Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

[lemess]

waiting 50 days for a glorified visa is essentially pointless unless you're intending to return for a long spell. A PIO card is issued in 2 weeks !
And registration isn't even such a big deal - you just have to do it once and it's just a matter of submitting a form. Personally, even if I wanted to go and live in India for an extended period it would be less hassle to go and register after 6 months ( a few hours work) with a PIO card than go through all this OCI hassle.

[mhunjn]

Although the PIO card seems to be more expensive than the OCI?...
£215 against £165...?...

Less hassle though...

[jaihind]

Although the PIO card seems to be more expensive than the OCI?...
£215 against £165...?...

Less hassle though...

Why pay £215 when you can get something for £165? If waiting time is not of the essence, a OCI is definetely a better option.

And the OCI is absolutely NO hassle. Part A of the form can even be filled on-line after which a Ref. No is issued. Once this form is submitted along with Part B + the fees, everything moves like clockwork after that. Just watch the OCI site daily for the status to be declared as 'Granted'.

The reason for the longer duration is the fact that the OCI application has to go to India and the stickers issued from there, whereas the PIO is adminstered locally. But I certainly think it's the better option as the less you have to deal with govt. offices in India for anything, so much more you can devote your valuable time in India to other things.

[mhunjn]

Quite true...

If waiting time is not of the essence, a OCI is definetely a better option.

[basis]

PIO vs OCI - I think we have beaten this topic to death by now. We have compared it from all angles in previous posts in this thread - benefits, costs, time, hassles.

after all the choice is down to individuals - both the schemes are available and one needs to look at one's current needs, approach and what one thinks is most suitable for one.

I e.g. went for PIO card as it was urgent for me and now am converting PIO to OCI at nominal fees. I found enquiring speeds up the processing at each stage. Whether one needs to do that is one's choice. In my experience even PIO could be speeded up - it all depends on whether and what one needs.

Good luck all in whatever you wish to do !!!

[dabar]

Jaihind,
For the benefit of the board members, can you please post your time-line for OCI?
e.g. Date of application, which embassy (London/B'gham, etc), Date Granted, Date of letter received from HCI, Date when OCI sticker pasted on your passport, etc.

Thanks.

[jaihind]

Jaihind,
For the benefit of the board members, can you please post your time-line for OCI?
e.g. Date of application, which embassy (London/B'gham, etc), Date Granted, Date of letter received from HCI, Date when OCI sticker pasted on your passport, etc.

Thanks.

DoApp: 22 Jan 2006
DoGranting: 9 Feb 2006
No letter recd. from HCI. They phoned me on 11th March to say to come and collect it personally. Went along 3 days later and recd. it.

[dabar]

Jaihind,
Are you sure about the dates?
22 Jan 2006 was on a Sunday and 11th March was on a Saturday.

That gives me an impression that HCI (London?) works on weekends also.
Is that true?

[jaihind]

Jaihind,
Are you sure about the dates?
22 Jan 2006 was on a Sunday and 11th March was on a Saturday.

That gives me an impression that HCI (London?) works on weekends also.
Is that true?

Updates to the website can be done at anytime. The application was sent by post. I recd. a call on the 10th March ... not 11th sorry!

[basis]

Jaihind - When was the application posted ? Because that's more relevant date as you rightly said application on web can be done anytime compared to actually submitting it to the consulate.

[OCI]

jaihind- when you went to collect your OCI did you have to line up and collect the tokens etc or were you able to walk straight in?
thanks

[jaihind]

jaihind- when you went to collect your OCI did you have to line up and collect the tokens etc or were you able to walk straight in?
thanks

You first have to be called or receive a letter from the HCI saying that your OCI is ready for collection. They will usually indicate a day when you should collect it.

Once your get either, all you need to do is head for the Passport/PIO counter, not the Visa counter and tell them that you recd. a phone / letter stating that your OCI is ready for collection. They will then ask you to show your UK passport along with your Indian one. If the Indian one is not cancelled, it will be cancelled at this time. If already cancelled, take along photocopies of the cancelled passport(s). You will also have to surrender your PIO card at this time.

You may then have to wait for about 30 mins (depending upon how nicely you speak to them), before you receive your much awaited OCI visa inside your UK passport. Also a 4 page blueish-grey booklet is issued which is your OCI reg. card.

Best wishes .... make sure you have the pedas ordered in time

[jaihind]

Jaihind - When was the application posted ? Because that's more relevant date as you rightly said application on web can be done anytime compared to actually submitting it to the consulate.

It was posted on 22nd Jan - First Class

[OCI]

nice one jaihind, thanks. i got my granted status recentlyand seeing the current timelines should get my summons mid april. i live an hour and a half away from london and if i have to go to the HCI to collect it and find out that they've run out of the daily quota i'll be very very miffed! So here are a futher 2 questions for you jaihind (if you don't mind) -
1) What time did you getto the HCI to collect your OCI?
2) Were you part of the 15 tokens allowed daily or do you reckon you were over and above the 15 tokens/day.

Basis -
You'd said to try to contact the HCI to expedite the OCI process follow ups help. Well, i had tried to contact them on the phone number (a while ago when i needed to clarify something) and no one ever picked up (I got "extension XXXX is not available"). And FAQ emails via the HCI web site might as well be sent to a black hole for all the response we get!

[mhunjn]

Yes... that is the IHC...

Well, i had tried to contact them on the phone number (a while ago when i needed to clarify something) and no one ever picked up (I got "extension XXXX is not available"). And FAQ emails via the HCI web site might as well be sent to a black hole for all the response we get!

[jaihind]

So here are a futher 2 questions for you jaihind (if you don't mind) -
1) What time did you getto the HCI to collect your OCI?
2) Were you part of the 15 tokens allowed daily or do you reckon you were over and above the 15 tokens/day.

I went at about 9.45am and told them that I've been called to receive my OCI. One of the security at the gate insisted that I receive a token - but I tried to explain that I did not want a visa or to put in my application, only to receive it.
Also I told him that I was called up by the HCI. So eventually he relented.

However my suggestion is to get the contact name of the person who calls you for the OCI visa. It may help to use it as password to get in.

[OCI]

Cheers Jaihind. So typical sarkari office then!! When all fails - browbeat the security guard!! The more things change the more they remain the same!
Ta

[anonymous10]

It is interesting that when you get your OCI card they stamp your foreign passport. They did not do it when I got my PIO card. Does this stamping happen only for OCI?

[basis]

Yes they stamp passport only for OCI and not for PIO. Hence with OCI no need to carry anything else but your foreign passport while travelling.

[lemess]

Yes they stamp passport only for OCI and not for PIO. Hence with OCI no need to carry anything else but your foreign passport while travelling.

Strange as last time I went they stamped my passport even though I had a PIO card.

[basis]

Yes they stamp passport only for OCI and not for PIO. Hence with OCI no need to carry anything else but your foreign passport while travelling.

Strange as last time I went they stamped my passport even though I had a PIO card.

Lemess - Thanks for pointing out the other and perhaps more possible interpretation of what we have written above. What I meant by stamping above and I think the OP also meant was 'Visa Stamping' i.e. sticking the visa sticker in the passport.

For PIO there is only PIO card. No sticker in foreign passport. so no one looking at foreign passport would know that you hold a PIO card for India.

For OCI the OCI sticker is pasted on your foreign passport as any other visa. So just by looking at foreign passport one knows you have OCI card. So as I understand one need not carry OCI Registration booklet when travelling to and from India. Just valid foreign passport with OCI sticker in it should be enough.

In both cases the IO stamps foreign passport on arrival and departure from India.

[basis]

How does OCI look like.....a good note from another board.....I am reproducing below for the benefit of members of this board...for original postings go to http://www.immigrationportal.com/showth ... =131&pp=15

Originally Posted by PIO1
Picked up my OCI!!!!!

So here are some useful notes ...

Time to process
============
Applied in 2004. 16 months later got a note asking for more info. Did a brand new application against the old receipt.
2 weeks after I sent in my app - status was "Under process". About 3 working days later it was "Granted". My OCI is dated one day after the granted date. Another 2 weeks later I got called in to pick it up. So About 1 month from valid application to receipt in hand.

What I got
========
(1) A light blue passport sized card titled Overseas Citizenship of India Registration Certificate. Slightly flimsy in appearance. On the inside (covers) is a professionally printed passport like page that had the data that I had entered in on the web site - Name, DoB, Occupation!, etc. Also had an imbeded printed photo. On the back cover page, my parent's names, my address and my current US passport Nos/place of issue/date of passport issue. The file number is also given as per the web site, but this is not the same as the OCI number. There is a sheet (i.e. 4 pages) in the card that lists the benefits of the OCI card, and a blank page. The first page is stamped and signed by the embassy - the signature was the only handwritten item.
(2) My passport was handed back with a sticker (U-Visa) similar to a normal indian visa, except the title was Overseas Citizenship of India Visa, and it also had the same printed photo as the OCI in color. It was unlimited in duration, not valid for scheduled areas, and signed by the embassy again the only handwritten item - quite nice - better looking than a US visa.

Other than these two I was given nothing else, no letter etc.

NOTES
=====
I did not send the prescribed photo size. As it was not square, it appeared squashed, no problem for me, but my wife was not happy (made her look fat ). I guess it is meant to last a lifetime.

Also if you do the application on line, all the data you type is what gets printed on the card as is - so double check. The advantage is that if you do it online, there is less chance for transcribing errors that others have seen.

Minors thumbprint appears under the photo, otherwise signature (again, digital + printed)

Bit of an anticlimax in the end - no ceremony, - but a long wait that is finally over, so I'm happy!

[basis]

Again for the benefit of those interested......from the same message board as indicated above the detailed page by pade description of what OCI card contains -

I'll leave out the Hindi translations - everything is translated before the english description

Front Cover
=========
Certificate of Registration
Overseas Citizen Of India
[Emblem]
Republic of India

Inside Front Cover (laminated, pre printed)
==============
Certificate of Registration
Overseas Citizen Of India
No. A 005xxx
Digital Color Picture
Digital Scanned Signature
Surname: xxx
Given Name(s): xxx
Nationality: USA
Sex: M
Date of Birth: dd/mm/yyyy
Place of Birth: City Country
Occupation: xxxxx
Place of Issue: Washington DC
Date of Issue dd/mm/yyyy

(2 lines of machine readable passport text like US passport)

Page 1 (insert)
==================
Certificate of Registration
Overseas Citizen Of India

This is to certify that the person whose particulars are given in this Certificate has been registered as an Overseas Citizen of India under the provisions of Section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955.

[Signature, Designation and Seal of embassy rep]
-------------------------
Signature & Seal of issuing authority

Page 2 (insert)
============
Blank except for page no "2"

Page 3 (insert)
===========
REGISTER O.C.I IS ENTITLED TO THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS:
1 Grant of multiple entry, multi-purpose live long visa to visit India;
2 Exemption from registration with FRRO/FRO for any length of stay in India; and
3 Parity with NRIs in economic, financial and educational fields except in matters relating to acquisition of agricultural/plantation properties.

For other information on O.C.I Scheme
Visit MHA's website: www.mha.nic.in


Page 4 (insert)
===========
CAUTION
1 This certificate is the property of the Government of India. Any communication received by the holder from the issuing Authority regarding this certificate including demand for its surrender should be complied with immediately.
2 This certificate must not be altered or mutilated in any way.
3 Loss, theft or destruction of this certificate should be immediately reported to the nearest Indian Mission abroad or to the O.C.I. cell, Citizenship Section, Foreigners Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, Jaisalmer House, Mansingh Road, New Delhi-110011 if, the holder is in India.

Inside back cover (laminated, pre printed)
Name of Father/Legal Guardian
xxxx
Name of Mother
xxxx
Address
[2 Lines + Country]
Passport No.
[US Passport No]
Date of Issue
[of Passport]
Place of Issue
[of Passport]
Visible Distinguishing Mark of OCI Certificate Holder
xxx
File No
[from application]

Back Cover
=========
blank

note - last half of booklet is perferated with the OCI No.

U Visa sticker in passport (Again all labels are translated in Hindi)
=====
VISA
REPUBLIC OF INDIA
VISA FOR OVERSEAS CITIZEN OF INDIA
[Digital color picture]
[Visa no is printed - exactly the same as OCI no except U prefix i.e. U 005xxx]
Type
'U'
Date of issue
dd/mm/yyyy
Validity
LIFELONG
No of Entries
MULTIPLE
Passport No.
[US Passport No]
OCI No.
A005xxx
Special Endorsement
[blank]
Signature of issuing Authority
[Embasy Rep's signature]
Issued at
Washington DC
Not valid for prohibited, restricted and cantonment areas.

(2 lines of machine readable passport text like US passport)

[mhunjn]

Silly question... but does Malaysia come under the OIC or PIO thing?...

[basis]

PIO - Yes.

OCI - No. Since Malaysia does not allow dual citizenship.

Refer - http://www.hcilondon.net/india-in-uk/du ... nship.html

According to the report of the L M Singhvi Committee on the Indian diaspora, in 2001 there were 50 countries with more than 10,000 OIs — including NRIs who are already Indian citizens. These 50 include 12 of the 16 covered by last year’s proposal. Of the remaining 38, 29 don’t allow dual citizenship, which means OIs in these countries don’t benefit from Friday’s announcement. This includes all of West Asia, with a sizable Indian population besides Fiji, Malaysia and Singapore.