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.