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Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Please post country topics not listed elsewhere.

Moderators: Casa, push, JAJ, ca.funke, Amber, zimba, vinny, Obie, EUsmileWEallsmile, batleykhan, meself2, geriatrix, John, ChetanOjha, archigabe, Administrator

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ban.s
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Posts: 1981
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 9:21 pm
Location: The Big Smoke

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by ban.s » Thu Jan 16, 2014 10:24 am

VR wrote: In a way its good. When you do a cost benefit analysis of going there to collect with the process they had in place, people were losing an entire days earnings(Billing) plus having to spend 40 quid to get there by train or fuel for the car.
cheers
vr
..that's probably a relative view and may not be applicable to everyone. also postal collection option was available in the past. there was no compultion to collect in person especially if it had negative impact on someone's life/earning.

VR
Senior Member
Posts: 688
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:34 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by VR » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:17 am

ban.s,

I would have preffered to go over and collect in person and be done with it. Rather than risk my passport by post and sit and pray that either the HCI or the Royal Mail do not goof up. I am booked to fly out of the country and am hoping that such a nightmare does not happen. Else I will land up at HCI and like the tiger attacks in India you will soon hear a two legged one killed a few at HCI. :lol:

I just mentioned it for those who are firmly entrenched here the postal option has its advantages. For instance a diabetic op need not brave the elements and spend a whole day there , braving the elements in order to get his passport back.Every method has its own pros and cons.
cheers
vr

ban.s
Moderator
Posts: 1981
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 9:21 pm
Location: The Big Smoke

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by ban.s » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:21 am

I am sure you'll receive the passport and OCI soon. Good luck with your US trip.

VR
Senior Member
Posts: 688
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:34 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by VR » Thu Jan 16, 2014 1:28 pm

Thanks and God Bless all of You. This forum and the people contributing on it are ''Heroes''. Once I find my feet, I will connect up and post useful info for folks wanting to move to the US and everything required for a smooth transition there.
cheers
vr

rpm_ctbt
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Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2014 4:02 pm

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by rpm_ctbt » Thu Jan 16, 2014 10:36 pm

Thanks to the forum posters. I got very useful advice at various stages of my application. My OCI journey as follows:
Postal application for 2 adults + 1 child sent to HCI London- 29 Nov 2013
File Acknowledgment Number- GBRxxx
Date Of Acknowledgment- 05-DEC-2013
Registration Status at Mission- LONDON
OCI Number- xxxx
Documents Printing Status PROCESSED On 31-DEC-2013
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) NEW DELHI On 02-JAN-2014
Document received At LONDON On 06-JAN-2014
Foreign passports sent to HCI London - 07-JAN-2014
Stamped Passport and OCI Regn Cards received from HCI London- 16-JAN-2014.

Note- 1 self-addressed Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope suffices even for a family application of three. HCI sent all 6 booklets back to me in that envelope. The return package weighs about 200-250g, so put appropriate stamps.

Thanks again and best wishes to all forum members.
Regards,
RPM

VR
Senior Member
Posts: 688
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:34 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by VR » Sat Jan 18, 2014 10:18 am

Folks,

My OCI journey was completed today in a record time touch wood. I am breathing freely.Pretty Efficient.In 4 days flat the Passport was returned with the OCI stamped and booklet.
My time line
In person application at HCI London
Date of Application : 16-DEC-2013
Date Of Acknowledgment : 16-DEC-2013
Documents Printing Status : 08-JAN-2014
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) : 10-JAN-2014
Document received At LONDON :13-JAN-2014
PP sent by Royal Mail to HCI : 14-JAN-2014
PP returned by HCI : 18-Jan-2014

Total Time Taken Start to Finish : 34 days

All the best my fellow Journeymen and women!!
cheers
vr

ITGraduate
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Posts: 358
Joined: Wed May 20, 2009 11:41 am
Location: West Midlands

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by ITGraduate » Sun Jan 19, 2014 6:22 pm

Dear Experts/Seniors,

Has anyone posted their british passport to Birmingham Embassy for getting the OCI stamped

I know people have posted to HCI ( embassy in london ) but havent found anyone who posted to Birmingham embassy

Please let me know if I can post my passport to Birmingham and If I should post it to 220 Augusta St, Birmingham, West Midlands B18 6JL

Sincerely

VR
Senior Member
Posts: 688
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:34 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by VR » Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:08 pm

Hi,

If you applied in Birmingham you either collect in person or by post. Birmingham serves the following;

Consular Jurisdiction: This consulate serves the following 23 counties in England: Cheshire, Cleveland, Cumbria , Derbyshire, Durham, Humberside, Isle of Man, Isle of Scilly, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Manchester, Merseyside, Midlands(West), Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire , Straffordshire, Tyne& Wear, Warwickshire, Yorkshire (North), Yorkshire (South), Yorkshire(West).

Their website only says the following on collection;
Once the status shows that OCI is granted and documents are back at Birmingham, the applicant has to submit British passports, acknowledgement receipts and the online status enquiry (PIO if any) in the consulate (For the miscellaneous applications old passport and old OCI have to be submitted as well).Submission time of the documents is between 9.30 am to 12 noon. After 5 working days from the submission day, OCI and passports are ready to collect and the collection time is between 3pm to 4.30pm.

Logically not everyone would be living close by to collect in person or to submit documents in person. Yes the address is correct. You should be fine. Send by Recorded delivery and include a special delivery self addressed envelop for return of your documents.
cheers
vr

VR
Senior Member
Posts: 688
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:34 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by VR » Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:11 pm

ITgraduate,

check this
http://www.immigrationboards.com/other- ... am#p957942

There is a number in the above link. Call and find out for more peace of mind if you must!! :D
cheers
vr

PS: Your are not the first person to apply to Birmingham By Post :D

a4aneel
Newly Registered
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:54 pm

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by a4aneel » Wed Jan 22, 2014 12:12 pm

Hello guys,

Please could someone answer to the following question if they have faced similar situation :

Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) NEW DELHI On 15-JAN-2014
Document received At BIRMINGHAM On ------ not yet received.

It has been a week today, where as my wife's and daughter documents received at Birmingham within 2 days posting from Delhi .... is it normal to wait for a week for documents to receive at Indian consulate in Birmingham ?

I appreciate any responses.

Cheers,
Anil

ociaapplicant2014
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:50 pm

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by ociaapplicant2014 » Wed Jan 22, 2014 4:03 pm

Hello, have been reading these boards for a while, really hope someone can help with my query!

My situation:

-I am about to apply for my OCI card via post
-I was naturalized as a UK citizen in September 2013, and received my UK passport shortly thereafter
-I have received a surrender certificate for my Indian passport
-I was born in Kenya to Indian passport-holding parents, and have held an Indian passport for 20+ years (before surrendering it this month)

My Query:
-Do I need to submit a copy of my birth certificate, issued at the time of my birth by Kenyan authorities?
-Do I need to send my original birth certificate? (this document is in English, and specifies my parent's Indian nationalities)
-Do I need to send my original (cancelled) Indian passport, which I surrendered this month to VfS?

Thanks very much for all your help!

cpcg
Newbie
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:02 pm

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by cpcg » Wed Jan 22, 2014 6:18 pm

a4aneel wrote:Hello guys,

Please could someone answer to the following question if they have faced similar situation :

Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) NEW DELHI On 15-JAN-2014
Document received At BIRMINGHAM On ------ not yet received.

It has been a week today, where as my wife's and daughter documents received at Birmingham within 2 days posting from Delhi .... is it normal to wait for a week for documents to receive at Indian consulate in Birmingham ?

I appreciate any responses.

Cheers,
Anil

Check the status now!!!! you should notice the result you were looking for.

cpcg
Newbie
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:02 pm

Re: OCI applied in person at CGI Birmingham

Post by cpcg » Wed Jan 22, 2014 6:29 pm

Applied for OCI at CGI Birmingham in person for whole family (2+2) - 12/12/13
Date of acknowledgement: 12/12/2013
Application processed on: 15/01/2014
Application dispatched from Delhi: 17/01/2014
Received in Birmingham on: 22/01/2014
Submit passports in person at Birmingham consulate: 23/01/2014
Have been asked to collect stamped passport and OCI card on: 31/01/2014

From naturalization application to OCI timeline: 14/09/2013 to 31/01/2014 = 141 days or approximately 4.5 months
Last edited by cpcg on Mon Jan 27, 2014 11:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

forbc123
Member
Posts: 155
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:14 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by forbc123 » Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:58 am

In person application at HCI London (Adult + Minor)
Date of Application : 20-DEC-2013
Date Of Acknowledgment : 20-DEC-2013
Documents Printing Status : 15-Jan-2014
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) : 17-Jan-14
Document received At London : 20-Jan-14
Documents Sent for OCI Collection (Special Delivery Royal Mail) - 21-Jan-14
Documents Received from HCI : TBC

cpcg
Newbie
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:02 pm

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by cpcg » Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:59 pm

ITGraduate wrote:Dear Experts/Seniors,

Has anyone posted their british passport to Birmingham Embassy for getting the OCI stamped

I know people have posted to HCI ( embassy in london ) but havent found anyone who posted to Birmingham embassy

Please let me know if I can post my passport to Birmingham and If I should post it to 220 Augusta St, Birmingham, West Midlands B18 6JL

Sincerely
yes. thats fine. Acknowledgement, online status print, your passport, OCI/PIO if you had any before.
If you provide self adressed royalmail special delivery, they can post it for you which take 10-15 days.
I submitted mine today and have been asked to collect on 31st of Jan.
Good luck
Thanks

haniffa.s
Newbie
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 2:37 pm

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by haniffa.s » Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:44 am

In person application at HCI London (Adult + Minor)
Date of Application : 24-OCT-2013
Date Of Acknowledgment : 24-OCT-2013
Documents Printing Status : 22-NOV-2013
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) : 09-DEC-2013
Document received At London : 17-DEC-2013

Due to travel could not collect it on December.

Documents Sent for OCI Collection (Special Delivery Royal Mail) - 17-Jan-14
Documents Received from HCI : 24-Jan-14

forbc123
Member
Posts: 155
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:14 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by forbc123 » Sat Jan 25, 2014 10:00 am

In person application at HCI London (Adult + Minor)
Date of Application : 20-DEC-2013
Date Of Acknowledgment : 20-DEC-2013
Documents Printing Status : 15-Jan-2014
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) : 17-Jan-14
Document received At London : 20-Jan-14
Documents Sent for OCI Collection (Special Delivery Royal Mail) - 21-Jan-14
Documents Received from HCI : 25-Jan-14

Thanks VR for your instant guidance and friendly updates this made by journey smooth

thirdlioness
Newly Registered
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 11:59 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by thirdlioness » Sat Jan 25, 2014 11:58 am

Hi, I have a few doubts. Hoping somebody can shed some light.

I will be applying for OCI (for myself) and PIO (for my husband). Can both the applications be submitted together? Or do I have to wait till I get my OCI and then apply for his PIO?

I am based in Northern Ireland (UK), can I use the Embassy of India in Dublin or does it have to be a UK HCI or CGI?

I would appreciate your replies. Thank you.

anonimouse
Newly Registered
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:53 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by anonimouse » Sat Jan 25, 2014 12:14 pm

forbc123 wrote: Documents Sent for OCI Collection (Special Delivery Royal Mail) - 21-Jan-14
Documents Received from HCI : 25-Jan-14
I have noticed that everyone has this status in their posts, is it something that appears online or you have added it for helping people like me? By the way, I do appreciate the information either way.

Also, another question: when I go to the post office - what do I ask for in terms of the self-addressed Special Delivery envelope? I checked the Royal Mail website and it is pretty vague! I assume that taking into account the passport + the booklet to be returned will suffice in terms of the postage?

EDIT: I found the C5 Prepaid SD envelope (9 x 6.4in) @£6.95 and weight limit of 500g. I assume this will be ok?

forbc123
Member
Posts: 155
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:14 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by forbc123 » Sat Jan 25, 2014 9:57 pm

Hi anonimouse,

I've learned about this posting thing for collection only through VR's post and then went to HCI London website and it is clearly written not to come in person for collection postal is only way

Coming to special delivery thing

When you post your documents, Include your UK Passport, Online Status (print from HCI website), this can be only done when status shows documents received in London, include self addressed special delivery envelope

In post office: they will check the weight and then take payment for the special delivery by next day 1 pm

Coming to self addressed special delivery envelope: it costs £6.95 (upto 500 gms allowed), please don't forget to make a note of ZI number tracking number of this one just to track it when HCI sends out the delivery to you

Hope it all answers your queries, all the best.

ociaapplicant2014
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:50 pm

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by ociaapplicant2014 » Sun Jan 26, 2014 2:43 pm

Dear experts,

would really appreciate any advice on the below, as am quite confused about the best steps!

thanks in advance
ociaapplicant2014 wrote:Hello, have been reading these boards for a while, really hope someone can help with my query!

My situation:

-I am about to apply for my OCI card via post
-I was naturalized as a UK citizen in September 2013, and received my UK passport shortly thereafter
-I have received a surrender certificate for my Indian passport
-I was born in Kenya to Indian passport-holding parents, and have held an Indian passport for 20+ years (before surrendering it this month)

My Query:
-Do I need to submit a copy of my birth certificate, issued at the time of my birth by Kenyan authorities?
-Do I need to send my original birth certificate? (this document is in English, and specifies my parent's Indian nationalities)
-Do I need to send my original (cancelled) Indian passport, which I surrendered this month to VfS?

Thanks very much for all your help!

rpm_ctbt
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2014 4:02 pm

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by rpm_ctbt » Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:30 pm

Hi anonimouse,
Royal mail charges £6.95 for a Special Delivery envelope weighing upto 500g. You send out your British passport(s) and the Online status report (showing docs received in HCI). What HCI send back to you is your British passport with a OCI visa stamped on it and a passport-like OCI registration booklet of 5 pages.
In my case, 3 British passports and 3 OCI booklets together weighed about 300g. So the £6.95 postage is ample. Of course note the Tracking number.

Regards,
RPM

anonimouse
Newly Registered
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:53 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by anonimouse » Mon Jan 27, 2014 1:42 pm

Thanks forbc123 and rpm_ctbt.

I sent my brother's and my passport via SD today and enclosed the prepaid envelope + the confirmation. The total weight came to around 92g and total cost of £13.17 - if anyone wants know. Now crossing my fingers and wait...

forbc123
Member
Posts: 155
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:14 am

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by forbc123 » Mon Jan 27, 2014 8:46 pm

ociaapplicant2014 wrote:Dear experts,

would really appreciate any advice on the below, as am quite confused about the best steps!

thanks in advance
ociaapplicant2014 wrote:Hello, have been reading these boards for a while, really hope someone can help with my query!

My situation:

-I am about to apply for my OCI card via post
-I was naturalized as a UK citizen in September 2013, and received my UK passport shortly thereafter
-I have received a surrender certificate for my Indian passport
-I was born in Kenya to Indian passport-holding parents, and have held an Indian passport for 20+ years (before surrendering it this month)

My Query:
-Do I need to submit a copy of my birth certificate, issued at the time of my birth by Kenyan authorities?
-Do I need to send my original birth certificate? (this document is in English, and specifies my parent's Indian nationalities)
-Do I need to send my original (cancelled) Indian passport, which I surrendered this month to VfS?

Thanks very much for all your help!

Hi there,

Firstly make sureb you got checklist as mentioned in the HCI website
Secondly. what is confusion about all this?
you have show them your original surrender certificate - you got it
you need not send them cancelled passport - your surrender certificate is proof of cancellation

I was not asked for certificate of birth when i went to apply in person for OCI, but few people were asked in other counter and some were asked to get parents marriage certificate etc...this was specific to one 1 guy and i really do not know further deteails

If you think your OCI application process is not very clear in your case - my suggestion is why not you go to HCI London in person and if you don't face any problem it is a job well done. If you are asked just in case it is important for you to know why they asked you for documents

or

you can also apply by post - HCI should contact you in case they need additional information

Either ways you can get job done - upto you really

rambler
Newly Registered
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2009 5:59 pm

Re: Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

Post by rambler » Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:01 pm

I am about to apply for OCI card for my 6 month old son who is British (by birth).
I am British (by naturalisation) and already have an OCI card. My wife is Indian.
Could some one please tell me which documents do I need to submit with my son's application form?

I intend to submit the following -
1 My son's birth certificate.
2 Photocopy of my son's passport (main page)
3. My original surrender certificate.
4 Photocopy of my passport's main page.

Do i need to submit my wife's Indian passport as well?

The Indian High Commission website mentions that the tokens are issued from 10am to 12:30 pm and that the applications are accepted from 10:30. if I go there in person, what time should i be there by to collect the token?
Does any


Thanks.
Rajeev

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