OCI Card

1. I took one of the agent help in Chicago to scan, notorize, arrange and to pay oci fee, fedex to CKGS.
2. Document sent on 08/15. I didn't sent any originals, sent only notorized copies.
3. Your application has been received and is under process in CKGS. Please continue tracking your application status online. Your tracking id is USAC0xxxxx - 08/17
4. Your application has been processed at the CKGS Application Centre and is in transit to the Indian Embassy/Consulate for decision making. Please continue tracking your application status online.- 08/17.
5. Your Application is under process at the Embassy / Consulate. Please continue tracking your application status online.- 08/18.
6. Date Of Acknowledgment 18-AUG-2016 in passport.gov.in/oci, Document status - under-process.
7. On 07-SEP-2016 date of Acknowledgment change from 18-AUG-2016 to 07-SEP-2016. I was really disappointed and no one knows why date of acknowledgment changes. I was worried if my application lost anywhere.
8. 09/29 Document printing status - processed. waiting for matchup email.

13.Received on 09/29/2016

12.To track the Progress of Your Shipment, log onto the FedEx site using your AWB Number on www.fedex.com-09/28/2016

11.Your Documents have now reached CKGS application centre from the Embassy / Consulate.
Your document(s) is being sorted and will be ready for shipment shortly. Please continue tracking your application status online.-09/26/2016

10.The Embassy / Consulate has reviewed your application and is currently is 'In Transit' to the CKGS Application Centre. Please continue tracking your application status online.-09/26/2016

9.Your Passport Matchup is under process at the Embassy / Consulate. Please continue tracking your application status online.-09/23/2016

8.Your Passport is 'In Transit' to the Embassy / Consulate for Match-Up. Please continue tracking your application status online.-09/23/2016

7.Your Passport has been received at CKGS for Match-Up and is currently being packaged for onward submission to the Embassy / Consulate. Please continue tracking your application status online.-09/23/2016

6.Your printed OCI Card is ready for match-up with your US Passport / Foreign Passport. Please complete the OCI match-up process and refer to the email sent to you from CKGS with further details.
To make sure you receive our alerts / updates, add [email protected] to your white list. Please continue tracking your application status online.-09/20/2016

5.Application is under process at the Embassy / Consulate for further scrutinization and may take upto 6 to 8 weeks for next update. Please continue tracking your application status online.-08/17/2016

4.Your Application is under process at the Embassy / Consulate. Please continue tracking your application status online.-08/11/2016

3.Your application has been processed at the CKGS Application Centre and is in transit to the Indian Embassy/Consulate for decision making.
Please continue tracking your application status online.-08/10/2016

2.We have received your payment and we are verifying the same. If the payment made is complete, you will receive a payment receipt shortly. If there is any further discrepancy, you will receive an update. Please continue tracking your application status online.-08/10/2016

1.Your application has been received and is under process in CKGS. Please continue tracking your application status online. Your tracking id is *** -08/10/2016

This is my experience. To prepare all the documents, it took almost a month for minor child. We'd applied this for our two weeks trip to INDIA. Now we're going to get this, but the problem is "THIS OCI CARD IS VALID ONLY FOR 5 YEARS". After 5 years we have to renew US passport and renew OCI (The process is the same as new application, pay $300 plus). Now we regret applying this. we could have applied 30 days visa.

All the process took 3-4 months. My advice is, for minor child under 16. If you're planning to go less than 30 days, don't spend your time and money on this. Just apply visa on arrival. APPLY OCI after 16 yrs

Application Status Remarks Date of Status
Your AWB Number is YYYY YYYY YYYY To track the Progress of Your Shipment, log onto the FedEx site using your AWB Number on www.fedex.com 09/22/2016

Your Documents have now reached CKGS application centre from the Embassy / Consulate.

Your document(s) is being sorted and will be ready for shipment shortly. Please continue tracking your application status online. 09/22/2016

Your Passport is 'In Transit' to the Embassy / Consulate for Match-Up. Please continue tracking your application status online. 09/21/2016

Your Passport has been received at CKGS for Match-Up and is currently being packaged for onward submission to the Embassy / Consulate. Please continue tracking your application status online. 09/20/2016

Your printed OCI Card is ready for match-up with your US Passport / Foreign Passport. Pleasecomplete the OCI match-up process and refer to the email sent to you from CKGS with further details.

To make sure you receive our alerts / updates, add [email protected] to your white list. Please continue tracking your application status online. 09/15/2016

Application is under process at the Embassy / Consulate for further scrutinization and may take upto 6 to 8 weeks for next update. Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/03/2016

Your Application is under process at the Embassy / Consulate. Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/02/2016

Your application has been processed at the CKGS Application Centre and is in transit to the Indian Embassy/Consulate for decision making. Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/01/2016

We have received your payment and we are verifying the same. If the payment made is complete, you will receive a payment receipt shortly. If there is any further discrepancy, you will receive an update. Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/01/2016

We have received your incomplete documents and we are verifying the same. You will receive an update shortly on the progress of your application. Please continue tracking your application status online. ADD DOCS RECEIVED, UNDER REVIEW 08/01/2016

Your Application is on hold due to the incomplete / missing documents as mentioned under the REMARKS column. Only once the above documents are received by us at CKGS and post verification, will we be able to continue to process your application.
Please refer to our EMAIL sent to you from CKGS with further details.To make sure you receive our alerts / updates, add [email protected] to your white list / Approved / Safe Sender list.

1.MAKE A NEW PAYMENT REFLECTING THE WEBFILE NO
U YYYY XX6 07/26/2016

Your application is in process. Your tracking id is U YYYY XX6 07/26/2016

Your application has been received and is under process in CKGS. Please continue tracking your application status online. Your tracking id is U YYYY XX6 07/26/2016

Our PIO was valid till 2019. So what was the need for Modi government to require PIOs to be converted to OCI and rock the boat? When a document is valid, it must be honored without question until validity. Then, they simply passed the message....oh it's a simple conversion, we don't charge any fees, just submit your PIO and obtain OCI. Screwballs!! It took us 3 days to understand the process (confusing) and prepare a bulk load of papers and copies with photos and multi-step process. Actually no different than applying for fresh OCI. Over 2 months, they ask you to submit passports for match up and not sure when the actual OCI will be sent. Basically you sit on edge at their mercy and not be able to travel, spend easily over $100 in 4 FedEx mailings for one document, notorization, copying, and pictures, AND of-course there is processing and application fee of $20. So it is not free. It is your money and goverment give a damn about it.

They ask for same information over and over in all forms, sign here sign there. Really there is no new information. Just 4-5 pieces of information 10 times.

So the government can't handle anything, so they outsourced it to CKGS to add another layer to communicate with us. They are certainly much better than dealing with government, but not that much. Communication is excessive, but not clear. You always have question (see all forums), and their answers vary.

CONFUSED AND FRUSTRATED LIKE HELL. Not so much CKGS's fault. But Modi government did worse than prior governments in this regard.

Please help on scanned documents procedure in govt of india portal.Scanned documents should be colored ? is there any memory restriction for scanned current passport & Indian origin proof (birth certificate & parents india passport) ? I read some where the max file size is 500KB,

Here is my timeline.
Your application has been received and is under process in CKGS. 07/26/2016
Your application has been processed at the CKGS Application Centre and is in transit to the Indian Embassy/Consulate for decision making. 07/27/2016
Your Application is under process at the Embassy / Consulate. Please continue tracking your application status online. 07/27/2016

Government of India tracking
Date of acknowledgment 08/09/2016
Documents printing status –processed 09/05/2016
Documents dispatched- 09/06/2016
So far this is the timeline

It's very hard to believe few of below experiences timelines. I wonder is it real (or) CKGS agents posting these experiences??

because,

1) I spoke to at least 10 people, and all of had the the same slow experience with OCI cards. The minimum it took was 10 weeks and the maximum 5 months. My OCI is in process for 12 weeks now, and still under-process.

2) The OCI tracker also confirms the minimum 10-12 weeks wait time.

If below very short period experiences to get OCI is true, then you guys are truly lucky.

Here is my experience as an applicant for OCI card for foreign spouse of person of Indian origin.

15/02/2016 - Fedexed (via CKGS courier service) the following OCI application materials to CKGS in NY:
original documents:
  a) US Passport # 530909843 of applicant Zbigniew Fiedorowicz
  b) Marriage Certificate of applicant and spouse
  c) Last Indian passport of spouse
  d) Renunciation of Indian Citizenship Certificate of spouse stapled to (c).
forms and copies:
  1) Document checklist, signed, with enclosed items marked
  2) OCI Application Form Part A with photograph pasted.
  3) Additional photograph of applicant
  4) OCI Application Form Part B signed and dated.
  5) Additional Particulars Form signed and dated.
  6) Copy of information and endorsement pages of US passport of applicant - signed
  7) Copy of information and endorsement pages of US passport of spouse - signed & notarized
  8) Copy of birth certificate of applicant - signed & notarized
  9) Copy of applicant's Ohio driver's license - signed & notarized
  10) Copy of first three pages of last Indian passport of spouse - signed
  11) Copy of last three pages of last Indian passport of spouse - signed
  12) Copy of US naturalization certificate of applicant - signed & notarized
  13) Copy of Renunciation of Indian Citizenship of spouse - signed
  14) Copy of Marriage certificate - signed & notarized
  15) CKGS Disclaimer Form - signed
  16) Copy of US naturalization certificate of spouse - signed & notarized
  17) Proof of Payment of the CKGS Courier Service Charges in amount of $31.05
  18) Cashier's Check drawn on Huntington National Bank in amount of $295 for OCI registration fee and CKGS service charges
  19) Copy of spouse's OCI card - signed & notarized
  20) Joint Statement of Applicant & Spouse - Notarized Sworn Affidavit
  21) Screenshot of upload of scanned documents (passport, marriage certificate, spouse OCI card) to https://passport.gov.in/oci/verifyDoc

17/02/2016 - received email acknowledgment of receipt of application from CKGS
17/02/2016 - received email acknowledgment of payment of $295 application fee from CKGS
19/02/2016 - application sent by CKGS to Indian Consulate in NY
23/02/2016 - date of acknowledgment posted on http://passport.gov.in/oci/statusEnqury
25/02/2016 - document originals (a-d above) returned via Fedex
02/03/2016 - email from CKGS informing that application has been sent to Delhi

As there were no further updates by the beginning of May and I was due to travel to India in July, I made several unsuccessful attempts to determine the status of my application by telephone and email to CKGS. I then called the helpline at the Indian Consulate in NY and finally got an email reply from [email protected], informing me that the 42 day timeline on OCI applications does not apply to foreign spouse cases, for which no definite timeline is available. I then applied for a 10 year tourist visa in the middle of May and this was issued and my passport returned within 4 days. I used this to travel to India during July/August.

21/07/2016 - OCI card printing status updated to "processed" on http://passport.gov.in/oci/statusEnqury
29/07/2016 - OCI card arrived at Indian Consulate in NY

As I was still in India, I could not submit my passport for match-up until I returned to the US.

19/08/2016 - sent passport for match-up to CKGS/NY via their Fedex courier service
25/08/2016 - received email acknowledgment from CKGS
25/08/2016 - passport sent to Indian Consulate in NY for match-up
29/08/2016 - passport and OCI card sent back to CKGS
30/08/2016 - passport and OCI card sent by Fedex courier service from NY
31/08/2016 - passport and OCI in hand (finally!)

Hello everyone,

I would like to share my recent experience with the application of "OCI in lieu of PIO for Minor at SFO Embassy" with the forum. Overall experience was very good. It took 4 weeks for the entire process.

Application Status Remarks Date of Status
Your AWB Number is YYYY XX ---> Received the OCI card pn 09/02/2016 via Fedex.
To track the Progress of Your Shipment, log onto the FedEx site using your AWB Number on www.fedex.com 09/01/2016
Your Documents have now reached CKGS application centre from the Embassy / Consulate.
Your document(s) is being sorted and will be ready for shipment shortly. Please continue tracking your application status online. 09/01/2016
Your Passport is 'In Transit' to the Embassy / Consulate for Match-Up. Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/30/2016
Your Passport has been received at CKGS for Match-Up and is currently being packaged for onward submission to the Embassy / Consulate. Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/30/2016
Your printed OCI Card is ready for match-up with your US Passport / Foreign Passport. Please complete the OCI match-up process and refer to the email sent to you from CKGS with further details.
To make sure you receive our alerts / updates, add [email protected] to your white list. Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/29/2016
Your OCI card has been printed and would reach the Embassy / Consulate shortly.
Please continue tracking your application status online.
Please refer to the EMAIL sent to you from CKGS with further details. To make sure you receive our alerts / updates, add [email protected] to your white list. 08/12/2016
Application is under process at the Embassy / Consulate for further scrutinization and may take upto 6 to 8 weeks for next update. Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/10/2016
Your Application is under process at the Embassy / Consulate. Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/09/2016
Your application has been processed at the CKGS Application Centre and is in transit to the Indian Embassy/Consulate for decision making.
Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/08/2016
We have received your payment and we are verifying the same. If the payment made is complete, you will receive a payment receipt shortly. If there is any further discrepancy, you will receive an update. Please continue tracking your application status online. 08/08/2016
Your application has been received and is under process in CKGS. Please continue tracking your application status online. Your tracking id is usas081ffx16 08/08/2016

Question. My son received his OCI card at the age of 11. Now he's 20 and just got his new US Passport. Can he still use the original OCI card or does he need to get a new one? Pls advise. Thanks