For OCI Card at New York Consulate Birth Certificate Apostille

[SwatiMehra2772]

So I know that getting your child's birth certificate Apostille is such a hazard. So based on my experience here is the following very important and relieving information:

If you are filing up the OCI Application for your child who is born in USA then you must have come across that you should get the Birth Certificate Apostille. This is what is written on how to fill the OCI form, on the list of documents to be submitted at the CKGS website aswel as on the GOI website.

Thereby like any one would I went through the hassel of getting the Birth Certificate Apostille. I stay in Jersey City and my LO was born in Engelwood Hospital so I sent my LO's birth certificate to the State of New Jersey Department of Treasury at Trenton via courier and had it all done. BUT on our appointment day while we were submitting all the documents then the lady at the CKGS counter returned the apostillle and asked for a copy of the Birth Certificate.
She said that i is not required and so I showed her the places where their website says that it is an absolute requirement. Her colleague came and said that the consulate at the New York does not require you to submit an apostille birth certificate but some other consulate do.

So if you live and your child is born in New Jersey and the consulate you are going to is New York then you may not need the Apostille Birth Certificate.

The CKGS cannot ammend their website as it is used world wide so the information has to remain that way.

Hope this information comes handy to all of you.

[Liberty48]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

The whole Apostille requirement is crazy!! You send your original passport that has the birth date and a notarized birth certificate should be enough. What value does it bring getting the birth certificate Apostilled? Someone who wrote the process dreamed about something and added this Apostille requirement.

I did send the original birth certificate in Illinois on just a first-class stamped enveloped and $ 2 check and got it apostilled!! It took a week. I risked it and got it ok. I sent the Apostilled certificate with the original in the OCI application. CKGS sent the original back to me.

[Thangam]

Hi Liberty48,
NEED YOUR URGENT HELP!!
I am about to submit the required documents for NEW OCI card at Chicago CKGS office and confused with "Birth Certificate has to Apostiled" . Is this Apostle required on the Child's Birth certificate, ONLY IF any of the parents born outside of INDIA? OR Is it applicable for my case (my son 2 yrs old born in US and Myself and my wife born in INDIA)?

My appointment is within 48 hrs with CKGS office in Chicago.

Please reply ASAP!!! Thanks in adanvce!!!

[Liberty48]

Thangam, Sorry, I am not checking this forum every day. I hope it worked out ok for you.

If the apostilled birth certificate is for the child, there is nothing to do with the parents' situation. As you live in IL, here is the link https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/d...postilles.html

[Debkol]

Hi Thangam , Can you please share your experience? Did you apostille your child's Birth Certificate?

[Thangam]

Hi Debkol ,
Here is my successful experience... Hope this will help everyone!!!!

I called CKGS customer service team and they answered with different answers on Apostille is required or not each time and hence i cancelled the CKGS application and here is what i did...

1. I called Illinois Secretary State office phone number, and i asked them to share the documents required to get an Apostille for my son's birth cert.

2. Illinois Secretary State officer replied just to bring the original document on which i want the Apostille.

3. So, i showed them my son's original birth certificate in person at Down down Chicago office, and they have given back Original birth cert + Apostille. (Apostille is a document which they attached to the original birth certificate and sticked these 2 docs by a Illinois Secretary State seal)

4. Fee to get Apostille = $2 per document

5. I took the copies of these 2 documents (Original birth certificate + Apostille document) and submitted to CKGS after i create a new application in Indian Govt website & CKGS Appointment schedule.

6. Have received the OCI card without any issues.

Hope this helps everyone!!! Thanks!!!!

[dvpatel]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

The whole Apostille requirement is crazy!! You send your original passport that has the birth date and a notarized birth certificate should be enough. What value does it bring getting the birth certificate Apostilled? Someone who wrote the process dreamed about something and added this Apostille requirement.

I did send the original birth certificate in Illinois on just a first-class stamped enveloped and $ 2 check and got it apostilled!! It took a week. I risked it and got it ok. I sent the Apostilled certificate with the original in the OCI application. CKGS sent the original back to me.

Agreed. We got the need Apostilled certificate for a new OCI for my niece. Both parents born in India. She was born here. Problem is, niece was born in NJ but they now live in FL.

We have the original embossed birth certificates and the passport and multiple IDs with her b'date but yet they kicked back the application citing an Apostilled birth certificate is needed. It seems their application goes to the Atlanta embassy based on the FL address.

[dvpatel]

Did the requirement for Apostilled Birth Certificate for US Born people change? Per this link, now, it says only people born outside India and USA need an Apostilled certificate. My niece's application was stalled due to the lack of an Apostilled Birth Certificate 2 months ago.

https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/united-states-of-america/oci-services/pdf/NEWOCI-USNATIONALBYBIRTH-ADULT.pdf