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Documents applicable in case of fresh application of a person
who previously held Indian passport and later acquired
foreign citizenship by way of naturalization/registration:
ADULT (Applicants of or above the age of 18 years):
S. No.
Document
1.
Duly signed OCI Application Form in original. The application may be
submitted online on the Government of India’s official website
https://ociservices.gov.in and physical copy of the OCI application needs to
be submitted with supporting documents. Please read the following carefully:
If you are applying for OCI card for the first time and you never held
PIO card, kindly apply for new OCI registration.
If you are already an OCI Cardholder, kindly use OCI Miscellaneous
Services.
If you are a PIO Cardholder, kindly register through OCI Registration
(In Lieu Of Valid PIO-Card).
If you are a PIO Cardholder and card is in lost state, kindly register
through OCI Registration (In Lieu Of Lost PIO-Card).
To reprint your already registered application, kindly use 'Re-Print
Submitted Application' service.
In case of urgent travel, applicants may apply for appropriate visa.
2.
Photograph & Signature: For detailed specifications - please click here
The physical photo must be affixed on the physical application form
and the digital photo must be uploaded on the OCI form online.
Physical and uploaded photograph must be identical.
The digital signature must also be uploaded online on the OCI portal
(only in blue or black ink). Uploaded signature must match with the
signature on the physical application form and passport.
3.
Copy of current valid passport with validity of minimum 6 months at the time
of submission of application. Information page of the passport should be duly
signed at the designated space. The document must be self-attested.
4.
Copy of last held Indian passport (first 2 and last 2 pages). If copy of Indian
passport is not available, copies of the documents submitted for obtaining
Renunciation/Surrender Certificate. The document must be self-attested.
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5.
Copy of Naturalization Certificate (the document must be self-attested).: The
naturalization certificate should be duly signed at the designated space. If the
applicant has acquired naturalization through parents and the applicant
doesn’t possess separate naturalization certificate, a notarized affidavit
signed by both parents may be submitted along with copies of their
naturalization certificates (Click here for the formant).
6.
Copy of Renunciation Certificate / Surrender Certificate, if Indian passport
was surrendered after 31 May 2010. If Indian passport was surrendered on
or before 31 May 2010, copy of canceled Indian Passport with a stamp stating
the passport is canceled on acquiring US/Foreign citizenship. If Indian
citizenship was renounced on the basis of documents other than Indian
passport (in case of unavailability of Indian passport), copy of Deemed
Renunciation/Surrender Certificate may be submitted. The document must be self-
attested.
7.
PROOF OF LEGAL STATUS IN THE USA (IF HOLDING NON-USA PASSPORT)
(The document must be self-attested).
Please submit any one of the following documents:
Copy of valid Green Card Front and Back, OR
Copy of valid EAD Front and Back, OR
Copy of valid long-term US visa, OR
In case visa extension is pending, I-797A Approval Notice / I-797C
Receipt Notice along with recently expired visa may be submitted.
8.
Proof of Marital Status (Married/Divorced/Widow) (the document must be self-
attested):
Copy of the marriage certificate, if married.
Copy of the divorce decree, if divorced. If re-married, include a copy
of the marriage certificate.
Copy of the Death certificate, if spouse is deceased.
If proof of marital status is not available, a notarized affidavit may
be submitted, thereby confirming the marital status and indicating
the reasons of non-availability of requisite certificate.
9.
Name Change Document issued by the local court or a duly notarized
affidavit regarding change in name, if the current legal name as per current
foreign passport is different from the name given in the last held Indian
passport. Previous name as per last held Indian passport must invariably be
mentioned in the OCI application, failing which the OCI application is liable to
be rejected. To be more specific, previous name must be mentioned even in
case of minor variation, including variation of a single letter. The following
examples may help:
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Example 1: If a person’s name as per last held Indian passport is TRIPTA
TIWARI and the name as per foreign passport is TRIPTA TYAGI (surname
changed after marriage), previous name as per last held Indian passport
must be mentioned as TRIPTA TIWARI in the relevant column of the online
OCI application.
Example 2: If a person’s name as per last held Indian passport is HARISH
CHANDER GUPTA and the name as per foreign passport is HARISH C.
GUPTA, previous name as per last held Indian passport must be
mentioned as HARISH CHANDER GUPTA in the relevant column of the
online OCI application.
Example 3: If a person’s name as per last held Indian passport is
GIRDHAR PRAKASH and the name as per foreign passport is GIRIDHAR
PRAKASH (one more ‘i’ in the first name), previous name as per last held
Indian passport must be mentioned as GIRDHAR PRAKASH in the
relevant column of the online OCI application.
Example 4: If a person’s name as per last held Indian passport is CHARU
LATA and the name as per foreign passport is LATA CHARU, previous
name as per last held Indian passport must be mentioned as CHARU
LATA in the relevant column of the online OCI application.
Example 5: If a person’s name as per last held Indian passport is
GHANSHYAMBHAI PATEL and the name as per foreign passport is
GHANSHYAM PATEL, previous name as per last held Indian passport
must be mentioned as GHANSHYAMBHAI PATEL in the relevant column
of the online OCI application.
Note: Date of birth in the current foreign passport must match with the
date of birth mentioned in the last held Indian passport. Mismatch is not
acceptable and the application is liable to be rejected.
10.
Copy of Employment / Work Letter (the document must be self-attested):
If applicant is employed, a letter from the employer describing job
profile of the applicant may be provided.
If applicant is self-employed / doing business, some documentary
proof of self-employment/business may be provided.
If applicant is retired, some documentary proof regarding retirement
and details of the last employer may be provided.
If applicant is a student, some documentary proof, e.g. admission
letter, may be provided.
If applicant has never been employed/self-employed, a written
statement may be submitted.
11.
Copies of OCI cards issued to parents and spouse, if ever obtained and
available (The document must be self-attested).
12.
Copy of Indian visa, if ever obtained and available (The document must be self-
attested).
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13.
Proof of address (the document must be self-attested): Proof of address must
match with the present address as per application. Copy of any one of the
following documents may be provided as proof of address:
State issued Identity Card, OR
Driving license, OR
Utility bill water / gas / electricity / telephone (Latest one, not more
than 3 month old), OR
Valid Lease Agreement, OR
Mortgage, OR
Income Tax Return, OR
For college/university students living in university
housing/dormitories, a letter from the institution on official
letterhead giving details of the applicant’s present address, OR
In case of applicant residing with parents / children / relatives, a
notarized undertaking from them with any copy of address proof as
indicated above.
Note:
Expired documents like lease/driving license are not acceptable as
valid proof of address.
PO Box number is not acceptable as valid proof of address.
Copy of Driver’s License should not be cut down to smaller size.
14.
Proof of native address for non-US nationals living in the USA (the
document must be self-attested): Non-US nationals residing in the USA on a valid
long-term visa should submit address proof of their home country. In the
absence of address proof, a notarized statement must be provided giving
details of native address.
Applicants having dual nationality should submit proofs of native address of
both the countries.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If any supporting document is in a foreign language
other than English, it should be translated in English by authorized translator.
15.
Affidavit in lieu of originals: A notarized affidavit needs to be submitted that
the documents in support of the OCI application are true copies of the original
documents, where only copies are being provided (Click here for the format).
16.
Undertaking by the OCI applicant (Click here for the format).
17.
Consent Letter, authorizing Indian Embassy/Consulate to make necessary
corrections on observing errors in the OCI application (Click here for the
format).
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ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Note: Consent letter is just for the sake of facilitating an OCI applicant to avoid
delay in processing the OCI application and it is not an assurance to edit the
OCI application completely. The responsibility lies primarily with the applicant
to fill in correct details in the OCI application. Also that some details as per
the OCI application are not editable subsequently. In some cases, the OCI
application with errors is liable to be rejected and may be returned to the
applicant for submitting fresh OCI application with correct details.
18.
Fee Receipt:
Application confirmation letter/payment confirmation is mandatory.
Complete the process online on VFS India Consular Application
Centre’s website to get the application confirmation letter/payment
confirmation.
Don’t forget to enclose the application confirmation receipt. If
paying by Money Order or Banker’s Check, it should be made in
favor of “VFS Services (USA) Inc.” PERSONAL CHECKS ARE
NOT ACCEPTABLE. Please ensure to update the correct details
of the instrument (Money Order / Banker’s Check).
Don’t punch dummy information. Incorrect information may lead to
rejection of your application.
To complete registration on VFS Portal, (Click here to proceed).
Documents in support of the OCI application must be uploaded online. The
supporting documents (maximum size 1000kb) to be uploaded broadly fall under the
following categories:
(i)
Address proof
(ii)
Current passport
(iii)
Current Indian passport of parents / grandparents / great grandparents / spouse
(iv)
Marriage Certificate
(v)
Spouse passport
(vi)
Joint declaration of subsisting of marriage
(vii)
OCI Card
(viii)
Indian origin proof
(ix)
Indian visa
(x)
PIO card
(xi)
Spouse OCI card
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COMMON MISTAKES IN OCI APPLICATIONS RESULTING IN REJECTION
(xii)
Relationship certificate
(xiii)
Previous Indian passport of self
(xiv)
Previous Indian passport of parents / grandparents / great grandparents /
spouse
(xv)
OCI card of parents / grandparents / great grandparents / spouse
(xvi)
Nativity certificate of self / parents / grandparents / great grandparents / spouse
(xvii)
Domicile certificate of self / parents / grandparents / great grand parents
(xviii)
Naturalization certificate of the applicant’s current citizenship
(xix)
Renunciation certificate of Indian citizenship
(xx)
Employment / work letter
(xxi)
Legal status of parents (in case of minor applicants)
(xxii)
Parental authorization (in case of minor applicants)
2. All the supporting documents, including those which may not be uploaded under
broad categories, must be submitted with the application form as per the checklist.
3. Indian Embassy / Consulate reserves the right to ask for additional documents for
processing the OCI application. Embassy/Consulate is under no obligation to inform
reasons, if the OCI application is rejected and the decision of the Embassy/Consulate will
be final.
1. Poor quality of uploaded photo / signature. Please ensure to upload good quality
photo and signature as per prescribed specifications.
2. All supporting documents not uploaded online.
3. Incorrect passport number / date of issue of passport
4. Incorrect name / place of birth / date of birth
5. Full names of parents / spouse not mentioned or not matching with their current
legal names.
6. Marital status / spouse name not mentioned.
7. Incorrect contact numbers and email address.
8. Part-B of OCI application not signed / Part-B (Minor Child) not signed by any of
the parents
9. Previous name not mentioned (if there is change of name, kindly mention the
same in relevant column of the application and provide supporting documents).
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USEFUL TIPS FOR FILLING OCI APPLICATION ONLINE
10. Incomplete postal address (please provide complete address ZIP code in the
application).
11. Proof of native address not provided (proof of native address must be provided if
application is being submitted in a country of residence other than home country).
1. Please ensure that you have all the supporting documents in pdf and
photo/signature in JPEG format as per specifications before starting online
application.
2. Fill all the details in the application very carefully and exactly as per documents.
Please ensure that all the details like full names, date of birth, place of birth are
exactly as per current passport. Please note that the date of birth, if different
from the one mentioned in the last held Indian passport, is not acceptable.
3. Upload all the supporting documents under their correct category / equivalent
category (e.g. Birth Certificate can be uploaded under Relationship category). If
you are unable to find suitable category to upload the document, please upload all
the remaining documents (including any legal document) under current passport
category along with current passport. MOST IMPORTANT IS TO UPLOAD ALL
THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS.
4. Kindly check all the details of the OCI application once printed. In case
photo/signature and documents are not uploaded properly, these can be
uploaded easily by selecting appropriate option (Re-upload image/upload/re-
upload documents) available on the website.
Please note that the file reference number required to re-upload
photo/signature/documents is written vertically on left side and also below the bar
code at the bottom of first page of application form submitted online.
5. In case any information is wrong, please fill the form again.