OCI issue at port of entry in India

J

joejoy

Registered Users (C)
Hi All:

I read in last weeks Indian news paper ( under readers letter section). One of the user had written that even with OCI. At the port of entry in India the immigration officers wants a Indian Visa ( entry visa) in your passport... Anyone had similar experience...
 
joejoy said:
Hi All:

I read in last weeks Indian news paper ( under readers letter section). One of the user had written that even with OCI. At the port of entry in India the immigration officers wants a Indian Visa ( entry visa) in your passport... Anyone had similar experience...
Click to expand...

Every OCI has got 4 documents or 3.
1.OCI CARD
2. OCI Visa stamp in your USA PP
3. Last Indian PP with canceled stamp.
4. Surrender Certificate.

What you require for visit to India is item 2 - USA PP with OCI Visa stamp. In the event you have got a new US PP issued after your OCI stamping , you have to carry both the expired US PP and new US PP.

As an abundant precaution carry either 3or 4 or both ,if you have both, to escape any harassment by Indian immigration. As far as i know there is no use of OCI card.
 
This was probably a case of someone who had the OCI visa stamped in a former US passport that had expired and had traveled with the new US passport and the old US passport with the OCI visa stamp in it. The officer was probably being a little overzealous (or hoping for a payoff!) in insisting that the new passport have the OCI visa stamped in it.

You do not need to take your cancelled Indian passport or surrender certificate with you to enter India. From the CGI-NY website:

Please be informed that there is no mandatory requirement for Persons of Indian Origin to carry their Surrender Certificates or cancelled Indian passports while travelling to India. However, if the Indian immigration authorities find Persons of Indian Origin entering into India in possession of valid and non-cancelled Indian passports, they will seize such passports.
 
OCI card and US passport with U-visa stamp. In case of expired US passport with U-visa, carry new and expired US passport (with U-visa). OCI card without U-visa or U-visa wihout OCI card may get one into trouble at airport.
The most common sense way would have been issuing just a OCI card (like green card) with security features like biometrics embedded to make it tamper proof, and collect biometrics at port of entry. now, that would be asking for too much i guess.
 
What is the OCI card for,if only OCI visa stamp matters? I am little skeptical what documents we need to carry as I have heard/read similar story in one of the chain email that was circulated last year.
 
I completely agree, vm1214, with the idiocy of having to carry the OCI card when the passport with U-visa should have been enough. We can't expect the Indian babus to think clearly on anything. Like olddude said, we need to carry all these docs depending on your situation.
 
As always, they have their own novel ways of adding trouble to weary travellers..... Pretty soon, our hand carry will just be old PP, the one before that, the last cancelled PP, current US PP, any cancelled US PP, OCI booklet,...... Now for a family of 4, the hand carry needs to be a safety locker to keep stuff safe...

One interesting post by Ginnu (Thanks Ginnu) at the following link...
http://forums.immigration.com/showt...-prepare-an-OCI-package&p=2242849#post2242849
http://hcipos.org/cms/images/stories...ci_holders.pdf

Good luck
 
OCI card is for use inside India - most places don't recognize a visa stamp in US passport but will readily recognize the
passport-like OCI card.
 
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nkm-oct23 said:
OCI card is for use inside India - most places don't recognize a visa stamp in US passport but will readily recognize the
passport-like OCI card.
Click to expand...

This is the first sensible reason I have heard for the need of the separate OCI card. However, it is still idiotic that immigration officers insist to see the OCI card when your US passport already has the U-visa sticker in it. That part is plain silly.
 
nkm-oct23 said:
OCI card is for use inside India - most places don't recognize a visa stamp in US passport but will readily recognize the passport-like OCI card.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, where else we will be showing OCI card/stamp inside India other than airport immigration?
 
If you need to open bank accounts, get a mobile phone, undertake domestic air travel or use train tickets booked online, etc.
 
nkm-oct23 said:
If you need to open bank accounts, get a mobile phone, undertake domestic air travel or use train tickets booked online, etc.
Click to expand...

For Bank accounts they need Photo ID and India Address prof if Documents are to be sent to India address. If documents like ATM Check book are sent to US address for NRE/ NRO account then US address proof. for Photo ID one can use PAN card , India Driving license Or the Voter ID card(many have old Voter ID cards and OCI rule only says that one cant Vote and they never posted that Voter ID must be canceled). many states have Ration Cards with Photo and one can use that Ration Card for both Photo ID and Indian address prof.

For address they need India address like Copy of Ration Card, Electricity Bill, Phone Bill on your name. OCI will have US address.
Same is needed for Mobile phone Prepaid or Postpaid.

For Air travel in India as ID one can show PAN Card or India DL or US passport or OCI Card.
I don't know what they need for Online train ticket booking.

If one has NRE account with Bank and Bank has copy of your GC and Indian passport then one should send them Copy of US passport with U Visa and Copy of OCI so that they can update your record from NRE to PIO (both are treated same for NRE or NRO accounts).
 
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just curious, what happens to the PAN card after one renounces Indian citizenship? Also, is it to be renewed after OCI is approved?
 
Marcilo said:
just curious, what happens to the PAN card after one renounces Indian citizenship?
--------------PAN card and PAN number remains the same.

Also, is it to be renewed after OCI is approved?
---NO
Click to expand...
-------------- PAN Card is only for India Income Tax and can be used as Photo ID in India. for Indian citizens who want to open resident bank accounts Banks ask the copy of PAN card
 
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ginnu said:
-------------- PAN Card is only for India Income Tax and can be used as Photo ID in India. for Indian citizens who want to open resident bank accounts Banks ask the copy of PAN card
Click to expand...

PAN card only for citizens? I think even foreigners can get it.
 
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