Indian VISA and OCI card

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Last Updated: Friday, 06 May 2022 16:51
Published: Thursday, 03 December 2020 06:29
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Indian Visa and OCI Card:

THE BELOW ARTICLE APPLIES ONLY TO INDIANS WHO HAVE MOVED TO USA AND OBTAINED A USA CITIZENSHIP (BY SURRENDURING THEIR INDIAN CITIZENSHIP) AFTER BEING ON GREENCARD FOR A WHILE.

Once you have attained USA citizenship, it's time to get your required documents to travel to India. After you get your USA Citizenship, you are no longer a Indian Citizen (even though you may have an unexpired Indian Passport). This is because Indian Constitution doesn't allow dual Citizenship, so your Indian citizenship is automatically cancelled, once you acquire USA citizenship.

Once you get your USA citizenship, you should apply for a USA passport. it's not possible to enter back to USA after an international travel, if you don't carry a USA passport. Your "Green Card" is marked invalid, so a USA passport is your only way of entry. Once you've gotten your USA passport (see my previous article on how to get USA passport), you are now a foreigner when it comes to visiting India. So, you have o enter India just like a foreigner. If you try to enter India by using your Indian Passport (while still having your USA passport), it's considered illegal. Don't try that, as they may return you from India. It's not worth the risk. Since you have been an Indian Citizen before, or have an Indian origin, you get a preferred treatment in getting documents.

Service Providers:

Indian government hires outsourcing companies to help them with processing of Indian Passports, Visa, OCI, etc. Prior to Oct 2020, "Cox and Kings Global Services" was the outsourcing provider for all kind of immigration services for Indian Community in USA. However since Oct 2020, VFS Global has replaced Cox and King as the outsourcing provider.

https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/vfs-global-to-replace-cox-kings-as-outsourcing-provider-for-visas-passport-services-for-indian/article_4c644bea-0b94-11eb-bb82-43f1c23eb95b.html

If you search on internet for any India related immigration services, you will notice a lot of articles pointing to ckgs website. This will no longer work as of Nov 2020. CKGS website is here: https://www.in.ckgs.us/  => Please don't use it for anything

You should instead use VFS global website: https://www.vfsglobal.com/en/individuals/index.html

 VFS global is in service as of Dec 2020. Choose "from" as USA and "to" as India, and it will open a new window with this link: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ind

This is where you can get all your immigration related services. VFS global is just a outsourcing company. They just collect all the required documents and pass it on to Indian Embassy. Then When Indian Embassy returns the documents back, they pass it on to us. They are our only point of contact. They have no say in anything. So, you can email them and ask them any sort of question, and they usually respond in a couple of days. Do NOT call them as they ask for your credit card number and then charge you $2.50/minute for anything over 5 minutes of talk time. Since they already have your credit card number, they can bill you for any amount, and there's nothing that you can do.

Rantings: This is all a ludicrous process, but there is nothing we can do. They charge so much money, and provide 0 customer service (or charge you by minute for talking to them). Their response via email may come in few days if you are lucky but may take weeks or never come at all. They will have conflicting documents at multiple places for the same application. Some of their upload process will crash the browser, or sometimes you may never be able to get to your partially filled application. Sometimes, the pictures uploaded will get rotated for no reason, and remain that way, unless you start a new application on a different computer. This is how Indian Embassy has always worked. Beware: It's going to be a very frustrating process, but we need the card because there's no alternative. So, suck it up and keep going.

There is a good discussion forum here: https://www.immihelp.com/oci-card-experiences/1/

I'll list the steps as I've gone thru the process, but the process may change anytime w/o notice. The below process worked as of Dec, 2020.

Services:

So, let's look at all the services provided by VFS Global:

1. Indian Passport => If you are in USA, and need any Indian Passport related services (i.e renewing Passport, name change, etc), you won't have to deal with any officials in India. US consulate in USA handle it for you.

2. OCI card => This is needed if you have acquired a foreign citizenship, and still want to go to India w/o getting a visa every time.

3. Renunciation of Indian Citizenship => This is needed if you want to get an OCI card.

 

Trip to India:

If you are in USA, and you need to make a trip to India, then how to proceed depends on whether you are an Indian citizen or not. If you have a valid Indian Passport, then you can enter India anytime. However, if your kids are born here, then they are US citizens, and hence can't enter India w/o needing some additional documents. Similarly if you acquired citizenship of USA, you can't enter India w/o those additional documents. We'll talk about these documents below:

There are 2 kind of document that will allow you to enter India (if you are a citizen of USA). If you are an Indian citizen (with unexpired valid Indian Passport) then you can enter India just showing your Indian Passport, you don't need documents listed below:

1. Visa:

Indian Visa is the quickest way to travel to India. However Indian Visa is short term solution, as it expires in a short time frame (I believe it's 6 months for US citizens of Indian origin), and you will need to re apply for it every couple of years (or may be once out of multiple time you plan to travel to India). I don't even see any option for Indian Visa on the VFS website. Looks like you can apply for Indian Visa directly on Indian govt consular website. This is the link that explains that: https://www.indianembassyusa.gov.in/extra?id=78

On above page, you have to click on link https://www.indianembassyusa.gov.in/extra?id=79 to initiate the Visa process. The requirements are simple. However, there's no detail on the fees, timeline or physical appointment requirement. A lot of information looks out of date.

One of the requirements is that it asks for "copy of renunciation certificate", which I've explained below under OCI section. It takes a month or more to get that, even though it says 2 weeks processing time. So, basically there is no way for you to get immediate "Visa" if you have become a US citizen, and want to visit India. However, looks like there's also an electronic Visa (e-Visa), so you don't need to go anywhere to get the Visa, it's just comes in mail. But I'm not sure about the "renunciation certificate" requirement. That basically makes "immediate Visa" impossible.

I would suggest to go with below option for OCI card. Visa process looks as long as OCI process, and costs as much, I guess.

COVID UPDATE: I read some on some the sites that due to Covid19 , Indian Government is not allowing anyone to enter India on any Visa, so OCI may be your only option if you want to enter India. The only visa they are allowing are emergency Visa, for which you need a certified paper by doctor or someone certifying that it's an emergency. I would rather get OCI while there's still time, rathan than get into the mess of Visa.

2. OCI (overseas citizen of India) Card:

This is the preferred option for traveling to India. This card is for lifetime, so once you get it, you are set for life. However every time your passport renew, you have to renew the OCI card too. So, it's not really lifetime, as you have to again go thru the same torturous process. Before you can apply for an OCI card, you will need to renounce your Indian citizenship. If you don't have this Renunciation certificate or a cancelled Indian Passport, your OCI card won't be processed. So, it's extremely important to finish this step before applying for OCI. If you never had an Indian Passport, then obviously you don't need this step.

TIPS: A few notes before you start the application:

  • The USA passport should be valid for at least 6 months at time of application. I would say to stay safe, your USA passport should be valid for 8 months, since processing and delays may add extra 1-2 months by the time embassy starts working on the application.
  • Photos need to be sent too. See photo spec (it should be similar to what you have for US passport they state that photo attire shouldn't be textured or patterned, and be in light blue color. They are not strict about enforcing that. I used the same photo as I used in US passport, which had a textured attire, and it went fine).
  • You are needed to provide a copy of US Passport. It asks for photocopy of the 1st page with your passport details, along with the last 2 pages. The last 2 pages that it's asking for, are those blank pages which don't have "visa" written on them  (page 26, page 27 in my passport). These last 2 pages are called amendment pages, as these are used for making amendments to your passport, and can't be used for Visa stamping. Indian Officials just want to make sure there's nothing amended to the passport. NOTE: It's NOT the last page that has info about restrictions, customs etc.
  • Some of the documents need to be notarized. Most places charge you $8/page or so for notarizing it. I've never paid any money for notarizing. Most of the big banks as Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, etc will notarize it for free. You can also check at your work place. The admins or other support people many times have notary stamps, and will gladly notarize your forms.
    • You have the option of choosing their Fedex service or your own UPS/USPS service. I would strongly advise to use their FEDEX service. It costs $5 more each way, but it's worth it. You don't want to add an extra variable to an already messy process.
  • These are general tips while filling application. It's going to be a long frustrating process, so keep calm:
    1. use chrome browser to fill in and upload your application. Firefox kept on looping while uploading photos. Chrome too gave issues, but not as bad as Firefox.
    2. Try to complete the whole application in one go from start to finish. If you exit application, and try to get in again, then you may not be able to get in again (depending on where in application process you were and what got saved).
    3. Chrome will crash, if you try to upload document too many times or take too long to upload. So, you will have to start the whole application again from scratch (as the original application will assume that you uploaded the pics/documents, even though you may not have uploaded them because of chrome crashing). You may never know if the docs/pics uploaded or not, since it doesn't show you your uploaded section anymore.
    4. There is an issue with uploading the photo (this is only applicable for OCI applicants and not for renunciation). If you upload the photo in rotated position the first time, subsequent photos uploaded will show as rotated even though they have been uploaded correctly. I changed browsers, started new application, but nothing resolved it. In the end, starting brand new application on a different computer resolved the issue. So be very careful when uploading the photo the first time. Make sure it's not rotated, or you are in for endless torture.
    5. Save option: You can't spend too much time on any page of any application. There is no option to "save". The only options are "save and exit" or "save and continue". If you spend more than 5-10 minutes on any page, it will time out and all your info will be lost. So, keep all info ready for each page, before you start filling it out. I learned the hard way.
    6. There are too many other issues to list here, so consider yourself lucky if you are able to get thru the whole process in the first go.

 

A. Renunciation of Indian Citizenship: This is where the Indian Embassy marks "Cancelled" on your Indian Passport, so that your Indian Passport can't be used for anything anymore. However, they charge about $225 just for providing you this certificate, which is an insane amount of money for something so trivial (you are asking them to cancel your existing document, not to renew or issue a new document). It's just money making business here.

This link explains the steps involved in getting the renunciation certificate: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ind/apply-for-renunciation.

On this link, in step 1, it has a link for renunciation here: https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/renunciation-of-indian-citizenship/. It has more details on fees, photo, etc (photo shouldn't be in textured attire. also attire shouldn't be white), as well as few documents which are not available anywhere else. We'll download some forms from here later on. For now, just keep this link as reference.

Follow the step by step guide. These are the steps in detail:

  1. GOVT WEBSITE: Apply online at Indian embassy website: https://embassy.passportindia.gov.in
    1. Choose USA as your country of origin. It will open a new window. Register yourself. you will get a link in email.
    2. Click on the link. That activates your account
    3. Now you need to login into your account (by clicking on 3rd box "User login" on right. It's below the register box and track status box)
    4. Apply for "surrender of Indian Passport". You will have a long application to fill online. total of 7 steps.). It takes about 15 minutes to fill.
    5. Once completed, you will be taken to final screen, and then asked to print the application form by going to home page. Once you scroll to the bottom of home page, you will see the application form. click on it, and you will see a "print application" button show up. Print the form.
    6. Make a note of ARN - Application Reference number. You will need this number in step 2 below.
  2. VFS WEBSITE: Once done with step 1, start with VFS website application
    1. click on this link: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ind/apply-for-renunciation
    2. Register by providing your email and password. Once registered, click on link sent in email to activate your account (if you don't click on link in email, you won't be able to log in). If you are already registered, then just log in directly, Do NOT create another account.
    3. Log into your VFS account. click on "create new application"
      1. Select correct entries - category as "Renunuciation of Indian citizenship" and application category as "Naturalized after June  2010 and does NOT have a stamp"
      2. Select online payment (they do charge 3.5% extra, so a cashiers check, etc may also be an option to save couple of dollars)
      3. Next screen asks you to add customer details:
        1. Put Govt Reference number from embassy website in step 1 above.
        2. In top half of form, you enter your USA passport details. Nationality is USA, as you are filling details for USA Passport
        3. In bottom 2 entries (where it asks for "Do you have your most recent Indian passport in your possession?"), you enter your Indian Passport details.
        4. Once you complete the details, you are asked to select Courier service: 2 options - select option 1 below
          1. If you select VFS provided courier (fedex is the only option), then you have to pay $30 for round trip service. This is about $15 more expensive than doing it yourself thru USPS. I don't want to pay these guys anything at all. But  unfortunately I've to, as you can see the reason in next bullet.
          2. If you select "I will use my own courier service", then you need to provide "Incoming and outgoing" courier labels before you can proceed further. Since USPS is the cheapest courier provider, we'll select USPS, and goto a USPS facility, and get 2 courier labels, one with "VFS address" (incoming courier) and other with "Your home address" (outgoing courier). This should cost about $$7.75*2=$15.50. This looks like 2 trips to USPS to save $15. So, i wouldn't recommend this (i.e select option 1). VFS address is
          3. It will show the total amount you owe (~$230), and then ask you to enter your home address (this should match your home address in application). Once address is validated, an you hit "submit" it takes you to the summary screen to "confirm application"
        5. Once you click on "confirm application", it will ask you to pay the money (if paying online). Once you pay the money, it brings you back to your account. At this point, you have completed the online application. Make a note of the "Reference number" listed on top right. 
      4. Now you are done.There is a "application confirmation letter" in your VFS account for you to print. It has list of required documents.
  3. DOCUMENTS: For a list of documents, check this link: https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/renunciation-of-indian-citizenship/index.html#. Under "documents required" section, there is a checklist pdf file. This checklist and your checklist from "application confirmation letter" on VFS portal have inconsistencies. Below is the list of documents that I believe are required to be submitted (double check in the checklist, but this is all I submitted):
    1. GOVERNMENT APPLICATION ONLINE FORM - This is the application from step 1.5 (from passportindia.gov.in site). It's 2 pages. Paste a Passport picture and sign it on both pages.
    2. PHOTOGRAPH & SIGNATURE - Attach 2 extra hard photos. See photo spec above. NOTE: In our printed form, it asks for digital photo and signature to be uploaded on government website. There is no option anywhere to upload these on government website. This is incorrect requirement (this is needed when applying for OCI, but it's incorrectly copied here)
    3. DECLARATION OF RENUNCIATION OF CITIZENSHIP OF INDIA FORM - 2 copies of Renunciation form to be filled and submitted. You can either fill them in Adobe reader or download them and hand write it. This is the link to download it: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/passport-services/pdf/renunciation-certificate-fillable-form.pdf
    4. PROOF OF ADDRESS - Attach a copy of your driver's license (or any other doc as listed) for this.
    5. PHOTOCOPY OF US/NON-US PASSPORT = This is copy your US passport. Original is not needed. See above in TIPS section for details on which pages are needed.
    6. AFFIDAVIT OF NATURALIZATION AFTER THE EXPIRY OF INDIAN PASSPORT - If yor passport expired before you had the oath ceremony for US Naturalization, then you will need this affidavit. I hand wrote the reason on a plain piece of paper and got it notarized by Bank of America. Reason for the gap may be anything like your US citizenship process took longer then expected, or you had no plans to go to India in near future, etc, etc.
    7. MOST RECENT INDIAN PASSPORT  - Original Indian Passport is to be submitted here. Photocopy of first three pages of the passport and last two pages of the passport is also needed.
    8. NATURALIZATION CERTIFICATE - Photocopy of US Naturalization certificate (one that you get at US Naturalization ceremony).
    9. COURIER LABELS - If you are using VFS for courier services, then they will have a link on left side of your VFS account portal to download the 2 courier labels (one for outgoing and one for return). Attach the outgoing one to the Fedex Envelope that you use to send to VFS. The return label is just to be put inside the packet, along with all the other documents.
    10. APPLICATION CONFIRMATION LETTER - This is another document that you download from your VFS account portal.This has details of customer, money paid and all documents needed. The documents listed here may not be the same as what I've listed above. Don't worry. What I've listed above is more accurate.
  4. MAIL: Put all the above documents in a packet and head to Fedex (if using VFS service) or to USPS (if using your own labels). Paste the address label on the package and send them to VFS. Address is based on your area consulate. For VFS provided labels, address is already there.
  5. STATUS: Hopefully, in 1-2 weeks, you would have your renunciation certificate. Once you have it, you can now apply for OCI card. Here's how to check status:
    1. You can check the status on VFS website: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ind/track-application
      • click on "Track application", and then on new window, enter following:
        1. Applicant Reference Number (ARN) - This is the govt ref number in the form 20-2002895674 or something similar. You need to enter the dash "-" too. Application confirmation letter in step 2.4 has this number.
        2. Date Of Birth (DOB) - Enter date in dd/mm/yyyy format (for 17th May, 1988, enter 17/05/1988)
        3. Click "submit". If it gives "invalid inputs", you may have entered wrong ARN (may be - is missing, or extra space), or date is in wrong format.
    2. You can also check the status of Govt passport website: https://portal4.passportindia.gov.in/Online/index.html
      • click on "Track status" and enter same details as above (ARN and DOB) on the new popup. For me, it kept on saying, no records found. Not sure why? Finally sent an email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Houston consulate, since that is where my application went), and they responded promptly. You can find the email addr for all consulates here: https://portal4.passportindia.gov.in/Online/index.html. Click on "connect to your embassy/consulate" (4th right tab on bottom). Choose USA as your country, and it will show email addr for all 6 consulates.

 

B. OCI card:

Once done with the renunciation of Indian Citizenship, it's time to apply for OCI card. Remember, renunciation certificate is needed only if you were a Indian Citizen at any time (i.e carried an Indian Passport). If you never were an Indian citizen, then you don't need step A above. For ex, if your kids were born in USA, they don't need "renunciation certificate" above.

This link explains steps involved in getting the OCI card: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ind/apply-oci-services. Follow the step by step guide. These are the general steps for all OCI categories.

There is one other link too. Open the "oci services" link here:  https://services.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/oci-services/. Look thru and make sure you are applying in the correct category. It has more details on fees, photo, as well as few documents which are not available anywhere else. We'll download some forms from here later on. For now, just keep this link as reference.

Follow the step by step guide. These are the steps in general: (specific steps for each category are listed later in more detail).

  1. GOVT WEBSITE:  Apply online at government OCI website: https://ociservices.gov.in.
    1. Choose correct category for OCI card: There are 4 categories:
      1. New OCI registration: Choose this if you never had a PIO card or an OCI card. This would apply to most of adult Indians applying for the first time (after getting a US citizenship). This may also apply to your kids (as long as they are US citizens with Indian origin. They don't need to have Indian Passports).
      2. OCI registration (in lieu of valid PIO card): Choose this if you have a valid PIO card. This usually applies to your minor kids, if you ever applied for their PIO cards in past.
      3. OCI registration (in lieu of lost PIO card): Same as #2 above, except that the PIO card is lost
      4. OCI misc services: Choose this if you are an OCI card holder, but need to renew or get a new reissued OCI card for any reason.
    2. Most of the people fall in category 1 "New OCI registration". Category 2 and 3 applies to people who had PIO card before. This is going to be applicable to very few people who actaully applied for PIO card before 2015 (as PIO cards are no longer accepted as valid documents). I don't have details on category 4 (OCI misc services), as I haven't used it yet. I suppose the process should be very similar to other categories.
    3. Once you choose the correct category, there is a long form to fill with 2 parts - Part A and Part B. I've details later on how to fill it. Once you complete part A, and move to part B, you can't edit Part A. For any changes, you will need to restart as fresh applicant.
    4. After you complete Part A, you will be asked to upload passport picture and signature.
      • If the pictures you uploaded are within specs, then you will get a green message saying the pictures are good. Pictures have to within size spec, as well as pixel spec. One way to do it is to resize image using paint. I work on linux machine and used the resize option on the picture. As long as the size of the picture is within spec, the inbuilt crop feature on the website will allow to crop and resize the picture, so don't worry if you don't know how to use "paint" or other software. Just reduce the size of picture by cropping it or scanning it at lower DPI, and then adjust the pixel and dimensions using "crop" on this website itself.
      • Make sure that the picture and signature are in right direction. i.e the final thing that displays should be a upright picture with signature on the bottom going left to right. If it's not, rotate the pictures to get correct orientation and then upload them again.
    5. Once upload is done, you move to Part B. Part B is very small. Once done with Part A and Part B, you will be asked to upload supporting documents. These are the general tips:
      • Docs need to be in separate pdf file. Each pdf file can't exceed 500KB. I used the "windows fax and scan" software to scan images at 300 DPI. I then installed "cutepdf" software from https://www.cutepdf.com/index.htm. There are various options here - for our purposes we'll Install the cutepdf writer, which is free. This allows you to print those scanned images into pdf file
        1. After cutepdf is installed, just use the printer button option on any document to print it. It wil show "cutepdf" as one of the printers. (NOTE: select print, not save on menu of scanner or printer. Save will not show the option to save as pdf file). Then we select "cutepdf" as the printer, which saves the file in pdf format (If you click on "save", then it will show you the option of saved file as jpeg only, ther's no option of pdf).
        2. I chose the dpi as 72dpi for this printed pdf file which takes around 100KB per page. This is very low resolution file, however it meets the requirement of keeping each file size to be < 500KB (as some of the documents have 3-4 pages).
        3. We also need to combine these multiple PDF files into one file, as each document is supposed to have only 1 pdf file for all it's pages. For that, we click on "cutePDF editor" link on cutepdf.com website. It opens the software in our browser itself w/o downloading anything. Then on right side, there is a option to "merge pdf" (scroll down to see that option). When you click on that, it allows you to add a number of pdf files, and then clicking OK will combine them into one. Just save that file, and now you have all those pdf into one file.
    6. Once you have completed all steps on ociservices.gov.in website, you are done with ociservices website. Print the application form. It already has a Passport picture and signature on 1st page. It has a File Reference Number (FRN)  in the form "USAH***" or something similar. Note this number as it will be needed later. In the checklist, it asks to affix a Passport picture and sign it. There is no pace to affix the passport picture on form, So, just ignore that. Move on to VFS website now.
  2. VFS WEBSITE: Now apply at VFS website, by creating an account, and filling in details.
    1. click on this link: https://services.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/oci-services/
    2. click on Apply now. At bottom of this page (in step3), there is a link to "complete questionaire and create profile". click on that.
    3. It will take you over here: https://row1.vfsglobal.com/IHCUSPostalAppointment/IHCQuestionnaire/Index. There are 2 choices here.
      1. If you already created an account with VFS earlier (maybe for renunciation purpose or other purpose), then you can directly log into the account. Hit on "click here" at bottom of that page to go directly to Login page. You don't need to make a new account.
      2. If you don't have an account already, then clicking on "OCI" will bring a form to fill in the details.
        1. Fill in the details. You will have to provide your OCI Govt ref number (aka File Ref number starting with "USA...", the one that we got when we completed application in step 1 on ociservices.gov.in). This is how your VFS application is linked to a particular govt application.
        2. Register by providing your email and password. Once registered, click on link sent in email to activate your account (if you don't click on link in email, you won't be able to log in). Now loginto the VFS account.
    4. Fill in the details, link your www.ociservices.gov.in application to application over here (by entering your govt FRN from step 1.6 above) , and look at the checklist for your particular category.
    5. Print all the paperwork from vfswebsite as well as from ociservices.gov.in website. Collect all supporting documents too.
    6. Also, on ociservices.gov website, it says that all documents need to be self attested. However, that requirement is not mentioned anywhere else, so i never bothered self attesting anything (as it causes more confusion as to where to attest on the document, who will attest for minor, etc). The process works without self attesting anything, but if you are paranoid, go ahead and self attest it. You have valid grounds for not self attesting it, as nowhere on vfs website, do they ask you to self attext it.
  3. DOCUMENTS: Put all the above documents in a packet and head to Fedex (if using VFS service) or to USPS (if using your own labels). Paste the address label on the package and send them to VFS. Address is based on your area consulate. For VFS provided labels, address is already there.
  4. STATUS: Hopefully, in 4-8 weeks, you would have your OCI card. Finally the end of nonsense torture.
    1. You can check the status on VFS website: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ind/track-application
      • click on "Track application", and then on new window, enter following:
        1. Applicant Reference Number (ARN) - This is the govt ref number (i.e File reference number) in the form "USAH***" or something similar. Application form in step 1.6 has this number. This is not the application number that you may get from vfs website.
        2. Date Of Birth (DOB) - Enter date in dd/mm/yyyy format (for 17th May, 1988, enter 17/05/1988)
        3. Click "submit". If it gives "invalid inputs", you may have entered wrong ARN, or date is in wrong format.
    2. You can also check the status of Govt passport website: https://ociservices.gov.in/welcome. 
      • This will show valid status only after the Indian office has received your application. This usually happens few days after vfs has notified you that your application is "In-Transit to the Embassy of India/Consulate General of India".
      • Over there, click on status inquiry. On new window, enter following:
        1. File Reference Number (FRN) - This is the govt file ref number in the form "USAH***" or something similar. It's same number as you entered for tracking above.
        2. Passport number - Enter your USA passport number
        3. Click "submit". If it gives "invalid inputs", you may have entered wrong FRN, or may have spaces somewhere. If it says "no such records found" and it has been a couple of days, then you need to contact them. Their email addr is:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. They never responded to me, so it may be hit or miss.

Below is the link for each of the category. I've specific details below. This is on top of what has been provided above.

1. New OCI Registration (category 1 for Adult/Minors)

Below is the complete set of steps for Adults (I've added additional steps for MINOR where needed):

  1. GOVT WEBSITE: Apply online at government OCI website: https://ociservices.gov.in.
    1. Choose correct category for OCI card. Here Choose "New OCI Registration". Click Proceed. A pop up box appears. click OK. There is no separate option for Minors, so the steps below apply to Minors too. Just that if the Minor is less than 5 years old, you need his/her thumb impression (left thumb for boys and right thumb for girls).
    2. The form now needs to be filled up. Long form with 2 parts (Part A and B) and bunch of docs to be uploaded.
      • Sample form here: https://services.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/oci-services/pdf/new-oci-sample-form.pdf
      • There is another one here too (Not sure which one is the latest one, there are some differences): https://services.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/oci-services/pdf/oci-government-sample-form.pdf
      • Part A: This is a long form with 2 pages.
        • Page I:
          • Under Applicant's info, enter details as in Indian passport. For current nationality, choose "United States". For visible marks, write "NONE". NOTE: "given name" includes your first name and middle name, while surname includes only your last name. Make sure, it matches exactly with what's in your Indian Passport.
          • Under Passport details, enter your USA passport details. For place of issue, write "USDOS". Enter your previous USA passport number under "Previous Passport number", if you had more than 1 USA passports.
          • Under Applicant's Family details, enter information as per your indian Passport. Parents name should match exactly as what's mentioned on your Indian Passport (last page)
          • Under spouse details, enter your spouse details. It asks for this info, even though you are NOT applying for OCI based on your spouse. Under "Relation with Root indian", select "self". I left spouse Passport details empty, as they weren't mandatory. Also, wasn't sure, what Passport details (USA or Indian) was it asking for? Most likely USA, but again why bother.
        • Page II:
          • Enter Occupation details. If no applicable category, choose "Others". Provide your employer address and contact info.
          • Enter your address, email, phone details. 10 digit phone number with no dashes is what I used.
        • Next page asks you to verify all information entered. You will see that most of spouse details are not present here (meaning they were useless to start with).
        • After you complete Part A, you will be asked to upload passport picture and signature. You are also given your File Reference number - note it down. Click on "Yes, I'm ready". It will bring, new pop up box. Browse the correct images for passport photo and signature, and click on upload. Look above on tips for uploading.
        • Once done, it will ask you to confirm that everything looks correct and then move to part "B". Once you move to Part B, you can't come back to Part A.
      • Part B: This is a much simpler form.
        • Enter Citizenship details, All questions are answered"no" except the first question which is for "other memebers who have applied for OCI". Enter details. If OCI is in progress for some other member (i.e spouse or kids), there's no need to mention that, as OCI has not been granted yet.
        • Enter nationality details - date you were naturalized. and renunciated Indian Passport number.
        • For any relatives staying in India, enter details of some relatives. You can enter Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, etc. I just entered it for parents for adults or grandparents for minors (1 or 2 names are enough).
      • Once done with Part A and Part B, you will be asked to upload supporting documents. Following are the docs needed (see above general section for tips on uploading):
        • Current USA passport - page with passport details and last endorsement page (merged as 1 pdf)
        • Naturalization certificate - 1 pdf
        • Renunciation Certificate - This is the certificate that was delivered along with your cancelled Indian passport, when you applied for "Renunciation". It doesn't specifically ask for this under ADULT checklist, but asks for this under MINOR checklist. Better to upload this, if you have it.
        • Cancelled Indian Passport - first page with passport details, the page with "surrender of passport" written on it, as well as the last page with personal details. Combine all of this as 1 pdf and upload it. On the checklist, it asks for this as "Indian Origin proof". Upload it under that category, as there is no separate category for uploading "Cancelled Indian passport".
        • MINORS ONLY: If a minor is applying based on the parent's Indian origin, then both parents need to upload the below relationship documents (assuming Minor is a US citizen). Minors just need copy of their current US passport along with the below documents:
          • Birth certificate of Minor showing Parents name
          • Notarized parental Authorization form: Download from here: https://services.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/oci-services/pdf/parental-authorization.pdf. Needs to be signed by both the parents and notarized. See Tips section above on how to do notary for free.
          • Both Parents Indian Passport copy (1st 3 pages and last 2 pages) + OCI card copy (if OCI card granted to parents)
          • Copy of Naturalization certificate of both parents => To show current nationality
          • Copy of US passport (1st page and last 2 pages) of both parents => To show current nationality. This may not be needed, but why risk it?
          • Copy of Parents' marriage certificate => This is difficult to get. If you don't find it, write reason on piece of paper and notarize it. Birth certificate of the minor has name of both the parents anyway, so that should suffice, I guess. Not sure on why insist on marriage certificate ??
    3. Once you have completed all steps on ociservices.gov.in website, you are done with ociservices website. There is an option to print form. Download and Print it as we'll need to send it along with other documents. Move to VFS application now.
  2. VFS WEBSITE: Now let's start with VFS website application
    1. click on this link: https://services.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/oci-services/. Click on "new oci registration".
    2. Once you log into your VFS account. click on "create new application". 
      1. fill in all entries. Main category is "OCI", while Application category is "New OCI"
      2. On next page, add customer and the details.. Enter OCI Govt reference number that you got in step 2 bove on ociservices.giv.in website. It starts with "USA...". Passport details are for USA passport. Fill in your Father's name from Indian Passport. Click submit when done.
      3. On next page, select "VFS offered courier service". It will show total charges as around $350 (since it's $30 extra for using VFS provided fedex courier labels for OCI + $15 extra for returning US passport. Consular fee is $275 + other misc charges). Click continue and provide mailing address. Click validate and then submit.
      4. check "accept terms" on next page. Make a note of "application reference number". This is a new number for your VFS application. You will need this number to download "courier labels" in next step. Click on"confirm application". It will ask you for credit card details to pay the fees.
      5. After paying fees, you will see links to download "application conformation letter" and "courier labels". Download and print them for later use.
  3. DOCUMENTS: Now you are done.The "application confirmation letter" in your VFS account as well as the checklist below has a list of required documents. Below are the required documents:
    1. CHECKLIST - This checklist below is to be printed out and signed on page 5. It has a list of all the documents to be sent with the application. On the top of each page, there are applicant's details to be filled in. You can hand write those details. Passport number to be written is for USA.
    2. GOVERNMENT APPLICATION ONLINE FORM - This is the application from step 1 (from ociservices.gov.in).  It's 7 pages (combining both part A and part B). I just send an extra picture, since there's no place to affix the picture. Page 4 (or the last page of form before the instructions start) has a place to sign that needs to be signed by the applicant.
      • MINORS ONLY: If the applicant is a minor, then both parents need to sign and notarize the form (lower half of page 4). It again says in the place where parents were supposed to sign as "signature of the applicant". So, to be safe, have the minor sign it as well as both the parents. So, for a minor, you will need to go to the notary office twice - initially to get the parental Authorization form notarized, which is then uploaded on govt website, which then generates the govt online form (in step 3). This form then again needs to be notarized. Just more non sense. Very imp to get it notarized or your application will be rejected. 
    3. PHOTOGRAPH & SIGNATURE - Attach 2 extra hard photos. NOTE: Here again it asks us to affix photo on physical govt application form. Since there is no place to affix it, send 3 photos instead of 2.
    4. PROOF OF ADDRESS - Attach a copy of Driver's license (or any other doc as listed) for this.
    5. PHOTOCOPY OF USA PASSPORT = This is your US passport. Just photocopy 1st page with your passport details, along with the last 2 endorsement pages. See Tips above.
    6. ORIGINAL USA PASSPORT = This is your US passport. Original is also needed for verification.They will return it back to you in a week using one of the courier return labels
    7. PROOF OF RENUNCIATION: Copy of renunciation certificate (It was issued when you applied for "Renunciation").
    8. PROOF OF INDIAN ORIGIN: Photocopy of first three pages and last two pages of the passport is needed. I would also include the page which has "Surrender of Passport" written on it (if it's not in 1st 3 or last 2 pages).
    9. NATURALIZATION CERTIFICATE - Photocopy of US Naturalization certificate (one that you get at US Naturalization ceremony).
    10. COURIER LABELS - If you are using VFS for courier services, then they will have a link on left side of your VFS account portal to download the 3 courier labels (one for outgoing and one for return. The 3rd one is to return your US Passport). Attach the outgoing one to the Fedex Envelope that you use to send to VFS. The 2 return labels are just to be put inside the packet, along with all the other documents.
    11. APPLICATION CONFIRMATION LETTER - This is another document that you download from your VFS account portal.This has details of customer, money paid and all documents needed. The documents listed here aren't really there (i.e no hyperlink or anything)
    12. MINORS ONLY: Since Minors may not have had Indian Passport, and are applying based on their parents origin, they need to submit additional documents:
      • Birth certificate of Minor showing Parents name
      • Notarized parental Authorization form (PAF): Download from here: https://services.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/oci-services/pdf/parental-authorization.pdf. Needs to be signed by both the parents and notarized. See Tips section on how to do notary for free.
      • Both Parents Indian Passport copy (1st 3 pages and last 2 pages) + OCI card copy (if OCI card granted to parents)
      • Copy of Naturalization certificate of both parents => To show current nationality
      • Copy of US passport (1st page and last 2 pages) of both parents => To show current nationality. This may not be needed, but why risk it?
      • Copy of Parents' marriage certificate => This is difficult to get. If you don't find it, write reason on piece of paper and notarize it. Birth certificate of the minor has name of both the parents, so that should suffice, I guess??
  4. MAIL: So, in all the documents above, you just need to sign at 2 places - one in Checklist and other in Government application form. (For Minors, parents need to sign in 2 additional place as noted above - one in page 4 of govt application form, and other in notarized PAF ). Put all the above documents in a packet and head to Fedex (if using VFS service) or to USPS (if using your own labels). Paste the address label on the package and send them to VFS. Address is based on your area consulate. For VFS provided labels, address is already there.
  5. STATUS: Check status as explained in general section above.

 

2. Conversion from PIO to OCI (category 2 and 3 for Adults/Minor):

Below is the complete set of steps for Adults (I've added additional steps for MINOR where needed):

  1.  GOVT WEBSITE: Apply online at government OCI website: https://ociservices.gov.in.
    1. Choose correct category for OCI card. Here Choose "OCI in lieu of valid PIO" or "OCI in lieu of lost PIO" as needed. Click Proceed. A pop up box appears. click OK. The steps below are for category 2 (OCI in lieu of valid PIO), but nearly same steps should apply for category 3 (OCI in lieu of lost PIO). There is no separate option for Minors, so the steps below apply to Minors too. Just that if the Minor is less than 5 years old, you need his/her thumb impression (left thumb for boys and right thumb for girls).
    2. The form now needs to be filled up. Long form with 2 parts (Part A and B) and bunch of docs to be uploaded.
      • Sample form here: https://services.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/oci-services/pdf/oci-government-sample-form.pdf
      • Part A: This is a long form with 2 pages.
        • Page 1:
          • Place of birth should be exactly as in USA Passport - for ex, if it's TEXAS, USA, enter "TEXAS USA" without the comma.
          • For visible marks, write "NONE"
          • For Parents nationality, write "USA" (if parents have become US citizens), else write "India".
          • For place of issue, write "USDOS"
        • Page 2: Enter PIO card details
        • Next page asks you to verify all information entered.
        • After you complete Part A, you will be asked to upload passport picture and signature. You are also given your File Reference number - note it down. Click on "Yes, I'm ready". It will bring, new pop up box. Browse the correct images for passport photo and signature, and click on upload. Look above on tips for uploading.
        • Once done, it will ask you to confirm that everything looks correct and then move to part "B". Once you move to Part B, you can't come back to Part A.
      •  Part B: This is a much simpler form.
        • Enter Citizenship details, All questions are answered"no" except the first question which is for "other memebers who have applied for OCI". Enter details. If OCI is in progress for some other member (i.e spouse or kids), there's no need to mention that, as OCI has not been granted yet.
        • Enter nationality details - date you were naturalized. and renunciated Indian Passport number.
        • For any relatives staying in India, enter details of some relatives. You can enter Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, etc. I just entered it for parents for adults or grandparents for minors (1 or 2 names are enough).
      •  Once done with Part A and Part B, you will be asked to upload supporting documents. Following are the docs needed (see above general section for tips on uploading):
        • PIO card - first and last page
        • Current USA passport - page with passport details and last endorsement page
        • MINORS ONLY: Parental Authorization form - Notarized and filled in. See above for notary tips.
    3. Once you have completed all steps on ociservices.gov.in website, you are done with ociservices website. There is an option to print form. Download and Print it as we'll need to send it along with other documents. Move to VFS application now.
  2. VFS WEBSITE: Now let's start with VFS website application
    1. click on this link: https://services.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/oci-services/. Click on "oci registration (in lieu of valid/lost PIO card)". See above on how to create an account and log in.
    2. Once you log into your VFS account. click on "create new application". 
      1. fill in all entries.  Application category is "OCI in lieu of valid/lost PIO"
      2. On next page, add customer and the details.. Enter OCI Govt reference number that you got in step 2 bove on ociservices.giv.in website. It starts with "USA...". Passport details are for USA passport. Fill in your Father's name from Indian Passport. Click submit when done.
      3. On next page, select "VFS offered courier service". It will show total charges as around $150 (since it's $30 extra for using VFS provided fedex courier labels for OCI). clcik continue and provide mailing address. Click validate and then submit.
      4. check "accept terms" on next page. Make a note of "application reference number". This is a new number for your VFS application. You will need this number to download "courier labels" in next step. Click on"confirm application". It will ask you for credit card details to pay the fees.
      5. After paying fees, you will see links to download "application conformation letter" and "courier labels". Download and print them for later use.
  3. DOCUMENTS: Now you are done.The "application confirmation letter" in your VFS account as well as the checklist below has a list of required documents. Below are the required documents:
    1. CHECKLIST - This checklist below is to be printed out and signed on page 5. It has a list of all the documents to be sent with the application. On the top of each page, there are applicant's details to be filled in. You can hand write those details. Passport number to be written is for USA.
    2. GOVERNMENT APPLICATION ONLINE FORM - This is the application from step 1 (from ociservices.gov.in).  It's 7 pages (combining both part A and part B). I just send an extra picture, since there's no place to affix the picture. Page 4 (or the last page of form before the instructions start) has a place to sign that needs to be signed by the applicant.
      • MINORS ONLY: If the applicant is a minor, then both parents need to sign and notarize the form (lower half of page 4). It again says in the place where parents were supposed to sign as "signature of the applicant". So, to be safe, have the minor sign it as well as both the parents. So, for a minor, you will need to go to the notary office twice - initially to get the parental Authorization form notarized, which is then uploaded on govt website, which then generates the govt online form (in step 3). This form then again needs to be notarized. Just more non sense. Very imp to get it notarized or your application will be rejected. 
    3. PHOTOGRAPH & SIGNATURE - Attach 2 extra hard photos. NOTE: Here again it asks us to affix photo on physical govt application form. Since there is no place to affix it, send 3 photos instead of 2.
    4. PROOF OF ADDRESS - Attach a copy of Driver's license (or any other doc as listed) for this.
    5. PHOTOCOPY OF USA PASSPORT = This is your US passport. Just photocopy 1st page with your passport details, along with the last 2 endorsement pages. See Tips above.
    6. ORIGINAL PIO: Original PIO card , and copy of all pages of PIO card
    7. AFFIDAVIT: Affidavit in lieu of originals. this needs to be notarized. For minors, parents take this oath.
    8. COURIER LABELS - If you are using VFS for courier services, then they will have a link on left side of your VFS account portal to download the 2 courier labels (one for outgoing and one for return). Attach the outgoing one to the Fedex Envelope that you use to send to VFS. The return label is just to be put inside the packet, along with all the other documents.
    9. APPLICATION CONFIRMATION LETTER - This is another document that you download from your VFS account portal.This has details of customer, money paid and all documents needed. The documents listed here aren't really there (i.e no hyperlink or anything)
    10. MINORS ONLY: Since Minors are applying based on their parents origin, they need to submit additional documents:
  4. MAIL: So, in all the documents above, you just need to sign at 2 places - one in Checklist and other in Government application form. (For Minors, parents need to sign in 2 additional place as noted above - one in page 4 of govt application form, and other in notarized PAF ). Put all the above documents in a packet and head to Fedex (if using VFS service) or to USPS (if using your own labels). Paste the address label on the package and send them to VFS. Address is based on your area consulate. For VFS provided labels, address is already there.
  5. STATUS: Check status as explained in general section above.

 

3. Misc OCI services, lost OCI, etc (category 4 and beyond):

I don't have details on these, but if you read thru any of the categories above, you will get a good idea of how to proceed. Steps should look pretty similar to other categories of OCI.

 

Indian Passport:

For any Passport related services, you have to use VFS. Indian Passport services in USA are much faster. This is the link to apply for renewal/new Indian passport:

https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ind/apply-passport

Steps are same as what we saw above for OCI services. You can read thru above non sense and apply it here too. I guess it's no less torture than any other application category.

 

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE ON COMPLETING THIS TORTUROUS JOURNEY cry