My Experience at VFS Edinburgh for OCI Application

[SK976]

Hi Everyone

Today, 5th January 2026, I attended my appointment at the VFS centre in Edinburgh to submit my OCI application. I wanted to share my experience, as it differed from what I had read online, including posts on immigrationboards forum. I'm also keen to learn if others have encountered similar situations during their own applications.

Passport Retention – Contrary to Expectations
According to most online sources, including immigrationboards, applicants are typically handed back their British passports immediately at the VFS centre once the application submission is complete. However, in my case, the staff at VFS retained my British passport (This was unexpected), informing me that it would be returned in approximately two weeks, while the OCI card would take around two months to be processed and delivered.

Photo Specification Issue
I brought 2 photographs with me, but it apparently did not match the required 2x2 inch specification. Consequently, the staff took a new photo of me on-site. I raised the concern that the photograph I had uploaded online, and the physical photograph taken at the centre would not be identical and enquired if this could cause delays or even lead to rejection. The VFS executive assured me that this would not be a problem, but I remain uncertain. Has anyone else faced this issue, and did it affect the outcome of their OCI application?

Indian Passport and Surrender Certificate Handling
During my appointment, I was also surprised that VFS did not retain either my Indian passport or the surrender certificate. Both documents were returned to me after verification, whereas my British passport was kept by the centre. This procedure seems to differ from what I have read online, where some applicants had their Indian passport\surrender certificate retained instead.

Overall, my experience at VFS Edinburgh was quite different from the other’s I’ve seen online, I am interested to know if anyone else has experienced these particular situations, especially regarding the retention of the British passport, the photograph issue, and the handling of Indian documents. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[george1981]

Thanks!

Just wanted to update with my experience at VFS Cardiff

Our appointment (2 adult+1 minor) was today, and everything went smoothly as long as you have all the documents in the list (and uploaded), which is online.

UK passport +copy
UK Naturalisation +Copy
Surrenderd passport +copy
Surrender certificate+copy
Letter from employer
Copy of drivering license/ waterbill
oci undertaking form (need to upload this as well)
Marriage certificate copy

Few more documents for the minor (Birth certificate, we also got a letter from the school, parents passport copy etc)

They gave back all originals except the Surrender certificate, and I paid for two postages: one to get this back and the other for OCI.

Not sure why they need original, as I just got that from HCI. To me looks like they want to make money on postage.

Also when I made the appointment, I made it using the temporary file number that I saw while filling out the application (to book asap). After you submit, you will get a different file number. Glady they didn't seem to bother about that.

[SK976]

Thank you for sharing your experience. It's quite curious how the same application process can have such different rules depending on the provider. On a positive note, I was relieved to receive my British passport back on the seventh day via DX, though I always feel a bit uneasy about their service.
I was initially informed via SMS that my delivery was scheduled for Saturday morning. However, just a few minutes later, I received another message stating that the delivery couldn’t be made because the address was allegedly unfindable. I had clearly written my phone number on the self-addressed envelope, so if a genuine delivery attempt had been made, I would have expected the courier to try calling me to clarify the address.
Instead, I was told to reschedule the delivery, so I booked it for Monday. Strangely enough, the passport was delivered without issue on Monday—apparently, the address was suddenly 'findable'!
Looking back, I regret not choosing Royal Mail instead of DX. My experience with Royal Mail has been more reliable: they're not only more affordable, but also offer better tracking and a guaranteed service. Based on this, I would certainly recommend Royal Mail over DX to others.
Now, I'm just waiting for my OCI application to be processed. I am a bit anxious, as my online photograph and the one taken at the centre look quite different, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a positive outcome. After that, I’ll have to deal with DX again for the OCI delivery!