OCI Card Document Checklist for Applicants in the USA

If you are applying for the OCI card, you must submit the OCI Card Required Documents for the USA. It will help you get a positive response to your OCI online application form.

Ensure to verify the OCI document checklist before applying. It will help you avoid missing any documents and get prompt results for your OCI application form.

You have to submit color photocopies of all required documents. Every document must be in a clear and readable format. The documents needed for an OCI card are as follows:

OCI Online Application Form USA

Fill out the OCI application form on the official Indian government website for an OCI. Take a printout of the form after you have completed it.

VFS Global

You may have to register yourself with VFS Global. The method will depend on how you apply for the OCI card from USA, either by mail or in person.

Non-Indian Passport/US Passport

• You have to submit copies of your current passport’s information page. It should contain your picture and personal details.
• The passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you apply.
• Endorsement/amendment pages are one of the OCI Card Required Documents for USA.

Signature

There are some spaces in the application form where you have to provide your signature. Children under the age of five may provide their thumbprint if they are unable to sign. Parents aren't allowed to sign on behalf of their child. The form includes space for the father and mother to sign.

Things to keep in mind about the signature:

• Provide the thumb impression using black ink.
• Do not provide the signature and thumb impression together in the same box.
• Provide your signature or thumbprint in the assigned box. The application might get rejected if it is outside.
• Parents must sign at the bottom of the OCI application form when applying for a minor OCI card, even if they are not using it for an OCI.
• Provide a death certificate or proof of custody of the minor if there is only one parent.

OCI Photo Specifications

Provide your photographs for the OCI application form. Submit both a hard copy and a soft copy of the applicant’s photographs.

The photograph should be in color, front-facing, in 2*2 inches. It must be clear and uploaded in the proper format.

Birth Certificate

For applicants born outside India, please submit a copy of their birth certificate. It must include details such as their parents' names, nationality, and date of birth.

Original Passport

At the end of the processing, the applicant’s original passport will be required. You will receive a notification once your OCI card is approved and returned to the embassy. It will come along with the shipping instructions via email.

If your nationality is non-US, then submit a valid original US passport or non-Indian passport. The U-Visa (OCI) sticker must be affixed to a blank visa page in your passport.

Your passport must have at least 2 blank pages and be valid for at least 6 months from the date you apply.

PIO Card Holders

Both the original and a photocopy of the PIO card are required as OCI Card Required Documents for the USA.

Copy Of Naturalization Certificate

A Copy Of a Naturalization Certificate is required if:

• You were not born in the U.S. or you are a former Indian National
• Have more than one nationality. If it includes Indian citizenship, you must provide Naturalization certificates. You can also provide proof of nationality from those countries.
• Minors who don't have a naturalization certificate and acquired naturalization through their parents. A copy of their parents' naturalization certificate and a notarized written statement are required. It should show how the minor acquired naturalization without having a naturalization certificate.
• The US Naturalization certificate that lists “Country of Birth” as India is not accepted. Instead, it should list “Former Nationality” as India.

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Proof of Renunciation of Indian Citizenship

In India, dual citizenship is not permitted. To apply for OCI from PIO, you have to provide proof of Renunciation of Indian citizenship. You can send the documents for renunciation along with fees and the OCI application, rather than getting the surrender certificate first.

You can provide any of the following as proof of renunciation:

• A copy of the Renunciation certificate issued by a Consulate of India.
• Copy of your Indian passport with a stamp. It should state ‘ Cancelled as holder acquired US/Foreign Citizenship’.

You can apply for Renunciation with an OCI or PIO card. If you have not renounced Indian citizenship. Do it by sending the documents in a single envelope.

What if I don’t Apply for the Renunciation of Indian Citizenship?

Suppose your most recent Indian passport is on hold for more than 3 years. Even after you have acquired citizenship of another country then a penalty may apply.

Proof Of Indian Origin

The applicant has to provide proof of their Indian origin to get an OCI card

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If the Applicant were an Indian Citizen

Indian Passport

If you have ever owned an Indian passport, you must provide copies of the first three pages and the last two pages.

If you do not have an Indian passport, then you can submit the documents mentioned below. Even so, the final decision to accept the documents depends on the consular officer:

• Certificate of land ownership
• Correct notarized affidavit to that effect.
• A notarized copy of an educational certificate issued by an institution in India
• A Copy of the Ancestral Nativity Certificate. Issued by an Indian official or magistrate with proper authority.

If The Applicant Is Not An Indian Citizen

If you do not hold an Indian passport. If you are applying based on your parents or grandparents' Indian nationality. Then submit these documents:

• Proof of parents’ current and previous nationality
• The birth certificate lists the parents’ names.

Suppose applying based on the grandparents' Indian nationality. Submit the birth certificates of both parents and the applicant. If applicable, submit any of the following:

• Copy of both parents' and grandparents' domicile certificate issued by a competent authority.
• Copy of the first three pages and the last two pages of both parents/grandparents' passports.
• Copy of the OCI card of the parents
• Any document that proves the Indian citizenship of the parents/grandparents. Such as a notarized copy of a school certificate or certificate of land ownership. Even so, the decision to accept these as proof of citizenship depends on the consular officer.

Address Proof

Proof of address is one of the documents required for an OCI card. It must match the address provided in the application form. Also, the address that you have given in the prepaid envelope. You can submit photocopies of:

• A utility bill, such as a water, gas, or electricity bill.
• A State ID, such as a driver’s license. Submit the original size of the regular paper. Do not cut the copy to reduce the size.
• For minors, you can submit proof of address for both parents and the legal guardian.
• For college/university students living on the campus. A letter from the university or institution, on letterhead and addressed to the applicant, is required.
• Credit card statements, phone bills, addresses with a P.O. Box, and cell phone bills are not accepted.

Name Change Documents

For former Indian nationals, a name change is applicable. If the name on the US passport differs from the name on the Indian passport or documents. If you got it from the government, then any one of the following is requisite:

• Name change in case of Naturalization
• Official order from the court for the name change
• The name changes after marriage, so the marriage certificate proves the name change.

Legal Status Proof in the US

Send only the photocopies; don’t submit the original proof of legal status, such as a visa or green card.

• Suppose you are applying for your children as a non-US citizen. Provide proof of visa/green card by affixing a Xerox copy of these documents.
• If you are a non-US citizen, submit a copy of your permanent resident card or green card. With both sides/EAD/H1, H4, L2/L2, J1/J2, F1/F2, etc.

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Change of Address In India

Submit proof of new address in India. If the address in India provided in the application form does not match the one on the Indian passport.

Prepaid Return Envelope

Once your application to become an OCI cardholder is processed, the documents will be returned to you in this envelope. However, you would want to collect the application in person. It is always a good idea to submit a prepaid return envelope along with the application.

If a family of 4 members applies for the same service together, then only one return envelope is required. Yet if they apply for different services, they use separate envelopes for each.

If there are more than four members, two envelopes are required. VFS Global will send only four passports in one envelope.

Note: Some extra documents may be required, and it depends on the jurisdiction. So be sure to verify the final documents and photocopies needed before submitting them. It will help you avoid missing any documents for the OCI form. This will also help you become an OCI cardholder without delay by streamlining the OCI Card Renewal Process.