Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Mookambika wrote:Hi i'm going to apply for OCI in person at HCI London. Do i've to enclose the photo copy of the cancelled Indian passport or Just copy of the Surrenderance Certificate. Some Counsulate website says both. Could anyone please confirm the enclosures

From what I could make out from HCI website, you need to submit only one or the other. But why not play it safe and submit both?
Whatever copies you need to send them should be in duplicate and should self-attested and signed with name & date.
For details, have a good read through the list (para 4) at
http://hcilondon.in/oci.php

For clarifications you could also try
020 7632 3072
020 7836 8484
att.oci@hcilondon.in

from what I have heard and from my own experience, standard of service can vary from 'Brilliant' to 'Pathetic' depending on the person who attend to you.
So Good Luck!

One more important document they never menctioned anywhere is if you have OCI you have to submit your OCI copy otherwise they won't accept your daughter application (This was happened to me)

Panesar wrote:I'm currently applying for an OCI based on my father's Indian orgin. He had an Indian Passport and now has his surrender certificate.

The guidelines state:
"Evidence of relationship as parent/grand parent, if their Indian origin is claimed as basis for grant of OCI."

Has anyone applied on this basis before? If so what documentation have you submitted? I have my birth certificate showing my father's name and my father's Surrender Certificate showing he held an Indian Passport.

What other evidence can be submitted? Any advise would be appreciated. Thank you.

Panesar wrote:Thank you GBINR.

My father himself does not have an OCI card as he has a long term visa that doesnt expire until 2013. So i thought i would apply for my OCI before he does. I hope that doesnt cause a problem.

Do you have an OCI card?

I'm wondering if it will be easier to wait until my father has the OCI or if i should apply anyway.

Thanks for your help.

1) No. I do not have OCI card. I have applied for me and my daughter. Sorry if I was not clear in what I told.

2) Also OCI is lifelong visa and as you know fees never goes down and it will go up by 2013. So if your father applies for OCI now, atleast the fees will be less than what he would pay in 2013.

So the best is, ask your father also to apply now. Let him be the main applicant and the case will become normal like all of us.

n_sharma50 wrote:Must be lucky day as I called up the number and someone picked up after first ring.

Very nice guy and he said that they are currently processing 20th October postal applications and it will take 10 more days for my applications to be acknowledged and further 10 days for OCI to be granted.

Fingers crossed I might get it before I travel in end of Dec.

he said if you dont get it by 15th Dec, then apply for Visa

Thanks for the important update. Now I will have peace of mind. I had applied on 14/11 by post and it had reached them on 15/11.
I was worried about the status. Okay ,so I can expect my OCI card in 2012 .

Sharmaji please update the status when you get acknowledgment as I can track mine based on yours. As I said, I submitted 2 weeks after you did.

But I do not have any plans to travel to India during Xmas hols. So I am not in a hurry. I hope you get it for your travel to India in Dec.

OCI time-line for my wife

Application Type - In person at HCI London on 18 Nov 2011
Date Of Acknowledgment: 18-NOV-2011
Photo/Signature at Mission : Scanned On 21-NOV-2011
Registration Status at Mission : Granted On 21-NOV-2011
Documents Printing Status : PRINTED On 22-NOV-2011
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) NEW DELHI On : 28-NOV-2011
Documents Received at LONDON: 02-DEC-2011

Will update this post when I have further updates. I hope she gets her OCI by 1st/2nd week of December.

Update 1: Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) NEW DELHI On : 28-NOV-2011
Update 2: Documents Received at LONDON: 02-DEC-2011

14 days in total.

My wife will make a trip to HCI next week to collect her OCI.

GBINR wrote:

n_sharma50 wrote:Must be lucky day as I called up the number and someone picked up after first ring.

Very nice guy and he said that they are currently processing 20th October postal applications and it will take 10 more days for my applications to be acknowledged and further 10 days for OCI to be granted.

Fingers crossed I might get it before I travel in end of Dec.

he said if you dont get it by 15th Dec, then apply for Visa

Thanks for the important update. Now I will have peace of mind. I had applied on 14/11 by post and it had reached them on 15/11.
I was worried about the status. Okay ,so I can expect my OCI card in 2012 .

Sharmaji please update the status when you get acknowledgment as I can track mine based on yours. As I said, I submitted 2 weeks after you did.

But I do not have any plans to travel to India during Xmas hols. So I am not in a hurry. I hope you get it for your travel to India in Dec.

Sure, will provide an update as soon as I have something. Just to save one day trip to HCI, I went for postal but in hindsight not one of the best decision as in person application get acknowledged same day.

I agree with you. We can see that from the status update of krazydude. So if anyone wanna get it quick, he/she should go in person.

Thanks Jobs CF....great help fromyou... very much appreciate it

Namaskaram

Timeline with my OCI

> Application, PO for £172 and SAE sent on Monday, 10-OCT-2011
> Date Of Acknowledgment 04-NOV-2011 : (25 days! No acknowledgment received by post or email)
> Photo/Signature at Mission : Scanned On 08-NOV-2011
> Registration Status at Mission : Granted On 08-NOV-2011
> Documents Printing Status PRINTED On 11-NOV-2011 Friday
> Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) NEW DELHI on 17-NOV-2011 Thursday
> Documents Received at LONDON on 22-NOV-2011 Tuesday
> Passport & Printout sent to HCI on 22-NOV-2011 Tuesday > was delivered by PO to HCI on 23 Nov 2011
> OCI Certificate & Passport delivered to me at 9:30 am, 25 Nov 2011

46 days from application to delivery.
By the way of comparison, my UK passport renewal took just 7 days.
It was a simple process with lot less paperwork, at a much lower cost and with no anxiety.

If anyone is using this timeline as what to expect, please note that, judging by other timelines, it takes around 9 days for them to send the OCI and passport.
As I need to go to France soon, I enclosed a letter. Luckily, HCI acted promptly and I received everything in 3 days
If you need your OCI in a hurry and if not too difficult, go to HCI in person to make the intial application and again to collect, as others have suggested.

My OCI Timeline:
Sent by special delivery on 31/10/2011
Received HCI on 01/11/2011
Acknowledged on 28/11/2011
Photos/Signature scanned on
Granted on
Printed on
Dispatched on
Received at HCI, London on
Passports sent by post on -
OCI along with passports received on -[/b]

My timelines (former Indian citizen who gained British citizenship in 2011):

Submitted in person at HCI London: 09/11/2011
Acknowledged: 09/11/2011
Photo/Signature scanned: 11/11/2011
Granted: 11/11/2011
Printed: 14/11/2011
Dispatched from MOIA, Delhi: 21/11/2011
Received at HCI London: 23/11/2011
Collected in person at HCI London: 24/11/2011

I would definitely recommend applying in person – mine took exactly 15 days end-to-end. The queues at HCI London are horrendous (I think there must have been about an average of 250 people in the queue even before the office opened) – but based on my earlier experiences at CGI Birmingham, for example, the wait is likely to be a lot more manageable.

Finally, at HCI London, be prepared for appalling standards of customer service (and some appalling customers as well, I may add). Like overworked passport/visa officers of any country dealing with baseless argumentative customers day in and day out, make the officer’s life easy by having correct, well organised documentation and exact change, and the standard of service improves to passable. My two pence.

My OCI Timeline: Update
Sent by special delivery on 31/10/2011
Received HCI on 01/11/2011
Acknowledged on 28/11/2011
Photos/Signature scanned on 29/11/2011
Granted on 29/11/2011
Printed on 30/11/2011
Dispatched on
Received at HCI, London on
OCI along with passports received on

My OCI Status

Applied in person on 28th November at HCI London

Acknoledged on 28th November 11
Signature/Photo Scanned on 29th November 11
Granted on 29th November 11
Printed on 30th November 11
Dispached from MOIA (New Delhi): Not yet
Received at HCI London : Not yet.


a piece of advice guys the photo specification: it should be off white back ground and 80% of the face visible.

a piece of advice guys the photo specification: it should be off white back ground and 80% of the face visible.

Photo background should be anything but white. Mine was grey background and the same for my wife. Also apart from the face, both shoulders should be visible.

Photographs for OCI Registration
Many applications get rejected cos of photos not meeting their requirements.

So have a good read through this four page .pdf file.
It has sample photos and all the details you need to know:
http://passport.gov.in/oci/Photo-Spec-FINAL.pdf

Bigger branches of Boots have a coin-operated photobooth that can also take 2inch x 2inch photos that meet requirements.

Hi guys,

In the pdf link that was posted above, the background colour in all of the photos is clearly white (which contradicts what was said in the application form).

The ones I sent off with my application had a white background too... does anyone know of people who have had their applications rejected solely on the basis of having a white photo background?!

Thanks!

ron2110 wrote:
The ones I sent off with my application had a white background too... does anyone know of people who have had their applications rejected solely on the basis of having a white photo background?!

Thanks!

I cannot comment on postal applications, but when I went to submit my OCI application in person (last year), I saw people were being told to get photos as per the specs on the website (non-white background) and their application was returned back to them. Since I was waiting in queue for more than 2 hrs, I noticed that one applicant whose application was returned back to him , went out, got himself another photograph and submitted his application.

Rude Behaviour of HCI workers

bubblegum wrote: "I would definitely recommend applying in person – mine took exactly 15 days end-to-end. The queues at HCI London are horrendous (I think there must have been about an average of 250 people in the queue even before the office opened) "

"Finally, at HCI London, be prepared for appalling standards of customer service (and some appalling customers as well, I may add). Like overworked passport/visa officers of any country dealing with baseless argumentative customers day in and day out, make the officer’s life easy by having correct, well organised documentation and exact change, and the standard of service improves to passable. My two pence."

Yup! the standards are appalling. Some of the employees are helpful but some belong to the days of the 'licence raj'.
There is an woman (oldish sounding) at HCI London who is very rude, gives rubbish answers and has the habit fo putting the phone down on you
This petition details the rude behaviour of HCI workers, naming and shaming etc.
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39082.html
Looks like the Irish Indians are fed up too.

Background Colour for Photos

The text next to the 'Sample Photo' state, "The background should be a plain light colored background".
http://passport.gov.in/oci/Photo-Spec-FINAL.pdf

The photos I sent and got accepted had sky blue background

There is an woman (oldish sounding) at HCI London who is very rude, gives rubbish answers and has the habit fo putting the phone down on you

I think she now sits in the box office adjacent to the HCI main door, accepting OCI collection applications

n_sharma50 wrote:My OCI Timeline: Update
Sent by special delivery on 31/10/2011
Received HCI on 01/11/2011
Acknowledged on 28/11/2011
Photos/Signature scanned on 29/11/2011
Granted on 29/11/2011
Printed on 30/11/2011
Dispatched on
Received at HCI, London on
OCI along with passports received on

Sharmaji,

Good. Hope you will get OCI for Xmas hols. I hope you are going to collect in person as soon as it arrives in London.

I hope that my OCI application will ACKed by next week (based on your timeline). I am 1 of those victims (postal applicants) who was fooled by HCI London OCI section website that says that postal appln will be ACKed in a week or so. In fact they take more than 25 days.

GBINR wrote:

n_sharma50 wrote:My OCI Timeline: Update
Sent by special delivery on 31/10/2011
Received HCI on 01/11/2011
Acknowledged on 28/11/2011
Photos/Signature scanned on 29/11/2011
Granted on 29/11/2011
Printed on 30/11/2011
Dispatched on
Received at HCI, London on
OCI along with passports received on

Sharmaji,

Good. Hope you will get OCI for Xmas hols. I hope you are going to collect in person as soon as it arrives in London.

I hope that my OCI application will ACKed next week(based on your timeline). I am 1 of those victim of postal applicant who was fooled by HCI London OCI section website that says that postal appln will be ACKed in a week or so while in fact they take more than 25 days.

Yes hoping for a next week collection. Right now its showing not dispatched so eagerly waiting for that to happen. And yes will be going in person to collect. Do not trust Royal mail around xmas time to get it delivered.

Hi Sharmaji,

our applications have the same status. Mine also printed on 30th Nov. waiting for it to dispach from Delhi. Keeping my fingers crossed we will get it by end of this week.

Regards

Van

I do not find it surprising that HCI does not process postal applications quickly. I know that some people cannot make it to the HCI as they live far away, cannot commute, do not have the time they can take off their busy schedule or house chores or some other reason. But realistically, if you think that you should get the same treatment as someone who got up early, stood in the cold/rain for more than 1 hr in a queue, got in and waited patiently for maybe 2-3 more hours, had to suffer bureaucratic staff who are quite unhelpful at times, then you seem to be fooling no one but yourself. If someone puts in the extra effort (read pain) and incurs the cost of travel & time off work, then these applicants deserve their applications to get processed quickly.

krazydude wrote:I do not find it surprising that HCI does not process postal applications quickly. I know that some people cannot make it to the HCI as they live far away, cannot commute, do not have the time they can take off their busy schedule or house chores or some other reason. But realistically, if you think that you should get the same treatment as someone who got up early, stood in the cold/rain for more than 1 hr in a queue, got in and waited patiently for maybe 2-3 more hours, had to suffer bureaucratic staff who are quite unhelpful at times, then you seem to be fooling no one but yourself. If someone puts in the extra effort (read pain) and incurs the cost of travel & time off work, then these applicants deserve their applications to get processed quickly.

I hear you Krazydude and agree with what you have said. Point was that HCI should not make a statement that postal application will be processed with a week delay.

They should make it clear and possibly set expectation correctly by saying may be 2 - 4 weeks and publish details about what %age is dealt within a wee, 2 weeks and so on