OCI traveling to India

sreeleshk

Registered Users (C)
If you have been issued an OCI card, is it necessary to carry the OCI booklet or does the passport with the U visa and sticker suffice
 
OCI card booklet + passport with U-visa sticker. if passport with U-visa sticker expired, carry expired passport with U-visa stciker + current passport. if you had multiple passports issued since issue of U-visa sticker, carry all pasports since U-visa sticker has been issued. Carry cancelled Indian passport (just in case).
 
Sree, if you want to get stuck at the Indian Airport for whatever reason... go ahead travel with the passport only. If not, than follow what olddude has explained ... there is lot experience on this forum and he speaks on behalf of lot people.
 
R u absolutely sure, that the passport with the U visa sticker is not enough

Like many others, I am not sure of many GOI rules. Here is story from 2009. Wisdom/experience tells me that after 24 hours in-flight, I would rather be done with immigration and go home than argue with a guy who may be expecting something in return for lack of a card/booklet/document.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/oct/29/flying-to-india-carry-old-passport-with-oci-card.htm

In this article/news item, please read plight of a guy with family of 5 (5 old passports + 5 new passports + 5 OCI cards, total 15 documents)

Again, anything may/maynot be asked while leaving/entering India. If you would like, take your chances and share your experience with us. :)

Solution? issue a card with bio-metrics and stop all current drama surrounding OCI/PIO "card".
 
I have had several visits through the Bombay airport and they always ask "Do you have the OCI booklet?" However, they never ask to see it. I have asked "would you like to see it?" They say "No". The darn thing isn't too big or thick to carry it along in your passport pouch so take it along..
 
Sreeleshk,
As recently as 12/10/2010 I got my OCI in Chicago. We were given a circular letter which reads as follows
"Important Instruction . Please note that it is obligatory for all OCI card holders to carry (i) OCI card and (ii) Valid US/Foreign passport having U-Visa sticker while travelling to India.

If you have renewed your US/Foreign passport then you have to carry three things while travelling to India (i) OCI Card (ii) Old passport [containing U-Visa sticker] & (iii) New passport. "


You can see my earlier post in Chicago thread # 847 dated 12/10/.

Of course you have not got such a letter when you got your OCI, so it is left to you what you do.
 
Sree, if you want to get stuck at the Indian Airport for whatever reason... go ahead travel with the passport only. If not, than follow what olddude has explained ... there is lot experience on this forum and he speaks on behalf of lot people.

The cgny misprint my nationality as "IND" it should have been "USA" I need to travel next week. If those guys look at it and raise questions I don know what I would say. I cod argue that an Indian citizen doesn't need an OCI, but that wouldn't do much rather than piss off the officer. If just the passport with the "U" visa sticker that's necessary then I am fine. I could get things rectified, but I would to the cgny office, It's gonna cost me a whole day
 
I am not very sure it will be a mistake of CGI NY. The OCI cards are printed in India and only signed, not to forget the Green ink, at the Consulate.

please check the last page of OCI card. Is the passport number, date of issue and place of issue correct. If they are correct do not bother too much for the mistake on the first page of OCI. You can get it rectified any time. Layman's opinion.
 
I don't even know whey there's a discussion about this. It's easy enough to carry your OCI card and your passport.

cafeconleche


do u even have an OCI card ?

did anyone here as you to take part in the discussion any way.

got to poke your nose in everything huh ?
 
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I am not very sure it will be a mistake of CGI NY. The OCI cards are printed in India and only signed, not to forget the Green ink, at the Consulate.

please check the last page of OCI card. Is the passport number, date of issue and place of issue correct. If they are correct do not bother too much for the mistake on the first page of OCI. You can get it rectified any time. Layman's opinion.

Its true that the OCI booklets are printed in india, but some one should take up the responsibility. as far as an applicant, you applied for it at the CGNY. i guess its their responsibility to help us rectify it as its an error on their part. If its not a big issue, i'll just not bother. i hope i aint questioned as " IND" may stand for indonasia
 
Haha, no I don't have an OCI card, but there's no need to get defensive. I was merely saying that it's easy enough to carry the card and not start a new thread about it since there are ample threads discussing why the Indian government even issues the card if it hardly has any use.

By the way, a friend of mine applied for OCI in Madras and though online it says it was printed and dispatched, he was told by the Madras office that they were still printing it, so who knows what really happens. Also, I think Indonesia is INA or IDN.
 
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Haha, no I don't have an OCI card, but there's no need to get defensive. I was merely saying that it's easy enough to carry the card and not start a new thread about it since there are ample threads discussing why the Indian government even issues the card if it hardly has any use.

By the way, a friend of mine applied for OCI in Madras and though online it says it was printed and dispatched, he was told by the Madras office that they were still printing it, so who knows what really happens. Also, I think Indonesia is INA or IDN.

the whole discussion is, if the U visa sticker in the passport is all thats enough, i got nothing to worry as the OCI card misprint isnt even coming into the picture. compare it to a situation, where u have been naturalized, and have got your US passport and later you lose the certificate of naturalization.

Do you need a naturalization certificate to prove you are USC
NO- the passport is enough as the proof


do you need to spend money, time and do paperwork to get a new certificate of nat
Its your call what ever makes you happy


now coming back to the OCI booklet and Passport with the U visa sticker.

can a person without an OCI card get a U visa
NO


you cant enter india by just showing the OCI card with a new passport (when the old one has the U visa sticker)


but whats the case when its the other way around, when you have the Uvisa sticker in your passport do you need to have the OCI in hand
DEBATABLE



WILL THE MISMATCH CAUSE ANY ISSUES?

THATS WHAT I LIKE TO KNOW







TAKE THE CASE OF A LPR AND A RE ENTRY PERMIT

a person who has a re entry permit , doesnt even need to show the passport or the GC when entering USA at POE
 
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What you need to do is take the OCI booklet along with you. End of discussion. If they ask for it, great, if they don't, great. What is clear is that if they ask for it and you do not have it on hand, you're going to have a very tough time. So why even deal with that situation? I know when I travel to India next, I will have the OCI booklet on me.

When you come back from India, if there was no problem with "IND" designation in your OCI booklet, then you probably can continue to use it as such. But it would make sense to contact the CGI to ask about this. Does the Miscellaneous OCI services cover correcting such info?
 
The cgny misprint my nationality as "IND" it should have been "USA" I need to travel next week. If those guys look at it and raise questions I don know what I would say. I cod argue that an Indian citizen doesn't need an OCI, but that wouldn't do much rather than piss off the officer. If just the passport with the "U" visa sticker that's necessary then I am fine. I could get things rectified, but I would to the cgny office, It's gonna cost me a whole day

did you check you application. May be by mistake you entered you County of Present Citizenship as India nad not United states. Please check and let us know,.
thanks
 
did you check you application. May be by mistake you entered you County of Present Citizenship as India nad not United states. Please check and let us know,.
thanks

emno, you are correct. sreeleshk did admit in another thread that he mistakenly entered country of nationality as India instead of US. I guess the OCI system does not have the logic that negates India as an option when submitting the OCI application. Either way, it looks like user error was the primary reason for this issue despite the CGI saying that they would take care of this. I have learned not to trust these CGI people until I see things with my own eyes.
 
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emno, you are correct. sreeleshk did admit in an another thread that he mistakenly entered country of nationality as India instead of US. I guess the OCI system does not have the logic that negates India as an option when submitting the OCI application. Either way, it looks like user error was the primary reason for this issue despite the CGI saying that they would take care of this. I have learned not to trust these CGI people until I see things with my own eyes.

Thanks for the post.
I guess that they take the data directly from the filled in application and if I enter India as citizendhip it is just printed as it is.
You are right that there should be some kind of logiv buid in that for OCI, one can not be Indian Citizen.
I just checked my applications and thank God, I have entered at list County of Citizenship correctly.
 
after identifying the error looking at the copy of the application i had for my personal file, i had emailed cgny quoting the issue and my online registration number. they had assured me that the application has been rectified.


i am a business analyst, if it was me i would have put in the business rule that would prevent "IND" from being an option of nationality!
 
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