British Passport for child born in India to British parents
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 12:18 am
My wife and I are naturalised British Citizens and recently had a child who was born in India. I'm posting my entire experience as I've greatly benefitted from this forum.
Firstly, I was incredibly anxious going into the whole application process given the official guideline from HMPO in terms of timelines is currently "upto 16 weeks" and this forum is full of stories of people waiting for much longer than that for the passport to arrive. I suspect there might be a negativity bias going on here as people who have had a more positive experience probably haven't had a reason to post.
NOTE: I have detailed my entire experience below, so please refrain from asking followup questions or advice on your personal situation. I will not be able to comment.
Timelines
Child Born: 12.12.24
Birth notification to FRRO by email: 15.12.24
Pasport Application submitted at VFS Delhi: 24.12.24
Application received at HMPO Liverpool: 27.12.24
Application fee deducted: 30.12.24
Request for additional documentation: 07.01.25
Additional documents submitted at VFS Delhi: 09.01.25
Request to book identity interview: 27.01.25
Identiy interview via video call: 30.01.25
Application approved: 20.02.25
Passport Collection email from VFS: 28.02.2025
Passport Collected: 03.03.2025
Indian FRRO New Entry Visa Application Submitted: 03.03.2025
Request to visit FRRO Delhi with original documents: 06.03.2025
Visit to FRRO: 11.03.2025
Entry Visa received (via email): 27.03.2025
Birth Notification to FRRO
1. You need to email your local FRRO office within 14 days of birth notifying them of the birth of the child.
2. Attach the hospital's discharge summary along with parents' Passport and OCI/Visa copies. You don't need to wait for the official birth certificate.
3. If you don't do this, you will be fined when you apply for the Indian visa.
What options do I have to take the child back to the UK?
1. If both parents are British Citizens, your only option is to apply directly for a British Passport for the child and deal with potentially lengthy timelines. Once you receive the passport, you need to apply for an Indian Visa.
2. If at least one parent is Indian, an alternative route is to apply for an Indian Passport first, and then apply for an ROA-COE. Then apply for a British Passport from the UK. This route is faster (4-6 weeks in total), but more expensive and more paperwork because at some point before the child is 18 you will need to also surrender the Indian citizenship if you wish for the child to remain British.
British Passport Application Steps
1. Apply using the paper form OS 010 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... rm_010.pdf). You can apply using either parent's details. Doesn't have to be the mother. The parent who has applied as per the form is the one who will be called for an interview.
2. Book an appointment at your local VFS office to submit your application. Either parent can go - doesn't have to be the one who has signed the application form. The child doesn't need to be taken.
3. Carry all Originals and 1 copy of all documents. The VFS staff will verify all copies against originals and stamp them. For e-docs such as UK bank statements etc. where you just print the doc and there's no "original" per-se, you just need a printed copy (these will not be certified by VFS but that's okay). They will then courier the entire set of documents to HMPO Liverpool and provide a DHL tracking number. This number only lets you track that the file has reached HMPO.
4. You are not given an official appplication reference number at this point which will enable you to track the status of your application. You will need to call the passport advice line (https://www.gov.uk/passport-advice-line) for this each time you want a status update. You'll need to jump through the options to speak to someone to start with - then they should be able to give a reference number that you can use for subseqent calls for the automated tracking (still via phone). Alternatively, if HMPO contacts with prior for additional documents, they will have the rerference in their communication. The updates you get aren't very detailed though - simply something like "we're looking into it", or eventually the much anticipated "passport has been printed". They can't and won't tell you how much more time things will take except the offical SLA of 16 weeks.
5. If during the process, you're asked for additional documents, you will receive an email from the case worker. You will need to go back to VFS to submit the additional documents in a similar manner to the original application. You typically don't need to take an appointment at VFS for this.
6. At some point, you will receive a request to book an identity interview via video call. We received a phone call from HMPO to book the interview, and the received a confirmation email.
7. Identity interview is a whole bunch of very detailed personal questions. Nothing you need to prep for as such, but generally know your history in the UK. They didn't need the child to be present. They didn't need you to have any documents with you during the interview.
8. Once your passport has been printed and couriered, you will receive an email from VFS to pick it up. If someone other than the person who signed the application form goes to pick it up, they will need an autorisation letter with the signature of the applicant.
Documents Submitted
The documents we submitted were based on our personal situation. There is general guidance available in terms of the documents officially required which mostly relate to proving your identity and address in India/UK.
Application Forms and Photos
1. Application Fee Payment Form
2. Application Form OS 010
3. Cover letter explaining our circumstances and why we give birth in India
Child
4. 2x Photos (one of them with the referee's declaration and signature at the back)
5. Birth certificate
Mother
6. Adhaar Card
7. PAN Card
8. India Driving License
9. India NRO Bank Statement
10. UK Passport
11. OCI
12. UK Naturalisation Certificate
13. UK Driving License
14. MAT1B Certificate (from NHS GP)
15. P60 / Payslips from UK employer
16. UK Bank Statement
17. All Antenatal Records including ultrasound (Our initial ones were from NHS and the rest from India)
18. All Birth Records (Hospital discharge summary, child's vaccination card, any other paperwork from hospital like Paedriatician visit etc. We had not provided the vaccination card and that's what the additional document request was for)
Father
19. PAN Card
20. India Driving License
21. India NRO Bank Statement
22. UK Passport
23. OCI
24. UK Naturalisation Certificate
25. UK Driving License
26. P60 / Payslips from UK employer
27. UK Bank Statement
Other
28. UK Mortgage statement
29. UK Electricity bill
30. Marriage Certificate
31. Family Photos (Parents pre-birth showing pregnant mum, and few post birth with child on different days until the application date. Need minimum 10 pictures, collated on an A4 sheet with 3-4 pictures on each sheet)
32. Referee's passport copy (Referee can be British, Irish, EU, US or Commonwealth passport)
Identity Interview
The questions asked as listed in other forums, but generally lots of personal questions around our circumstances, life in the UK etc. Some particularly interesting ones were:
1. Describe the area in which you live in the UK
2. What route do you take to work?
3. How many train stops from your local station to your office?
4. What was your manager's name at you previous employer?
5. Which company did you partner work in when they first came to the UK?
My sense was they want to make sure you're a real person and who you say you are. Eg. some details are hard to remember - my partner didn't know the number of stops to her work and that's okay (who does??).
India Entry Visa
1. Apply for India Entry Visa (New Visa -> Entry Visa -> Category X1) from the FRRO eServices site and upload all required documents.
2.
3. You may get contacted by an official from the FRRO to visit them and show original documents (I had to do this)
4. In a few days, you will get a separate email/sms asking you to pay the visa fee (+ penalty if applicable) online.
5. Visa will be received via email.
Documents Submitted
1. Child Birth Certificate
2. Child Passport
3. Child Photo
4. Parents Passport
5. Parents OCI
6. Parents India Entry Stamps
7. Letter from my father confirm we're staying with him while in India
8. Electricity Bill in father's name
9. Copy of initial email sent to FRRO notifying of child's birth (Do not forget to upload this, otherwise you will be fined for overstay. I had forgotten, and was asked to pay a fine. I did manage to successfully get the fine waived after emailing them my proof of notification but it was all an unnecessary headache.)
This whole process is supposed to take about 2 weeks, but mine took longer as I was determined to get them to waive the unjustified penalty they wanted me to pay.
So here we are now, our son's British Passport and Indian Visa in hand, and flight tickets booked to finally return to the UK.
Hope this is helpful. All the best.
Firstly, I was incredibly anxious going into the whole application process given the official guideline from HMPO in terms of timelines is currently "upto 16 weeks" and this forum is full of stories of people waiting for much longer than that for the passport to arrive. I suspect there might be a negativity bias going on here as people who have had a more positive experience probably haven't had a reason to post.
NOTE: I have detailed my entire experience below, so please refrain from asking followup questions or advice on your personal situation. I will not be able to comment.
Timelines
Child Born: 12.12.24
Birth notification to FRRO by email: 15.12.24
Pasport Application submitted at VFS Delhi: 24.12.24
Application received at HMPO Liverpool: 27.12.24
Application fee deducted: 30.12.24
Request for additional documentation: 07.01.25
Additional documents submitted at VFS Delhi: 09.01.25
Request to book identity interview: 27.01.25
Identiy interview via video call: 30.01.25
Application approved: 20.02.25
Passport Collection email from VFS: 28.02.2025
Passport Collected: 03.03.2025
Indian FRRO New Entry Visa Application Submitted: 03.03.2025
Request to visit FRRO Delhi with original documents: 06.03.2025
Visit to FRRO: 11.03.2025
Entry Visa received (via email): 27.03.2025
Birth Notification to FRRO
1. You need to email your local FRRO office within 14 days of birth notifying them of the birth of the child.
2. Attach the hospital's discharge summary along with parents' Passport and OCI/Visa copies. You don't need to wait for the official birth certificate.
3. If you don't do this, you will be fined when you apply for the Indian visa.
What options do I have to take the child back to the UK?
1. If both parents are British Citizens, your only option is to apply directly for a British Passport for the child and deal with potentially lengthy timelines. Once you receive the passport, you need to apply for an Indian Visa.
2. If at least one parent is Indian, an alternative route is to apply for an Indian Passport first, and then apply for an ROA-COE. Then apply for a British Passport from the UK. This route is faster (4-6 weeks in total), but more expensive and more paperwork because at some point before the child is 18 you will need to also surrender the Indian citizenship if you wish for the child to remain British.
British Passport Application Steps
1. Apply using the paper form OS 010 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... rm_010.pdf). You can apply using either parent's details. Doesn't have to be the mother. The parent who has applied as per the form is the one who will be called for an interview.
2. Book an appointment at your local VFS office to submit your application. Either parent can go - doesn't have to be the one who has signed the application form. The child doesn't need to be taken.
3. Carry all Originals and 1 copy of all documents. The VFS staff will verify all copies against originals and stamp them. For e-docs such as UK bank statements etc. where you just print the doc and there's no "original" per-se, you just need a printed copy (these will not be certified by VFS but that's okay). They will then courier the entire set of documents to HMPO Liverpool and provide a DHL tracking number. This number only lets you track that the file has reached HMPO.
4. You are not given an official appplication reference number at this point which will enable you to track the status of your application. You will need to call the passport advice line (https://www.gov.uk/passport-advice-line) for this each time you want a status update. You'll need to jump through the options to speak to someone to start with - then they should be able to give a reference number that you can use for subseqent calls for the automated tracking (still via phone). Alternatively, if HMPO contacts with prior for additional documents, they will have the rerference in their communication. The updates you get aren't very detailed though - simply something like "we're looking into it", or eventually the much anticipated "passport has been printed". They can't and won't tell you how much more time things will take except the offical SLA of 16 weeks.
5. If during the process, you're asked for additional documents, you will receive an email from the case worker. You will need to go back to VFS to submit the additional documents in a similar manner to the original application. You typically don't need to take an appointment at VFS for this.
6. At some point, you will receive a request to book an identity interview via video call. We received a phone call from HMPO to book the interview, and the received a confirmation email.
7. Identity interview is a whole bunch of very detailed personal questions. Nothing you need to prep for as such, but generally know your history in the UK. They didn't need the child to be present. They didn't need you to have any documents with you during the interview.
8. Once your passport has been printed and couriered, you will receive an email from VFS to pick it up. If someone other than the person who signed the application form goes to pick it up, they will need an autorisation letter with the signature of the applicant.
Documents Submitted
The documents we submitted were based on our personal situation. There is general guidance available in terms of the documents officially required which mostly relate to proving your identity and address in India/UK.
Application Forms and Photos
1. Application Fee Payment Form
2. Application Form OS 010
3. Cover letter explaining our circumstances and why we give birth in India
Child
4. 2x Photos (one of them with the referee's declaration and signature at the back)
5. Birth certificate
Mother
6. Adhaar Card
7. PAN Card
8. India Driving License
9. India NRO Bank Statement
10. UK Passport
11. OCI
12. UK Naturalisation Certificate
13. UK Driving License
14. MAT1B Certificate (from NHS GP)
15. P60 / Payslips from UK employer
16. UK Bank Statement
17. All Antenatal Records including ultrasound (Our initial ones were from NHS and the rest from India)
18. All Birth Records (Hospital discharge summary, child's vaccination card, any other paperwork from hospital like Paedriatician visit etc. We had not provided the vaccination card and that's what the additional document request was for)
Father
19. PAN Card
20. India Driving License
21. India NRO Bank Statement
22. UK Passport
23. OCI
24. UK Naturalisation Certificate
25. UK Driving License
26. P60 / Payslips from UK employer
27. UK Bank Statement
Other
28. UK Mortgage statement
29. UK Electricity bill
30. Marriage Certificate
31. Family Photos (Parents pre-birth showing pregnant mum, and few post birth with child on different days until the application date. Need minimum 10 pictures, collated on an A4 sheet with 3-4 pictures on each sheet)
32. Referee's passport copy (Referee can be British, Irish, EU, US or Commonwealth passport)
Identity Interview
The questions asked as listed in other forums, but generally lots of personal questions around our circumstances, life in the UK etc. Some particularly interesting ones were:
1. Describe the area in which you live in the UK
2. What route do you take to work?
3. How many train stops from your local station to your office?
4. What was your manager's name at you previous employer?
5. Which company did you partner work in when they first came to the UK?
My sense was they want to make sure you're a real person and who you say you are. Eg. some details are hard to remember - my partner didn't know the number of stops to her work and that's okay (who does??).
India Entry Visa
1. Apply for India Entry Visa (New Visa -> Entry Visa -> Category X1) from the FRRO eServices site and upload all required documents.
2.
3. You may get contacted by an official from the FRRO to visit them and show original documents (I had to do this)
4. In a few days, you will get a separate email/sms asking you to pay the visa fee (+ penalty if applicable) online.
5. Visa will be received via email.
Documents Submitted
1. Child Birth Certificate
2. Child Passport
3. Child Photo
4. Parents Passport
5. Parents OCI
6. Parents India Entry Stamps
7. Letter from my father confirm we're staying with him while in India
8. Electricity Bill in father's name
9. Copy of initial email sent to FRRO notifying of child's birth (Do not forget to upload this, otherwise you will be fined for overstay. I had forgotten, and was asked to pay a fine. I did manage to successfully get the fine waived after emailing them my proof of notification but it was all an unnecessary headache.)
This whole process is supposed to take about 2 weeks, but mine took longer as I was determined to get them to waive the unjustified penalty they wanted me to pay.
So here we are now, our son's British Passport and Indian Visa in hand, and flight tickets booked to finally return to the UK.
Hope this is helpful. All the best.