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OCI IN LIEU OF PIO (MINOR) HOUSTON EXPERIENCE
All
Thought I will let you all know the experience I went through recently to obtain OCI in lieu of PIO for my minor children. To begin with let me assure you that the experience was relatively painless.
The advertized system works if you follow guidelines to the dot. My experience below is from August through November. Your situation may require additional documentation, all of this is on CKGS website. I want to just try to explain you what I went through so if you have any doubts this may help you. Again refer to consulate/CKGS website for a final advise!
First and foremost, the timeline expectation: You should give roughly two and half to three months time for the entire process to complete end to end. It is more close to two months and a week than three months but safe to assume that it will take 3 months max. Also I assume that you have done the renunciation etc earlier.
Guideline on the consulate of India website strongly recommends that existing PIO card holders to get the OCI as soon as possible. As of today the deadline for this is extended to March 2016. Here are things I did and what worked
Step 1. Application
You need to go to Government of India website and complete the application for OCI in lieu of PIO. This step is pretty straight forward. Once your complete the online application, print it. You only need to submit ONE copy of the application. As mentioned in instructions if your minor child can sign his/her name then he/she should do so in PART A of the application below the photograph. Parents need to sign on the PART B. On Part B, line 38 is where things may get confusing. Line 38 has two areas for details, the first will probably be filled by adults. Just below that section is where lines are for ** Application for minors ** where parents are to declare that they are applying for their children. We filled both items, and when signing on first paragraph of line 38 we specifically mentioned (FATHER) and (MOTHER). Always keep in mind that minors are to sign ONLY on PART A and parents sign on PART B.
A general rule, if you are married then when signing, BOTH parents need to sign. It is also beneficial to mention (FATHER) and (MOTHER) below signature.
Photographs:
You need to fix one photograph on PART A. I glued the photograph. Also I sent additional photograph in a zip-lock bag with application. Not sure if they used it or not but I had spare photograph anyway. Photographs are normal US passport photographs.
Documents:
Here is where you need a lot of patience. You will need to submit almost every imaginable document. Most of you have already gone through some processing with Consulate of India in US so you know the drill. Luckily, these are not required to be sent in duplicate. Essentially copies of passport, PIO Card, drivers license, children’s birth certificate, marriage certificate and renunciation details, your old Indian passports are pretty much mandatory. DO NOT be frustrated with this. Unfortunately these will be required for anything and everything you apply with consulate of India. My jurisdiction was consulate of India in Houston so they require color copies of documents. I sent color copies of passport, PIO, birth certificate etc. Essentially anything I could make color copy, I did.
Notary: This is another thing to be careful with. Main application form is certainly required to be notarized, website is little unclear about what else needs to be notarized. Here is what I got notarized
1. Main Application
2. Parental Authorization Form
3. Passport copies (parent and children)
4. PIO copies of children, OCI copies us (parent's OCI)
For all remaining copies we did self attestation. Essentially you write “This is a true copy of original” and both parents sign.
Fee
Once you gather all required documents and copies, go to the CKGS website, select appropriate option and pay for the application via credit card. As of now, the cost is $20.60 per application (online). After you pay for the application, save the copy of receipt. This receipt is required in last stage of application. Not exactly … but its part of “required documentation” for last stage. I will explain this later when we get to that stage.
Preparation and Submission
Now that you have gathered all required documentation, go to CKGS website and print one copy of “Checklist”. This is really insane but just hang in there. This checklist is 8 page long and you are required to submit 2 copies of it if you are going to submit the application in person and one copy if you are mailing it by post/courier. This is why it makes more sense to submit your application by mail. Check mark against each of the items if you are submitting or not. There may be items that you are not submitting, in this case write “Not Applicable” next to it. In the check list there will be column for return courier etc. Just mention that you will pay for it at the matchup step. Arrange all the documents in exact order mentioned in the checklist. Place your main application form on top and rest of the documents in the order mentioned in the checklist. Put all of this in large envelope. Mention the address on the envelope for example
CKGS Application Center
OCI DEPARTMENT / OCI IN LIEU OF PIO
ADDRESS OF YOUR CKGS Center
If you have more than one application, prepare one envelop like above with one application and documentation set per application. You must submit each application with its own set of documentation.
When ready, you should have following “Forms”
-OCI Application
-Parent Authorization Form
-Additional Particulars form for your jurisdiction
-CKGS Disclaimer form
And you should have copies (notarized as required) for passports, PIO etc.
You can submit all applications via single FedEx envelope or package. As long as you have your application complete in all respect you should be ok. Remember at this stage you are not sending any originals. Your situation may require additional documentation, all of this is on CKGS website. Since you are not sending any original its perfectly ok to mail your application. I sent my application by FedEx. I used the cheapest possible FedEx rate still it reached CKGS within a day or two.
Important Note on Tracking.
When you fist register your application on Government of India OCI website, it gives you the USA YYYY registration number. Now, if you go to the OCI tracking website, you will NOT get any results till CKGS sends application to Consulate.
Once you submit the application via courier to CKGS, usually within two days, you get email(s) one per application acknowledging that your application was received. As a matter of fact you will get email from CKGS when each milestone is complete in the process. This is a good thing. If you don’t get this email after two working days then you may need to call their call center or drop them email but usually this should not happen. CKGS will enter your application details in their tracking system. They will go through all documentation you sent and if everything is in order, they will forward that application to local consulate/embassy.
Once the consulate receives the application they will process it and that’s when the status on Government of India OCI tracking website will be visible. I guess staff in consulate probably does enter some data in system to activate your application.
At this point your step 1 (or first stage) of application is complete. There is nothing for you to do for next month or so unless the consulate or Government of India asks you for additional details.
After about month and half or so the status on Govt. of India OCI tracking site will tell you if the application has been processed and OCI cards have been printed. Within one week after that Govt. of India will send printed cards to your local Consulate/Embassy. Once the consulate receives the cards, again OCI tracking website will inform you about the date. This also triggers status update on CKGS website. CKGS will send you an email after a day or so letting you know that your OCI cards have arrived and you will need to proceed with second step of the process.
Step 2. OCI-Passport Matchup process
Once you get confirmation that your OCI cards have arrived in consulate and you get email from CKGS, go to CKGS website and download the Match Up Request form. I don’t think there is any other additional documentation required. Complete the match up request form. Have both parents sign in. It does not need to be notarized. You will need to send children’s original US passport and PIO card with this form to CKGS.
This is where you have to make a decision if you want to collect the documents in person from CKGS location or have CKGS send them to you via courier. Lets say you want to get the documents via FedEx. To do this, you go to CKGS website and go to section of website for courier service. When you click on relevant sections, finally you will end up on a web page which will ask you for your application number, address etc. Now, this is important. On this page you have two sections for courier, one for “sending” the documents to CKGS and one for “Receiving” documents from CKGS. They charge $15 per section per application. So for one application if you select to use their FedEx service to send and receive, you will pay $30 per application. In most of the cases (like mine I had two application). You will not want to avail the service to “send” the documents to them so “uncheck” that section by selecting “Non Required” and selecting only the return part. In my case I sent both packets in one FedEx envelop by using cheapest option available. I live in greater Houston area so I chose to go to CKGS center and pickup documents in person. On the CKGS form for matchup there is NO OPTION that allows you to select “Pick up in Person”, you will see only “Postal” or “Courier”. On that form I wrote “WILL PICKUP DOCUMENTS IN PERSON”. If you are outside the commute area of your CKGS location you will probably have no choice but to ask for FedEx return. So you will spend $15 per application. They will send each document set back in its own courier. There is no way getting around that. CKGS mentions that they will dispatch documents only to the registered address of the application. In courier section you are required to fill in address. I do not believe anyone would want to take chance with that so make your that the address there and address in your application match. If you avail the return courier service, CKGS tells you to NOT print the label. CKGS will do that when they are ready to send documents back. You will need to send copy of this FedEx receipt to them. If not then you may want to call them to find your options. Again, just like step 1, prepare one envelop per application. In address mention “OCI Department, OCI MATCHUP” so that CKGS know what the application is for. You DO NOT have to send any original passports etc for parents. ONLY the applicant’s (in this case your children’s) US passports and PIO card is required.
Once your passports and PIO cards reach CKGS, you will get email from CKGS. CKGS will then send documents to Consulate/Embassy. You will get note/email about this as well and the status on CKGS tracking site will change. In my case it took consulate of Houston about one week to complete the matchup process. Right after that you will get another email from CKGS stating that your documents have been received back from consulate and are ready for pick up. Since I did not opt for FedEx mail back, I do not really have any feedback for that. Next I decided to go to CKGS location in downtown Houston to pickup the documents.
CKGS location in Houston and Document Pickup
As I said my application was in Houston so this experience below may not be relevant to you if you are not in Houston jurisdiction but more or less it should be same. CKGS location in downtown Houston is at the corner of Texas and Main. The document pickup hours are between 4PM and 6PM. The email you get for pickup asks you to bring two things with you
1. Valid Photo ID (drivers license etc)
2. Receipt of payment. This is why earlier I said save the copy of receipt when you pay for application! This serves another purpose which I will explain shortly.
I carried the payment receipt, copy of CKGS email and printout from CKGS tracking site along with my license. At the time of pickup CKGS did not ask for any of these documents but carrying them proved to be good.
When you walk into CKGS Houston office on fifth floor of Binz building in Houston, there is a kiosk at the entrance. At this kiosk you take a number and also pick up a blank “document pickup” form. You will need to fill this form while you wait your turn. You can use one form to pick up to 5 application documents. This form requires you to enter your tracking number and passport number. Now that you do not have possession of passports, you can use the payment receipt you bought with you to get this information. This is why carrying the receipt proved to be good. Once your number is called, proceed to the counter, present your ID and collect the documents. You will get your US passport, cancelled PIO booklet and new OCI card booklet. Please note that there is no more “U” visa sticker on your US passport. OCI booklet will have the line “life long visa” written on it. Make sure all vital information is correct.
At the CKGS fascility in Houston, while I was awaiting for my number to be called, I observed following:
They do have copy machines available but cost if one dollar per page (ouch!!!)
They also have a computer terminal for you to print documents from USB drive or from internet (again $1 per page).
They also have photo booth for passport photos (about $15 per set of 2 photos)
They have soda vending machine.
On the same floor I noticed an office of lawyer next to CKGS office with “NOTARY PUBLIC” sign prominently visible so I guess you can go there for your notary needs.
All in all this is how my children’s OCI application went. Hope this helps. As always don’t just go with what I have to say. CKGS rules and policies should be your final guidelines.
All
Thought I will let you all know the experience I went through recently to obtain OCI in lieu of PIO for my minor children. To begin with let me assure you that the experience was relatively painless.
The advertized system works if you follow guidelines to the dot. My experience below is from August through November. Your situation may require additional documentation, all of this is on CKGS website. I want to just try to explain you what I went through so if you have any doubts this may help you. Again refer to consulate/CKGS website for a final advise!
First and foremost, the timeline expectation: You should give roughly two and half to three months time for the entire process to complete end to end. It is more close to two months and a week than three months but safe to assume that it will take 3 months max. Also I assume that you have done the renunciation etc earlier.
Guideline on the consulate of India website strongly recommends that existing PIO card holders to get the OCI as soon as possible. As of today the deadline for this is extended to March 2016. Here are things I did and what worked
Step 1. Application
You need to go to Government of India website and complete the application for OCI in lieu of PIO. This step is pretty straight forward. Once your complete the online application, print it. You only need to submit ONE copy of the application. As mentioned in instructions if your minor child can sign his/her name then he/she should do so in PART A of the application below the photograph. Parents need to sign on the PART B. On Part B, line 38 is where things may get confusing. Line 38 has two areas for details, the first will probably be filled by adults. Just below that section is where lines are for ** Application for minors ** where parents are to declare that they are applying for their children. We filled both items, and when signing on first paragraph of line 38 we specifically mentioned (FATHER) and (MOTHER). Always keep in mind that minors are to sign ONLY on PART A and parents sign on PART B.
A general rule, if you are married then when signing, BOTH parents need to sign. It is also beneficial to mention (FATHER) and (MOTHER) below signature.
Photographs:
You need to fix one photograph on PART A. I glued the photograph. Also I sent additional photograph in a zip-lock bag with application. Not sure if they used it or not but I had spare photograph anyway. Photographs are normal US passport photographs.
Documents:
Here is where you need a lot of patience. You will need to submit almost every imaginable document. Most of you have already gone through some processing with Consulate of India in US so you know the drill. Luckily, these are not required to be sent in duplicate. Essentially copies of passport, PIO Card, drivers license, children’s birth certificate, marriage certificate and renunciation details, your old Indian passports are pretty much mandatory. DO NOT be frustrated with this. Unfortunately these will be required for anything and everything you apply with consulate of India. My jurisdiction was consulate of India in Houston so they require color copies of documents. I sent color copies of passport, PIO, birth certificate etc. Essentially anything I could make color copy, I did.
Notary: This is another thing to be careful with. Main application form is certainly required to be notarized, website is little unclear about what else needs to be notarized. Here is what I got notarized
1. Main Application
2. Parental Authorization Form
3. Passport copies (parent and children)
4. PIO copies of children, OCI copies us (parent's OCI)
For all remaining copies we did self attestation. Essentially you write “This is a true copy of original” and both parents sign.
Fee
Once you gather all required documents and copies, go to the CKGS website, select appropriate option and pay for the application via credit card. As of now, the cost is $20.60 per application (online). After you pay for the application, save the copy of receipt. This receipt is required in last stage of application. Not exactly … but its part of “required documentation” for last stage. I will explain this later when we get to that stage.
Preparation and Submission
Now that you have gathered all required documentation, go to CKGS website and print one copy of “Checklist”. This is really insane but just hang in there. This checklist is 8 page long and you are required to submit 2 copies of it if you are going to submit the application in person and one copy if you are mailing it by post/courier. This is why it makes more sense to submit your application by mail. Check mark against each of the items if you are submitting or not. There may be items that you are not submitting, in this case write “Not Applicable” next to it. In the check list there will be column for return courier etc. Just mention that you will pay for it at the matchup step. Arrange all the documents in exact order mentioned in the checklist. Place your main application form on top and rest of the documents in the order mentioned in the checklist. Put all of this in large envelope. Mention the address on the envelope for example
CKGS Application Center
OCI DEPARTMENT / OCI IN LIEU OF PIO
ADDRESS OF YOUR CKGS Center
If you have more than one application, prepare one envelop like above with one application and documentation set per application. You must submit each application with its own set of documentation.
When ready, you should have following “Forms”
-OCI Application
-Parent Authorization Form
-Additional Particulars form for your jurisdiction
-CKGS Disclaimer form
And you should have copies (notarized as required) for passports, PIO etc.
You can submit all applications via single FedEx envelope or package. As long as you have your application complete in all respect you should be ok. Remember at this stage you are not sending any originals. Your situation may require additional documentation, all of this is on CKGS website. Since you are not sending any original its perfectly ok to mail your application. I sent my application by FedEx. I used the cheapest possible FedEx rate still it reached CKGS within a day or two.
Important Note on Tracking.
When you fist register your application on Government of India OCI website, it gives you the USA YYYY registration number. Now, if you go to the OCI tracking website, you will NOT get any results till CKGS sends application to Consulate.
Once you submit the application via courier to CKGS, usually within two days, you get email(s) one per application acknowledging that your application was received. As a matter of fact you will get email from CKGS when each milestone is complete in the process. This is a good thing. If you don’t get this email after two working days then you may need to call their call center or drop them email but usually this should not happen. CKGS will enter your application details in their tracking system. They will go through all documentation you sent and if everything is in order, they will forward that application to local consulate/embassy.
Once the consulate receives the application they will process it and that’s when the status on Government of India OCI tracking website will be visible. I guess staff in consulate probably does enter some data in system to activate your application.
At this point your step 1 (or first stage) of application is complete. There is nothing for you to do for next month or so unless the consulate or Government of India asks you for additional details.
After about month and half or so the status on Govt. of India OCI tracking site will tell you if the application has been processed and OCI cards have been printed. Within one week after that Govt. of India will send printed cards to your local Consulate/Embassy. Once the consulate receives the cards, again OCI tracking website will inform you about the date. This also triggers status update on CKGS website. CKGS will send you an email after a day or so letting you know that your OCI cards have arrived and you will need to proceed with second step of the process.
Step 2. OCI-Passport Matchup process
Once you get confirmation that your OCI cards have arrived in consulate and you get email from CKGS, go to CKGS website and download the Match Up Request form. I don’t think there is any other additional documentation required. Complete the match up request form. Have both parents sign in. It does not need to be notarized. You will need to send children’s original US passport and PIO card with this form to CKGS.
This is where you have to make a decision if you want to collect the documents in person from CKGS location or have CKGS send them to you via courier. Lets say you want to get the documents via FedEx. To do this, you go to CKGS website and go to section of website for courier service. When you click on relevant sections, finally you will end up on a web page which will ask you for your application number, address etc. Now, this is important. On this page you have two sections for courier, one for “sending” the documents to CKGS and one for “Receiving” documents from CKGS. They charge $15 per section per application. So for one application if you select to use their FedEx service to send and receive, you will pay $30 per application. In most of the cases (like mine I had two application). You will not want to avail the service to “send” the documents to them so “uncheck” that section by selecting “Non Required” and selecting only the return part. In my case I sent both packets in one FedEx envelop by using cheapest option available. I live in greater Houston area so I chose to go to CKGS center and pickup documents in person. On the CKGS form for matchup there is NO OPTION that allows you to select “Pick up in Person”, you will see only “Postal” or “Courier”. On that form I wrote “WILL PICKUP DOCUMENTS IN PERSON”. If you are outside the commute area of your CKGS location you will probably have no choice but to ask for FedEx return. So you will spend $15 per application. They will send each document set back in its own courier. There is no way getting around that. CKGS mentions that they will dispatch documents only to the registered address of the application. In courier section you are required to fill in address. I do not believe anyone would want to take chance with that so make your that the address there and address in your application match. If you avail the return courier service, CKGS tells you to NOT print the label. CKGS will do that when they are ready to send documents back. You will need to send copy of this FedEx receipt to them. If not then you may want to call them to find your options. Again, just like step 1, prepare one envelop per application. In address mention “OCI Department, OCI MATCHUP” so that CKGS know what the application is for. You DO NOT have to send any original passports etc for parents. ONLY the applicant’s (in this case your children’s) US passports and PIO card is required.
Once your passports and PIO cards reach CKGS, you will get email from CKGS. CKGS will then send documents to Consulate/Embassy. You will get note/email about this as well and the status on CKGS tracking site will change. In my case it took consulate of Houston about one week to complete the matchup process. Right after that you will get another email from CKGS stating that your documents have been received back from consulate and are ready for pick up. Since I did not opt for FedEx mail back, I do not really have any feedback for that. Next I decided to go to CKGS location in downtown Houston to pickup the documents.
CKGS location in Houston and Document Pickup
As I said my application was in Houston so this experience below may not be relevant to you if you are not in Houston jurisdiction but more or less it should be same. CKGS location in downtown Houston is at the corner of Texas and Main. The document pickup hours are between 4PM and 6PM. The email you get for pickup asks you to bring two things with you
1. Valid Photo ID (drivers license etc)
2. Receipt of payment. This is why earlier I said save the copy of receipt when you pay for application! This serves another purpose which I will explain shortly.
I carried the payment receipt, copy of CKGS email and printout from CKGS tracking site along with my license. At the time of pickup CKGS did not ask for any of these documents but carrying them proved to be good.
When you walk into CKGS Houston office on fifth floor of Binz building in Houston, there is a kiosk at the entrance. At this kiosk you take a number and also pick up a blank “document pickup” form. You will need to fill this form while you wait your turn. You can use one form to pick up to 5 application documents. This form requires you to enter your tracking number and passport number. Now that you do not have possession of passports, you can use the payment receipt you bought with you to get this information. This is why carrying the receipt proved to be good. Once your number is called, proceed to the counter, present your ID and collect the documents. You will get your US passport, cancelled PIO booklet and new OCI card booklet. Please note that there is no more “U” visa sticker on your US passport. OCI booklet will have the line “life long visa” written on it. Make sure all vital information is correct.
At the CKGS fascility in Houston, while I was awaiting for my number to be called, I observed following:
They do have copy machines available but cost if one dollar per page (ouch!!!)
They also have a computer terminal for you to print documents from USB drive or from internet (again $1 per page).
They also have photo booth for passport photos (about $15 per set of 2 photos)
They have soda vending machine.
On the same floor I noticed an office of lawyer next to CKGS office with “NOTARY PUBLIC” sign prominently visible so I guess you can go there for your notary needs.
All in all this is how my children’s OCI application went. Hope this helps. As always don’t just go with what I have to say. CKGS rules and policies should be your final guidelines.
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