OCI Card

OCI number is generated, The application is sent back to Houston - but VFS status says - "Your application is being verified and currently under process at the VFS Indian Consular Application Centre".

Does any have similar experience? And does any one know, what does it mean?

Applied for new OCI and Consulate is asking for Marriage Certificate. I just wrote my wife name under Spouse. But she has applied for her own OCI card too. Embassy rejected my application asking for Marriage Certificate. Iam 68 years old and got married 36 years ago in India. I do not have my marriage certificate. I have no one in India who can go to registar to procure me one. Is there any affidavit I can use in Lieu of the marriage certificate? I have asked Embassy and VFS but no response. Thanks for your help

Hi, wanted to share my OCI minor application experience(NEW YORK) with you all.
4th Jan'2021:OCI Application submitted online.
6th Jan 2021: Sent to VFS (used VFS courier service)
11th Jan 2021: Application delivered to VFS as per FedEx tracking
13th Jan 2021: Application acknowledged by VFS
30th Jan 2021: Application processed as per VFS (VFS held my documents for one complete month; no missing documents- usually it takes 2-3 business days for them to process the application(as per their website))
6th Feb 2021: Received email from VFS stating that the application in transit to Embassy.
10th Feb 2021: OCI application is "UNDER PROCESS" in the Govt of India OCI website.
5th Mar 2021: Still "UNDER PROCESS"
We may have received our OCI by now if VFS had not held our documents for one full MONTH.

Applied for OCI, which is under process. It could take longer then expected. For family emergency i need to travel to India. Can I still apply for emergency visa while oci is in process?

My timeline for OCI renewal (new passport after 50) follows, with some notes on my experience further below.

13 Jan - Application created online at GOI site (date is 14 Jan in India and reflected so in the form printed out)
14 Jan - Shipped application to VFS (New York)
15 Jan - Application received by VFS
04 Feb - Application acknowledged by VFS. Application status changed from RECEIVED to UNDER PROCESS
04 Feb - Notification from VFS - "We have ‘Received’ your Application and your application is now ‘Under Process’ at New York."
06 Feb - Application processed by VFS. Application status changed to PROCESSED and then to IN TRANSIT
06 Feb - Notification from VFS - "Your Application has been ‘Processed’ at the VFS India Consular application Centre and currently is ‘In-Transit‘ to the Embassy of India/Consulate General of India for decision making."
07 Feb - VFS status says "Your application has been forwarded to the Embassy"
10 Feb - Application shows UNDER PROCESS at GOI's OCI Enquiry site.
18 Feb - Document printing status PROCESSED at GOI's OCI Enquiry site.
18 Feb - GOI's OCI Enquiry site shows: Dispatched from MEA (OCI) New Delhi.
18 Feb - GOI's OCI Enquiry site shows: Document received at New York CGI at GOI's OCI Enquiry site.
22 Feb - VFS status says "Your application has been dispatched from Embassy"
24 Feb - VFS status says "Your application has been processed by the Embassy/Consulate and returned to the VFS Indian Consulate application Centre and is currently in TRANSIT"
26 Feb - VFS status says "Your application has been dispatched by the VFS Indian Consular application Centre"
26 Feb - Notification from VFS - "Your Application has been reviewed by the Embassy of India/ Consulate General of India & will be dispatched within 24 – 48 business hours provided you had purchased or sent the return label."
26 Feb - Notification from VFS - "Your document (s) is dispatched using the return label purchased or sent by you."
28 Feb - Fedex notification of package ready to pick up
01 Mar - Fedex notification package actually picked up
02 Mar- Received new OCI

Some notes:
* Misc. services checklist from VFS says to upload a copy of the OCI on the GOI site. I could not find any way to do it in the OCI Services section. Some people have managed to upload it in a different section for Visa services. I did not upload the OCI copy since I couldn't find any way to do it in the OCI Services section.
* VFS checklist for "change of particulars" does not list US driver's license as acceptable for change of address. However, it is listed as the main proof of address in the same checklist. I had an address change since my last OCI issue, I only included my driver's license copy.
* Affidavit in Lieu of Originals - The form is badly designed. It should have a space for the applicant to sign just before the notary declaration of "Submitted and sworn to before me..." but there is no space. The notary I went to suggested I squeeze my signature just before that line somehow.
* There are minor discrepancies between the GOI site and VFS site for photo requirements. I went with the GOI requirements.
* Note - a particular item of confusion seems to be that the requirements say "light colored background". Some people have interpreted this to mean the background cannot be white. This is not correct. White backgrounds are OK, as also any light colors. The emphasis is on "light" - the background should not be any dark color or strong pattern.
* Too many numbers everywhere, there is a temporary number then a file number at the GOI site, then a different tracking number at the VFS site. The only reference number that matters later for tracking is the GOI file number, which VFS confusingly calls the "ARN".
* GOI questionnaire asks if an OCI was granted earlier and the date and application number. Strange question since the process is for re-issue and of course an OCI was granted earlier. Since my original OCI was granted some 13 or 14 years ago, I did not know the date of application or application number. I had not thought to save copies of the application from back then. I just put the date of issue of the OCI and the OCI number itself in the space provided and that seems to have worked.
* GOI questionnaire asks if there are any relatives in India. They don't make it clear what they mean by "relative". If including any family members even 1 step away in relationship, most of us might have dozens or hundreds to list. I interpreted it to mean immediate family only (parents, children, or siblings). Not clear if this matters at all, or maybe it matters only for OCI applicants applying on the basis of an Indian spouse in India, etc.
* I had not applied for my OCI on the basis of my spouse nor had I included my spouse in my original application years ago. So for me in the GOI form there was no prompt to enter my spouse's name anywhere. When the form was completed, though, it showed an entry for Spouse's Name and had it filled with "NA". I assume this is fine and doesn't matter unless someone is trying to add a spouse now while also reissuing one's own OCI
* The GOI form asks about occupation. The categories provided are really vague. I picked "Professional". Although technically it is a "change of particulars" since I think I had listed something else in my original OCI application years ago, I did not submit any proof or documentation for this, and it was accepted without problem and printed thus on the new OCI.
* Last point, I paid for the VFS text notifications but only got one at the beginning of the process. All other notifications from VFS came by e-mail. So kind of a waste to pay for the text updates.

Hope this helps others in the process of renewing their OCIs!

I am filling out a new OCI Application. The document checklist mentions that I have to send the following.
PASSPORT – ORIGINAL AND NOTARIZED PHOTO COPY

I have following questions.

1. Do I have to copy all the pages of the Passport or just the First Information page and last two amendment pages?
2. Do I have to True Copy/ Notarize all the pages of the copy or just the first page with information should suffice? (First page is marked with Certified to be True copy of the original with Notary public embossed seal.

Please share your experience on how did you send it.

Thank you!

Hi all,
I am trying to file my husbnad's oci application and in one of the documents to be uploaded it shows Employment/work letter.
Could someone specify is it mandatory?

I sent my documents for a new OCI for an Adult on 2/12.
The acknowledgment email came in on 2/22 probably because of the storm in Texas
Since then I haven't been able to track my application. It says 'Invalid Inputs'. I tried calling them today 3/1 and they say that due to the storm they are backlogged and have only started processing the ones sent on 2/12.
I need my US passport mailed back soon. Anyone with a similar experience?

Hello All,

I want to share my OCI minor application status.

Date of Submission to VFS : 31st Dec 2020
VFS asked to resubmit photo. Did resubmission and VFS forwarded my file to SF Embassy.
Application is under process since 4th FEb 2021 @ https://ociservices.gov.in/statusEnqury page.

How much time it takes to move application from Under process to "OCI card printing" status ? It feels like file is stuck at embassy and not moving at all.

Thanks
Manish

12/29/2020 Application delivered to VFS SF via FEDEX
01/08/2021 Application in "progress" at VFS center
01/12/2021 "Processed" and "In Transit" to Embassy of India/Consulate General of India
01/24/2021 received passport back in mail
02/18/2021 reviewed by the Embassy of India/ Consulate General of India and dispatched
02/20/2021 OCI arrived

There were a few time while the application was in India that I received "invalid inputs" on the VFS site, it corrected after the application processing in India, I believe, was completed.