Yesterday I and my wife got police clearances (PCC) from the consulate general of India, New York (CGNY).
I thought of writing here this experience in order for others to get some detailed idea. However, kindly note that our case is slightly deviant (will be clear below).
I am Indian passport holder living in the US since 1999 and my wife is Russian passport holder having lived in India for four years between 1995 to 1999 and living in the US since 1999. So PCC from CGNY for her was required for her Indian stay.
We mailed our applications with notarized photocopies of all non-blank pages of our passports on 12/20/2003 and the consulate entered it in their system on 12/23/2003. I called them (1-212-774-0667) around tenth of Jan and that's how I came to know about this date.
On 4th Feb 2004, I sent them our passports which they received on 5th Feb as per FedEX tracking. I called them on 12th Feb to know the status since we did not receive passports by mail. I was told that my PCC was ready but my wife's PCC was awaiting for Indian Consulate, Moscow's response (from where she got her Indian visa in past). I reminded them that 45 days have passed and requested to issue PCC since we would be going to India for the US immigration visa (IV) interviews. The lady on the phone asked me to call on 02/16/2004 and she was very kind and co-operative and assured me that her PCC will be issued.
Since 02/16/2004 was holiday at my work (and the consulate was open on President's Day), we decided to visit CGNY instead of calling. The inquiry window took our inquiry and the lady who was on phone with me earlier recognized our case and our past conversation. She told I didn't need to take the trouble of visiting them as our PCCs were ready and she was to mail them the next day (today - 02/17/2004). I thanked her and told since we already came to the consulate, we would better take PCCs/Passports in person. She agreed and asked us to collect them in the afternoon (4:30pm), which she indeed gave us at 4:30pm yesterday.
My PCC reads as follows:
NYCG***Number*** Date *****
POLICE CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that there is no adverse information in respect of my name, s/o my father's name, holder of Indian Passport No. ***Number*** issued at ***city on ***date, which would render him/her ineligible for the grant of travel facilities including visa for USA.
Round Stamp of the consulate Sign and square stamp of the assistant consul
My Passport also was marked as PCC issued on.....
Now, my wife's PCC read as:
NYCG***Number*** Date *****
POLICE CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that there is no adverse information in respect of my wife's name, d/o my wife's father's name, holder of Russian Passport No. ***Number for the period of her stay in India from ***date***to date**.
Round Stamp of the consulate Sign and square stamp of the assistant consul
Her passport was NOT marked about PCC issuance and her PCC did not contain "which would render him/her ineligible for the grant of travel facilities including visa for USA." line which was there in my PCC.
I did not ask why but my understanding is that Indian consulate can not comment on grant of travel facilities for a third country (US) to a non-Indian (my wife) - that's why the last line was not there in her PCC. In the same way, they probably can't put any stamp/info other than the Indian visa in the passport of non-Indians - that's why her passport did not mention about issuance of Indian PCC (like my passport did). Again, these are my assumptions only and I don't think these should be an issue during the IV interview in Mumbai.
Hope this might be useful to some with similar case in future.
Best wishes,
Jigesh
I thought of writing here this experience in order for others to get some detailed idea. However, kindly note that our case is slightly deviant (will be clear below).
I am Indian passport holder living in the US since 1999 and my wife is Russian passport holder having lived in India for four years between 1995 to 1999 and living in the US since 1999. So PCC from CGNY for her was required for her Indian stay.
We mailed our applications with notarized photocopies of all non-blank pages of our passports on 12/20/2003 and the consulate entered it in their system on 12/23/2003. I called them (1-212-774-0667) around tenth of Jan and that's how I came to know about this date.
On 4th Feb 2004, I sent them our passports which they received on 5th Feb as per FedEX tracking. I called them on 12th Feb to know the status since we did not receive passports by mail. I was told that my PCC was ready but my wife's PCC was awaiting for Indian Consulate, Moscow's response (from where she got her Indian visa in past). I reminded them that 45 days have passed and requested to issue PCC since we would be going to India for the US immigration visa (IV) interviews. The lady on the phone asked me to call on 02/16/2004 and she was very kind and co-operative and assured me that her PCC will be issued.
Since 02/16/2004 was holiday at my work (and the consulate was open on President's Day), we decided to visit CGNY instead of calling. The inquiry window took our inquiry and the lady who was on phone with me earlier recognized our case and our past conversation. She told I didn't need to take the trouble of visiting them as our PCCs were ready and she was to mail them the next day (today - 02/17/2004). I thanked her and told since we already came to the consulate, we would better take PCCs/Passports in person. She agreed and asked us to collect them in the afternoon (4:30pm), which she indeed gave us at 4:30pm yesterday.
My PCC reads as follows:
NYCG***Number*** Date *****
POLICE CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that there is no adverse information in respect of my name, s/o my father's name, holder of Indian Passport No. ***Number*** issued at ***city on ***date, which would render him/her ineligible for the grant of travel facilities including visa for USA.
Round Stamp of the consulate Sign and square stamp of the assistant consul
My Passport also was marked as PCC issued on.....
Now, my wife's PCC read as:
NYCG***Number*** Date *****
POLICE CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that there is no adverse information in respect of my wife's name, d/o my wife's father's name, holder of Russian Passport No. ***Number for the period of her stay in India from ***date***to date**.
Round Stamp of the consulate Sign and square stamp of the assistant consul
Her passport was NOT marked about PCC issuance and her PCC did not contain "which would render him/her ineligible for the grant of travel facilities including visa for USA." line which was there in my PCC.
I did not ask why but my understanding is that Indian consulate can not comment on grant of travel facilities for a third country (US) to a non-Indian (my wife) - that's why the last line was not there in her PCC. In the same way, they probably can't put any stamp/info other than the Indian visa in the passport of non-Indians - that's why her passport did not mention about issuance of Indian PCC (like my passport did). Again, these are my assumptions only and I don't think these should be an issue during the IV interview in Mumbai.
Hope this might be useful to some with similar case in future.
Best wishes,
Jigesh
Last edited by a moderator: