerw100]

hello

I am applying for a new OCI. Am I reading it right that amongst other documents, you also have to supply one of these? I already have a surrender certificate.

Domicile certificate (in original)
OR
Original Birth Certificate issued from Indian Municipality
OR
School Leaving Certificate (in original).

[bookerw100]

hello

I am applying for a new OCI. Am I reading it right that amongst other documents, you also have to supply one of these? I already have a surrender certificate.

Domicile certificate (in original)
OR
Original Birth Certificate issued from Indian Municipality
OR
School Leaving Certificate (in original).

any one?

[crowbar6]

If you have a surrender certificate then that is sufficient and you do not need to provide any of the below documents. Those docs applicable if you've never held an Indian passport and travelled abroad on parent's Indian passport. See below from VFS website for OCI applications -

"Applicants who were born in India and never held Indian passport, and travelled on parents Indian Passports, are required to submit a notary affidavit in original from UK stating the fact and how they travelled to UK along with other necessary documents as mentioned below.

Other necessary documents of Indian origin.

Domicile certificate (in original)

OR
Original Birth Certificate issued from Indian Municipality or Panchayat. Recently issued birth Certificate (Post-dated birth certificates) from Municipality/Panchayat etc. This should be duly certified by the District Magistrate/District Collector of the area, with name, stamp, seal and contact telephone numbers with area code for verification.

OR
School Leaving Certificate (in original). Post-dated School Certificate/School Leaving Certificate from India should be authenticated by Director of Education/District Magistrate/District Collector of the area with name, stamp, seal and contact telephone numbers with area code for verification"

hello

I am applying for a new OCI. Am I reading it right that amongst other documents, you also have to supply one of these? I already have a surrender certificate.

Domicile certificate (in original)
OR
Original Birth Certificate issued from Indian Municipality
OR
School Leaving Certificate (in original).

any one?

[bookerw100]

Many thanks for the response.

I have another query. I got married last year but I didnt update my Indian passport before surrendering and the space for spouse name is blank.

Now for OCI card, they are asking details of spouse. Will it be an issue as the surrendered passport doesn't have any spouse listed?

[bookerw100]

Many thanks for the response.

I have another query. I got married last year but I didnt update my Indian passport before surrendering and the space for spouse name is blank.

Now for OCI card, they are asking details of spouse. Will it be an issue as the surrendered passport doesn't have any spouse listed?

any help appreciated

[sid_sripada]

For OCI Miscellaneous to transfer OCI to new passport:
Is the "processed" date supposed to be the same as the date for "dispatched from mea" and "received in Edinburgh"
I was told all these dates are supposed to be the same. However my application says "processed" on 7th June but the other two are still blank??
Any help much appreciated

[crowbar6]

Many thanks for the response.

I have another query. I got married last year but I didnt update my Indian passport before surrendering and the space for spouse name is blank.

Now for OCI card, they are asking details of spouse. Will it be an issue as the surrendered passport doesn't have any spouse listed?

any help appreciated

I would provide the spouse details in the form and attach spouse's passport & marriage certificate. Good to get the spouse added on OCI as that'll show linkage. Otherwise if you aren't interested, then leave it blank and it shouldn't be a problem.

[nmehta]

Hi @rarun53, thanks for such a detailed post.

If you remember, can you please help me with the list of documents to be uploaded at the time of submitting online application for OCI Reissue (Misc Services) for minor (due to new passport).

Also, while uploading the photo for the child, do the children need to sign on the photograph?

Thanks

OCI Timeline for Application of 1 child (Miscellaneous Service For OCI Reissue)
VFS Center: London Goswell Road
Application Date: 02/05/2019
Date of acknowledgement:
Original docs Received: NA
Documents Printing Status:
Dispatched From NEW DELHI:
Document received At London :
PASSPORT SUBMITTED IN PERSON:
PASSPORT AND OCI DOCUMENT RECEIVED:

List of Documents Submitted
1) Application Form - 1 Set ( Both Parents Signed for Minor Child Part, Child Signed for Declaration part)
2) 2 Photos
3) Photo Copies of the following documents Self attested by Both parents on all pages
Childs Birth Certificate
Child Expired British Passport
Child Current/New British Passport
Child Current OCI (All Pages) + U Visa
Parents Current OCI (All Pages) + U Visa
Parents Current PP
Parents Marriage Cert
4) 1 Royal Mail Special Delivery Envelope ( Tell them you have one, they will add DX courier without asking you)
5) Declaration form (Google Search VFS Delcaration form and print & fill before you go there) Signed by both the parents
6) Consent Letter from Both the parents addressed to HCI, Aldwych, London. (They will give this form when you reach there which is no where mentioned). I had to ask my wife to come and sign as she is working close to VFS. Otherwise you have to call your partner and sign and send it to the VFS email ID.
You can Prepared for this with a letter stating that you give your consent for your child to travel to India
and both parents Signature & Name.
Example is below
To
HCI
Address

I ========================= Give my consent for my child =========================== to travel to India.

Father Name: Mother Name:
Father Sign : Mother Sign:
DATE: Date:
Place: Place:

7) £29.88 Fees (£21+ SMS+ Service Charges). They don't ask again whether we want SMS or not. They add by default. Only Debit Card Accepted.
Appointment Print out / On the phone.
9) There is an Undertaking form which will be given at VFS which can be filled by 1 Parent & Signed

Note: No originals verified except child current+ expired passports and OCI. But be ready if they ask

Regards
Arun

[Salbabe64]

Can anyone advise me please?

I am British, born in Cyprus when my father worked there. My parents are both Indian born and brought up, but became British citizens in the 1960s. They both have OCI.

I would like to apply for OCI, but do not have a birth certificate - I lost it years ago and attempts to get a duplicate from Cyprus have been unsuccessful.

My question is - as my parents are of Indian origin and have OCI can I apply for OCI without my birth certificate?

Any help will be appreciated.

[kprashi]

Hi,

Anybody applied for new OCI at Paris in May? Please do share your application status....I submitted in mid may and still under process

[isaacgta]

Mine too in may 2 says now under process 6 weeks happen no response UK vfs Hounslow no response at all. Can someone is there to help me???

[ram80]

Timeline for New OCI Application of 1 child
VFS Center: London Goswell Road
Application Date: 22/05/2019
Date of acknowledgement: 24/05/2019
Original docs Received: NA
Documents Printing Status: 20/06/2019
Dispatched From NEW DELHI: 21/06/2019
Document received At London :21/06/2019
PASSPORT SUBMITTED IN PERSON: To be submitted
PASSPORT AND OCI DOCUMENT RECEIVED: TBC

[zoajfjs]

Hi,

I'm British and my dad is Indian. His birth certificate does not have his name on it and refers to his parents simply as MR. [surname] and MRS. [surname]. The only thing it does is corroborating the surname, place and date of birth from the school leaving certificate, though I'm not sure if that helps at all. He only has a photocopy of his school leaving certificate, which has no official-looking government or school markings or stamps on it, only the signature of the headmaster.

He also has a university registration certificate, identity card and examination certificate, all of which are originals, stamped and signed.

Can anyone help by letting me know whether this would suffice as evidence? Or point me to somewhere else where I can check this?

If not, is there any other way for me to obtain proof he is Indian (preferably before I next go to India)?

Thanks.

[kiwis]

Hi all,

We have submitted 3 adults and 1 child OCI reissue for new passport at vfs Hounslow. I am trying to find what sort of timeline I should be looking at. I searched the posts here and most of them are for vfs Goswell.
If someone has applied from Hounslow, could you please let me know how long it has taken.
We have a travel planned after 3 weeks, so getting a bit worried.

Thanks.

[jakedamuss]

Hi I just say sorry first. As it's probably been covered many many times before. Will be applying for OCI for family of 4. Can someone please send me current links of were to apply. U.K. Also i heard that you one needs to show a letter of employment if you are working if unemployed then last employment dates and if in receipt of benefits a letter from a DWP stating that person/s receiving benefits. Any guidance or help be appreciated

[mbnarayn]

OCI Timeline for Application of 1 child (Miscellaneous Service For OCI Reissue)
VFS Center: Hounslow
Application Date: 24/06/2019
Got a text later in the day from VFS saying documents have been dispatched to the the High Commission.
Date of acknowledgement: 25/06/2019
Original docs Received: N/A. All originals were returned immediately at the time of submission.
Documents Printing Status: 28/06/2019
Dispatched From MEA (OCI): 01/07/2019
Document received At London : 01/07/2019
PASSPORT SUBMITTED IN PERSON: 03/07/2019
Got a text on 05/07/1985 from VFS to say documents have been couriered.
PASSPORT AND OCI DOCUMENT RECEIVED: 06/07/2019

[mbnarayn]

Hi all,

We have submitted 3 adults and 1 child OCI reissue for new passport at vfs Hounslow. I am trying to find what sort of timeline I should be looking at. I searched the posts here and most of them are for vfs Goswell.
If someone has applied from Hounslow, could you please let me know how long it has taken.
We have a travel planned after 3 weeks, so getting a bit worried.

Thanks.

I think the timeline is more or less the same between the two VFS centres. I had applied in Hounslow and here is my timeline.

OCI Timeline for Application of 1 child (Miscellaneous Service For OCI Reissue)
VFS Center: Hounslow
Application Date: 24/06/2019
Got a text later in the day from VFS saying documents have been dispatched to the the High Commission.
Date of acknowledgement: 25/06/2019
Original docs Received: N/A. All originals were returned immediately at the time of submission.
Documents Printing Status: 28/06/2019
Dispatched From MEA (OCI): 01/07/2019
Document received At London : 01/07/2019
PASSPORT SUBMITTED IN PERSON: 03/07/2019
Got a text on 05/07/1985 from VFS to say documents have been couriered.
PASSPORT AND OCI DOCUMENT RECEIVED: 06/07/2019

[cyborg001]

Hello,

I'm an ex-Indian national who now holds British citizenship and OCI. My wife (of non-Indian origin) holds both British and Irish citizenship and we live in London. We want to apply for her OCI but have a few questions:

• Does it matter which nationality she uses to apply for her OCI in UK? Her British passport expires in a year but her Irish passport has long validity left so we would like to use that one ideally.

• If she uses her British passport now but renews it next year, does the OCI booklet (which contains foreign passport number) need to be updated with it, or can she simply start using her new British passport with OCI booklet to travel?

• Can an OCI holder travel to India with less than 6 months validity remaining on the foreign passport?

• Any other tips or things or special documents to watch out for?

Many thanks!

[xebec]

re: cyborg001

1. It does not matter which nationality she uses to apply for the OCI as both Ireland and the UK are eligible countries (ie they allow dual citizenship and are not Pakistan or Bangladesh)
2. I would recommend that she apply using her UK passport. As the UK is a Commonwealth country, Indian citizenship law recognises her as Commonwealth a citizen. Although there are no extra privileges in India for a Commonwealth citizen at present, it may change in the distant future as India opens up. With her entry into India on a UK passport on a linked OCI card, Indian immigration will mark her entry into India as a Commonwealth citizen.
3. Note that in the application you would also have to declare her second citizenship and the passport number in Section B.
4. I would recommend you wait for her to renew the UK passport as soon as possible and applying on that one. Although the visa is lifelong, it is recommended to update the OCI booklet whenever you change the passport so that the new number is reflected in the OCI booklet. This avoids unnecessary bureaucratic delays at Indian immigration. There is a fee to update the booklet.
5. Yes, you do need a minimum six month validity on the passport.
6. Make sure you have the following sorted out before you apply:
* you have a marriage certificate issued by an official body (ie no religious ones).
* The marriage has subsisted for at least two years.
* Ensure the marriage certificate is apostilled before you apply.
* Ensure you have a recent 51cm x 51cm recent (<6mths old) photo taken out - and you get an electronic copy that meets the pixel requirements. (Details on the OCI page)
* Ensure you have a scan of her signature (black ink) and scanned to meet the pixel sizes
* Make a note of your prior OCI application number and the date you had applied for yours (you will need to enter your OCI application number in Section B)
* Make sure you have Form S filled up - ie you allowing her to apply for OCI
* You will also need to provide evidence of your OCI eligibility (they don't publish this so that you get tripped up just when you thought you had everything covered - BAZINGA!). Have a copy of your Indian citizenship surrender certificate and your cancelled Indian passport (front, back, observations, cancelled stamp pages).
* For the VFS office, ensure all your documents are attested by a notary or a similar public official such as a JP.

Good luck!

[xebec]

Many thanks for the response.

I have another query. I got married last year but I didnt update my Indian passport before surrendering and the space for spouse name is blank.

Now for OCI card, they are asking details of spouse. Will it be an issue as the surrendered passport doesn't have any spouse listed?

any help appreciated

It should not be an issue - just write a cover letter to them explaining the situation.

[kopper]

I am in the process of applying for the transfer of OCIs from my children's old passports to new and have a few questions:

1) Do you need both the Thumb prints and signature or only one will do?
My 5 year old does not not write clearly so will only his thumb print be enough?
My 10 year old can write her name in a signature style so will her thumb print be also needed?

- Part B of the form asks " Have you/any member of your family applied for Overseas Citizen of India registration earlier? "
Do I put in my details as the father or my child's details considering they have OCI on their old passport?
It also asks for a "Reference Number" - What number is this? It will not accept my OCI number as 12 characters are needed. If its my original reference number for the last OCI application made 9 years ago, god knows where it is !!

- Finally, in the document upload part, can i just upload my child's new passport? Do I need to upload their old OCI ?

Its strange why a Transfer of an OCI to a new passport can be so cumbersome.
Why do we need to submit copies marriage certificate, parents passports etc again when they already have that on file as both parents have existing OCI ???

[gerspad]

I have just received my OCI but upon receiving it I have noticed that the text has been misaligned. The text of my details (my name, dob, pob, date of issue etc) all seems to slightly overlap the text on the template of the page (for example 'BIRMINGHAM' overlaps the hindi text for 'Place of Issue'. This makes the document slightly less legible. The machine readable part seems fine, so I hope it can still be scanned but I am not sure about using this document as ID in India given the legibility issues.

Here are some examples of where the text has misaligned:


I know that one can raise a OCI Miscelaneous service - but I don't think that I should have to pay for printing problems on the behalf of those who have issued the document.
Would it be advisable to create an OCI miscelaneous service application and then to visit the consulate to try to resolve this with regards to not being charged extra for the printing error?

OCI Timeline for Application of 1 Adult (Fresh Application)
VFS Center: Birmingham
Application Date: 27/06/2019
Date of acknowledgement: 28/06/2019
Original docs Received: N/A. All originals were returned immediately at the time of submission.
Documents Printing Status: 22/07/2019
Dispatched From MEA (OCI): 23/07/2019
Document received At London : 23/07/2019
PASSPORT SUBMITTED IN PERSON: 25/07/2019
PASSPORT AND OCI DOCUMENT RECEIVED: 30/07/2019

[xebec]

I have just received my OCI but upon receiving it I have noticed that the text has been misaligned. The text of my details (my name, dob, pob, date of issue etc) all seems to slightly overlap the text on the template of the page (for example 'BIRMINGHAM' overlaps the hindi text for 'Place of Issue'. This makes the document slightly less legible. The machine readable part seems fine, so I hope it can still be scanned but I am not sure about using this document as ID in India given the legibility issues.

Here are some examples of where the text has misaligned:


I know that one can raise a OCI Miscelaneous service - but I don't think that I should have to pay for printing problems on the behalf of those who have issued the document.
Would it be advisable to create an OCI miscelaneous service application and then to visit the consulate to try to resolve this with regards to not being charged extra for the printing error?

OCI Timeline for Application of 1 Adult (Fresh Application)
VFS Center: Birmingham
Application Date: 27/06/2019
Date of acknowledgement: 28/06/2019
Original docs Received: N/A. All originals were returned immediately at the time of submission.
Documents Printing Status: 22/07/2019
Dispatched From MEA (OCI): 23/07/2019
Document received At London : 23/07/2019
PASSPORT SUBMITTED IN PERSON: 25/07/2019
PASSPORT AND OCI DOCUMENT RECEIVED: 30/07/2019

Visit the consulate, politely ask them if the misprinting would create a problem - I do not think it will create a problem. You should not have to pay for an error on their part, so speak to them about getting a new one issued if it is a problem.

[xebec]

I am in the process of applying for the transfer of OCIs from my children's old passports to new and have a few questions:

1) Do you need both the Thumb prints and signature or only one will do?
My 5 year old does not not write clearly so will only his thumb print be enough?
My 10 year old can write her name in a signature style so will her thumb print be also needed?

- Part B of the form asks " Have you/any member of your family applied for Overseas Citizen of India registration earlier? "
Do I put in my details as the father or my child's details considering they have OCI on their old passport?
It also asks for a "Reference Number" - What number is this? It will not accept my OCI number as 12 characters are needed. If its my original reference number for the last OCI application made 9 years ago, god knows where it is !!

- Finally, in the document upload part, can i just upload my child's new passport? Do I need to upload their old OCI ?

Its strange why a Transfer of an OCI to a new passport can be so cumbersome.
Why do we need to submit copies marriage certificate, parents passports etc again when they already have that on file as both parents have existing OCI ???

1. See https://www.vfsglobal.com/india/uk/OCI.html

Signatures should be in the box provided. Children below 5 years of age should place the thumb impression (of left hand in case of girl and of right hand in case of boy) and children above 5 years of age should write their name or sign. Signature/thumb impression of the child applicant is also required on the declaration on Part B of the application form (2 page).

-- Its bizarre that the UK high commission require minors to sign or write their name. The High Commission in Australia has no such requirements - (only upload a document that says "no signature"). In any case, if you should be able write their name down for them, the commission will never be any wiser.

2a. Yes, you put your details in. The more information you give them the better. Check your emails, you should have it the details in the email you received when you applied - hopefully it was an online process back then. If not, the file number can be found on the last page, last line of your booklet. If you can't remember the date, put the date of issue down. Remember, if they can't pull up this information from their own databases, they can't verify the exact dates either.
2b Also put your child's initial details in.

3. Yea just the passport is required. When you go for the interview, make sure you also take a copy of the OCI document.

Indian government paperwork is cumbersome yes. It's because they don't implicitly trust their own documents and systems. Also people don't challenge the system, and the people in charge of it do not have a feedback mechanism to review and improve it.

For now, it's best to give them all the documents they want, and documents they don't require (eg surrender certificate, your passport, your partner's passport, his/her OCI -if s/he has) - they will return documents they have no need for. Make sure both of you (you and your partner) sign the application document so that there is no ambiguity on objection. Also get your documents attested. They love attested documents.

[kopper]

Many Thanks for the detailed explanation !
Yes it is frustrating they still follow such rigid processes.
Since the British passport has to be renewed every 5 years for children, I'm dreading going through this whole process of OCI re-issue again until the children reaches 20