Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Hi Gidoc,
Most of the people got it in about 5-7 working days. But there was thread on this forum no response for more than 3 weeks. Unfortunately there is no way to track the progress and no one picks the phone at HCI London.

I am planning to take day off and go in person.

gidoc wrote:Jagan,
Same as yours, despatched from Delhi on 30/08.If it is sent by diplomatic bag it will take 3-5 days at least.

I wonder how much time it will take if we sent passport by post to IHC, London, to have OCI affixed, any ideas?

Date of posting: 11 May 2011
Date of acknowledgment: 23 May 2011
Photo/Signature at Mission : Scanned On 13-JUL-2011
Registration Status at Mission : Granted On 25-JUL-2011
Documents Printing Status PRINTED On 26-JUL-2011
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ): NEW DELHI On 27-JUL-2011
Documents Received at BIRMINGHAM On 08-AUG-2011
Passport/documents (special delivery) posted to BIRMINGHAM 15 Aug 2011
OCI documents received (special delivery) by post from BIRMINGHAM 31 Aug 2011

jagan wrote:Hi Gidoc,
Most of the people got it in about 5-7 working days. But there was thread on this forum no response for more than 3 weeks. Unfortunately there is no way to track the progress and no one picks the phone at HCI London.

I am planning to take day off and go in person.

gidoc wrote:Jagan,
Same as yours, despatched from Delhi on 30/08.If it is sent by diplomatic bag it will take 3-5 days at least.

I wonder how much time it will take if we sent passport by post to IHC, London, to have OCI affixed, any ideas?

Strangely mine was dispatched from Delhi and received at London on the same day - 26th August. I am planning to take a day off and collect in person next Friday.

Hi Tintin,
Did you apply for your family or just you? If it's family could let me know whether to take authorisation letter for child as well.

tintin wrote:

jagan wrote:Hi Gidoc,
Most of the people got it in about 5-7 working days. But there was thread on this forum no response for more than 3 weeks. Unfortunately there is no way to track the progress and no one picks the phone at HCI London.

I am planning to take day off and go in person.

gidoc wrote:Jagan,
Same as yours, despatched from Delhi on 30/08.If it is sent by diplomatic bag it will take 3-5 days at least.

I wonder how much time it will take if we sent passport by post to IHC, London, to have OCI affixed, any ideas?

Strangely mine was dispatched from Delhi and received at London on the same day - 26th August. I am planning to take a day off and collect in person next Friday.

Hi Jagan,

I just applied for myself.

You could just take the letter for your wife. I dont taking a letter for a child is of any relevance.

jagan wrote:Hi Tintin,
Did you apply for your family or just you? If it's family could let me know whether to take authorisation letter for child as well.

tintin wrote:

jagan wrote:Hi Gidoc,
Most of the people got it in about 5-7 working days. But there was thread on this forum no response for more than 3 weeks. Unfortunately there is no way to track the progress and no one picks the phone at HCI London.

I am planning to take day off and go in person.

gidoc wrote:Jagan,
Same as yours, despatched from Delhi on 30/08.If it is sent by diplomatic bag it will take 3-5 days at least.

I wonder how much time it will take if we sent passport by post to IHC, London, to have OCI affixed, any ideas?

Strangely mine was dispatched from Delhi and received at London on the same day - 26th August. I am planning to take a day off and collect in person next Friday.

My timeline for OCI is same as Jagan's.
Going in person takes a whole day, so I will send out a special delivery tomorrow, should have it back by this time next week.
I think I need to just send my passport and a print out of the' OCI status enquiry page'

Any one know if a family member with ID and authority letter, can collect OCI?
It does say so for passport services!

I was told that if you take an authorisation letter should do.

I have sent it by post today.

gidoc wrote:Any one know if a family member with ID and authority letter, can collect OCI?
It does say so for passport services!

Thanks, I had thought so.
My son is going to London to apply for Indian visa on Monday and I will ask him to collect my OCI.

I have sent it by post today.

Hi Jagan,

Did just send the passport, online printout and a sepcial delivery envelope?

Yes. passports, online status printout and self addressed SDE.

gidoc wrote:

I have sent it by post today.

Hi Jagan,

Did just send the passport, online printout and a sepcial delivery envelope?

Hi Jagan,

let me know ehen your passport is back, even i might just send it by post, dont feel like wasting a holiday for this work.

jagan wrote:Yes. passports, online status printout and self addressed SDE.

gidoc wrote:

I have sent it by post today.

Hi Jagan,

Did just send the passport, online printout and a sepcial delivery envelope?

I have also sent mine by post

tintin wrote:Hi Jagan,

let me know ehen your passport is back, even i might just send it by post, dont feel like wasting a holiday for this work.

jagan wrote:Yes. passports, online status printout and self addressed SDE.

gidoc wrote:

I have sent it by post today.

Hi Jagan,

Did just send the passport, online printout and a sepcial delivery envelope?

Hi Jagan, Gidoc, Tintin,

i made an application by post to london high commission and submitted the documents by post on 16th august 2011 and documents got acknowledged on 24th august 2011 and followed as follows :

Photo/Signature at Mission : Scanned On 24-AUG-2011
Registration Status at Mission : Granted On 25-AUG-2011
Documents Printing Status PRINTED On 26-AUG-2011
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ): NEW DELHI On 30-AUG-2011
Documents Received at LONDON On 02-SEP-2011

sent a SDE along with Passpost on 3rd sept which was delivered on 5th sept 2011 and today i.e. 7th sept 2011 rcvd passport with the visa and a booklet.

even though i had a spelling error on my surrender cert as they usually do errors and are not bothered at all at the embassy but didnt cause any probles/iusses so i would say HCI london is very efficient and effective and have got a very good staff compared to CGI birmingham as we applied for my wife for OCI at CGI birmingham in person and it took 14 weeks for tke OCI and nearlly 3 weks to get the passport back with the visaa so i would strongly recommende whoever wnats to apply for OCI do so at HCI london as you dont need to send originals as well

All the best everypone

My OCI Timeline:
Sent by special delivery on 15/08/2011.
Received HCI on 16/08/2011
Acknowledged on 24/08/2011
Photos/Signature scanned on 24/08/2011
Granted on 25/08/2011
Printed on 25/08/2011
Dispatched on 30/08/2011
Received at HCI, London on 02/09/2011
Passports sent by post on - 05/09/2011
OCI along with passports received on - 08/09/2011

All done and dusted. All the best for waiting. I am pretty impressed with HCI efficiency...

Hi Tintin,

I got my passports and OCI back 08/09/2011. As you know I had sent them by SD on 05/09/2011(Monday) received by HCI on 06/09/2011 and OCI was with me on 08/09/2011(Thursday). Just took about 4 days.

HCI London is very efficient...

All the best for you..

tintin wrote:Hi Jagan,

let me know ehen your passport is back, even i might just send it by post, dont feel like wasting a holiday for this work.

jagan wrote:Yes. passports, online status printout and self addressed SDE.

gidoc wrote:

I have sent it by post today.

Hi Jagan,

Did just send the passport, online printout and a sepcial delivery envelope?

Well done Guys...one question, can we put office address on Self addressed envelopes, would HCI be ok with this or they need home address only?

Which address did you guys put?

I had put my home address. I think you can put your office address as long as it is not PO box number. To remind you HCI doesn't mention anything about not delivering to work address.

Hope this information is of help.

rnr79 wrote:Well done Guys...one question, can we put office address on Self addressed envelopes, would HCI be ok with this or they need home address only?

Which address did you guys put?

jagan wrote:I had put my home address. I think you can put your office address as long as it is not PO box number. To remind you HCI doesn't mention anything about not delivering to work address.

Hope this information is of help.

rnr79 wrote:Well done Guys...one question, can we put office address on Self addressed envelopes, would HCI be ok with this or they need home address only?

Which address did you guys put?

Thanks Jagan...is there any way to find it out from HCI...would they reply to emails?

I got my passports and OCI back 08/09/2011. As you know I had sent them by SD on 05/09/2011(Monday) received by HCI on 06/09/2011 and OCI was with me on 08/09/2011(Thursday). Just took about 4 days.

HCI London is very efficient...

I sent off mine on Monday 5/9, as well but havent had it today, perhaps it will come tomorrow.
Jagan, I thought you had sent yours on Saturday!

Well done Guys...one question, can we put office address on Self addressed envelopes, would HCI be ok with this or they need home address only?

Which address did you guys put?

Shoudnt be any problem. I always use my office(actually, hospital) address and my secretary signs for all my posts.
I have used it previously for renewing Indian passport, for all my visa renewals with UKBA, for Citizenship and more recently for surrender certificate.
Only IPS had a probem and said they would not like to deliver to an office address, so I changed it to home address and dx secure just dropped it in through the letter box.

gidoc wrote:

Well done Guys...one question, can we put office address on Self addressed envelopes, would HCI be ok with this or they need home address only?

Which address did you guys put?

Shoudnt be any problem. I always use my office(actually, hospital) address and my secretary signs for all my posts.
I have used it previously for renewing Indian passport, for all my visa renewals with UKBA, for Citizenship and more recently for surrender certificate.
Only IPS had a probem and said they would not like to deliver to an office address, so I changed it to home address and dx secure just dropped it in through the letter box.

Thanks gidoc...i applied for surrender certificate today and the lady said office address is ok so i put it there...hope OCI should be ok with this as well...so i guess you put your office address for OCI as well

Yes, SDE has my work address, should come tomorrow. I forgot to note the tracking number.

gidoc wrote:Yes, SDE has my work address, should come tomorrow. I forgot to note the tracking number.

thanks gidoc

Hi Gidoc,
I mailed it on 05/09/11 Monday. Your's would come probably today. I had the tracking reference number. I think it's worth to have tracking reference number. If you have the postoffice receipt of purchasing the special delivery envelops you will have the reference numbers. Any it would arrive soon. All the best.

gidoc wrote:

I got my passports and OCI back 08/09/2011. As you know I had sent them by SD on 05/09/2011(Monday) received by HCI on 06/09/2011 and OCI was with me on 08/09/2011(Thursday). Just took about 4 days.

HCI London is very efficient...

I sent off mine on Monday 5/9, as well but havent had it today, perhaps it will come tomorrow.
Jagan, I thought you had sent yours on Saturday!