After British citizenship OCI vs Tourist Visa

[kumar84]

Dear Members,

We ( Myself along with India born child) will be applying for British Passport next week after my ceremony. If all goes well I should receive the passport by Mid February

We intent to travel by March/April 2022.

Can you kindly advice what would the best options : OCI or to apply for tourist visa ?

Am I correct after the ceremony, I can't use Indian passport for travel and have to surrender my Indian Passport.

What if I need to travel in emergency?

Can I start the process of OCI along when I submit my British passport?
What are the steps , documents requirements for applying for OCI

Thanks in advance.
Kumar

[dontringthebell]

Dear Members,

We ( Myself along with India born child) will be applying for British Passport next week after my ceremony. If all goes well I should receive the passport by Mid February

We intent to travel by March/April 2022.

Can you kindly advice what would the best options : OCI or to apply for tourist visa ? OCI is way better, with Pandemic even better, tourist visa can be suspended, visitor travel can be refused/barred. However in order to obtain OCI (40 days roughly https://services.vfsglobal.com/gbr/en/i ... i-services) you need surrender certificate (10 days roughly https://visa.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/in ... n-passport), further there is long wait time for appointments (https://www.hcilondon.gov.in/appointment_home/).

In the long run too, one can travel in and out of the country as many times one wishes, unlike tourist visa.

Am I correct after the ceremony, I can't use Indian passport for travel and have to surrender my Indian Passport. You can use Indian passport for upto 3 months from date of naturalisation (https://eoi.gov.in/eoisearch/MyPrint.ph ... 20passport. ). However you cannot travel once you have acquired British passport.

What if I need to travel in emergency? refer options above

Can I start the process of OCI along when I submit my British passport? No you require surrender certificate to apply for OCI

What are the steps , documents requirements for applying for OCI refer to links above

Thanks in advance.
Kumar

IMHO, if it's not urgent try to get paperwork sorted (Surrender Certificate & OCI) and then travel, if urgent, surrender your passports, get an e-visa (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html) & travel. With Pandemic travel is a chore and it can become really stressful with sudden changes/amendments. Also, the cost keeps going up over a period of time.

[dontringthebell]

I just checked and Canada & UK are not their to some issues between governments https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tra ... 669630.cms
Might get back in sometime. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/ apply regular paper visa here.

[ps1234]

Just for reference. I had my Citizenship ceremony in Late November 2021. Getting the british passport and your Indian passport back (from HMPO - you will need to send in your Indian PP and Naturalisation certificate for UK passport) overall takes approximately 4-6 weeks. Then you need to surrender your Indian passport. Surrender certificate arrives in 1 week.

It is only after you surrender your Indian passport and with a surrender certificate, that you can apply for an OCI or a tourist visa. OCI takes atleast 1 month to arrive, sometimes 1.5-2 months. So please back-calculate.

I did the calculation for myself (Late Nov Ceremony to attending wedding in India in Mid Feb) and decided to first apply for a tourist visa and then apply for OCI after returning from India. Even with a tourist visa, it is getting close because HMPO moves at a glacial pace and is completely black-boxed.

[ps1234]

Also, e-visas for UK nationals completely suspended for now (bonkers, but part of a larger trade strategy negotiation bw UK and India) so you have to take the paper visa route for now. There is no idea when e-visas will be reopened for UK nationals.

[kumar84]

Thanks very much. Really appreciate your help.

[Prem]

In the same boat, wife just received Surrender Certificate, travelling as a family to India for a month, in early April. We have an OCI appointment on 25th Jan, but the processing time is varied, so looking at getting Paper Visa just to be sure. As previously stated the rules are changing quite quickly, and then apply for OCI when there is no pressure when we get back.

We will be in India for 28 days, the paper tourist visa is for 1 month/30 days, just wondering when they issue the data of the visa. Date of arrival or date of issue.

[kumar84]

Hi Prem,

'Paper Visa' Do we need to get appointment from VFS for this? did you manage to get appointment. I see appointments are full till 1 March 2022

Dear Members ,

In https://ociservices.gov.in/ it states that ,

Foreign nationals cannot apply for OCI in India while on Tourist Visa, Missionary Visa and Mountaineering Visa. Moreover, the foreigner has to be ordinarily resident of India to be eligible to apply for OCI registration in India.

Note: 'ordinarily resident' will mean a person staying in a particular country or in India for a continuous period of 6 months.



That means we could apply from India if we stay for more than 6 months.

Is this still valid ? https://eoi.gov.in/eoisearch/MyPrint.php?0834?001/0005

Scenario :
Passport not surrendered up to threeyears and travelled once after obtainingforeign passport.

Penalty :
No penalty for retention of passport but penalty of Rs. 10,000/-for travel on Indian passport

So this means we could not surrender Indian Passport till 3 years and travel but pay penalty of Rs.10,000/

So ideally if one travels and stays for more than 6 months (without OCI, VISA ) he can apply OCI from India ?

[Prem]

You can travel up-to 3 months on your Indian Passport, that's the grace period:

"A grace period of three months is allowed from the date of acquisition of
foreign citizenship, for the purpose of travel on an Indian Passport. Therefore, no
penalty will be leviable for travel on an Indian passport within three months of
acquisition of a foreign passport"

Yes you do, we booked Paper Visa applications for end of Feb as well, but worried about the issue date of the visa, but i did see a printed message at the centre: "As per mission guidelines a single entry Tourist Visa is valid for a stay up to 30 days which will have to be utilized within a period of 120 days from the date of issue. The Visa will be issued on a gratis basis for a limited time once to each applicant.

Which centre did you look at Goswell and Hounslow have plenty of appointments available for Paper Visa.

[kumar84]

Thanks. I was checking for Passport Surrender and OCI .

Now understand that for different service they have different availability

Do you know if we need to take along our kids below 4 years to VFS appointment for Passport Surrender and OCI?

If I can submit on there behalf I can travel to outside London for appointment.

Thanks,
Kumar

[Prem]

I don't believe so, for family applications (OCI/Surrender/Visa) they were asking for 1 member of the family only to enter at the VFS. If your wife also needs the same then might be wise taking a letter stating that she authorises you on her behalf. I read somewhere that sometimes they ask for it sometimes they do not. But the kids should be ok.

Whats strange is you can only add 2 extras on your appointment, but i guess that's what they allow.

[kumar84]

Dear @Prem, All

Thanks for your response.


Its only myself along with 2 kids who are going to apply surrender/apply for OCI. Wife is on ILR.

Can you confirm what all documents are required for
1. surrender of passport : Original passport, photocopies of passport
2. OCI


For Child do we have a format/form for declaration from other parent?

Do I book appointments via https://portal3.passportindia.gov.in/Online/index.html or https://www.hcilondon.gov.in/ ?

And I read we could get prepaid priority envelopes for return of documents instead of buy their costly service ?

[bookerw100]

Dear @Prem, All

Thanks for your response.


Its only myself along with 2 kids who are going to apply surrender/apply for OCI. Wife is on ILR.

Can you confirm what all documents are required for
1. surrender of passport : Original passport, photocopies of passport
2. OCI


For Child do we have a format/form for declaration from other parent?

Do I book appointments via https://portal3.passportindia.gov.in/Online/index.html or https://www.hcilondon.gov.in/ ?

And I read we could get prepaid priority envelopes for return of documents instead of buy their costly service ?

I applied for OCI earlier in the week, they took the photocopies of following:
Current passport (original +photocopy) , naturalisation certificate
Surrendered Indian passport, Surrender certificate (original +photocopy)
Letter from employer, payslip
Marriage certificate
Address proof
Photo x 1

Yes you can submit 2X prepaid signed for envelopes or they charge £15 per envelope.

I used this for appointment
https://www.hcilondon.gov.in/appointment_home/

[bookerw100]

Dear Members,

We ( Myself along with India born child) will be applying for British Passport next week after my ceremony. If all goes well I should receive the passport by Mid February

We intent to travel by March/April 2022.

Can you kindly advice what would the best options : OCI or to apply for tourist visa ? OCI is way better, with Pandemic even better, tourist visa can be suspended, visitor travel can be refused/barred. However in order to obtain OCI (40 days roughly https://services.vfsglobal.com/gbr/en/i ... i-services) you need surrender certificate (10 days roughly https://visa.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/in ... n-passport), further there is long wait time for appointments (https://www.hcilondon.gov.in/appointment_home/).

In the long run too, one can travel in and out of the country as many times one wishes, unlike tourist visa.

Am I correct after the ceremony, I can't use Indian passport for travel and have to surrender my Indian Passport. You can use Indian passport for upto 3 months from date of naturalisation (https://eoi.gov.in/eoisearch/MyPrint.ph ... 20passport. ). However you cannot travel once you have acquired British passport.

What if I need to travel in emergency? refer options above

Can I start the process of OCI along when I submit my British passport? No you require surrender certificate to apply for OCI

What are the steps , documents requirements for applying for OCI refer to links above

Thanks in advance.
Kumar

IMHO, if it's not urgent try to get paperwork sorted (Surrender Certificate & OCI) and then travel, if urgent, surrender your passports, get an e-visa (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html) & travel. With Pandemic travel is a chore and it can become really stressful with sudden changes/amendments. Also, the cost keeps going up over a period of time.

Note, British citizens are not eligible for e-visa , it has to be an appointment. Not sure of the logic behind it but thats what it is at the moment

[kumar84]

Dear bookerw100 ,

Thanks for your response.

Address Proof: Does not the UK passport have the address? Can't we use that as Address proof?

Sorry you mean 2 prepaid A4 Envelopes ?

I checked with PO today and there special Delivery Envelopes are plastic covers and the documents would get folded and mishandled.

Am I correct that I can weight all the documents beforehand and pay for the stamp next day delivery ?

Thanks

[CR001]

Address Proof: Does not the UK passport have the address? Can't we use that as Address proof?

They do not come printed with your address at all. You likely need other official address proof, not the passport which you would write the address yourself and can be anything.

[bookerw100]

Dear bookerw100 ,

Thanks for your response.

Address Proof: Does not the UK passport have the address? Can't we use that as Address proof? - Nope, address is not mentioned on a British passport, use your drivers license or a utility bill

Sorry you mean 2 prepaid A4 Envelopes ? No I mean those grey special delivery envelopes you get from PO. Yes there is a chance documents would get folded, that's why I chose to pay the extra and get it from VFS on the day of the appointment - they provide a cardboard based envelope where papers are not folded.

I checked with PO today and there special Delivery Envelopes are plastic covers and the documents would get folded and mishandled.

Am I correct that I can weight all the documents beforehand and pay for the stamp next day delivery ?

Thanks

[kumar84]

Thanks CR001. Indian passports have these details and thought if there was a mismatch it would be a problem.
But as you said British passport does not have these details so I think I am good.

Address Proof: Does not the UK passport have the address? Can't we use that as Address proof?

They do not come printed with your address at all. You likely need other official address proof, not the passport which you would write the address yourself and can be anything.

[kumar84]

Thanks bookerw100 .

Dear bookerw100 ,

Thanks for your response.

Address Proof: Does not the UK passport have the address? Can't we use that as Address proof? - Nope, address is not mentioned on a British passport, use your drivers license or a utility bill

Sorry you mean 2 prepaid A4 Envelopes ? No I mean those grey special delivery envelopes you get from PO. Yes there is a chance documents would get folded, that's why I chose to pay the extra and get it from VFS on the day of the appointment - they provide a cardboard based envelope where papers are not folded.

I checked with PO today and there special Delivery Envelopes are plastic covers and the documents would get folded and mishandled.

Am I correct that I can weight all the documents beforehand and pay for the stamp next day delivery ?

Thanks

[secret.simon]

Note, British citizens are not eligible for e-visa , it has to be an appointment. Not sure of the logic behind it but thats what it is at the moment

I read somewhere a while ago, but I can't recall where that the Indian government is attempting to reciprocate the UK's tough conditions for Indian visitors to the UK.

I could be wrong of course, but I think that such an approach only hurts newly naturalised former Indian citizens, who likely make up the bulk of travellers from the UK to India.

[bookerw100]

Note, British citizens are not eligible for e-visa , it has to be an appointment. Not sure of the logic behind it but thats what it is at the moment

I read somewhere a while ago, but I can't recall where that the Indian government is attempting to reciprocate the UK's tough conditions for Indian visitors to the UK.

I could be wrong of course, but I think that such an approach only hurts newly naturalised former Indian citizens, who likely make up the bulk of travellers from the UK to India.

Tell me about it bro, it is very frustrating as previously you could apply online and it was so easy. One good thing though, it forced me to finally apply for my OCI

[kumar84]

Dear Members,
When booking for Passport Surrender/OCI Appointment

it asks for Passport Number Am I correct we need to enter the Indian Passport details.

when booking appointment I can add myself (Adult) as 'Name of first family Member' and the main member Name as my childs Name?

And when attending it will only be me who would be attending.

Does a gap of 10 days between Passport Surrender and OCI appointments okay ?

Thanks