OCI app to SFO - address to mail - travisa versus BLS International

K

kaashparinda

Registered Users (C)
Hi all-

Just a tad confused. I am ready to mail my minor son's OCI application. Had to dig around the BLS International website to find the address to mail which I think is:

Indian Visa Application Center
4239 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94118

as we live in San Francisco.

However, I am confused because there is also another organization called Travisa which processes these applications. Is the Indian embassy and consulates in the US undergoing some transition where we are now supposed to mail it via BLS International (address above, but money order made out to BLS International).

There are no explicit instructions as to where to mail this to, except that they address jurisdiction depending on where you live and then when you look at the contact us field...that's how we find the address.

Please shed some light on this.

Thanks, Kaashparinda.
 
BLS International webiste

Thanks JPBoston. I subsequently found out about the change of companies. But the new BLS website is very confusing. I am a fresh applicant and I cannot find out if they need a self-addressed stamped envelope or not, and explicit where to mail the application (I am a San Francisco applicant). I wrote to BLS twice now, and was on the whole for 1/2 hour this morning before the system asked me to leave a message. They are seriously not prepared for the transition.

Anybody who has thoughts or experiences with BLS this month - would be appreciated.

KaashParinda
 
kaashparinda said:
Thanks JPBoston. I subsequently found out about the change of companies. But the new BLS website is very confusing. I am a fresh applicant and I cannot find out if they need a self-addressed stamped envelope or not, and explicit where to mail the application (I am a San Francisco applicant). I wrote to BLS twice now, and was on the whole for 1/2 hour this morning before the system asked me to leave a message. They are seriously not prepared for the transition.

Anybody who has thoughts or experiences with BLS this month - would be appreciated.

KaashParinda
Click to expand...

Yes you are right. BLS website is very confusing unlike Travisa. I have been trying to reach BLS but was not successful for the past 3 days. I leave messages everyday but no response. It was not like this with Travisa. The customer service was good. Travisa used to send email asking the applicant to send their US passport for matching up (once the OCI card is received at the consulate).

Yes you need to send self-addressed paid envelope (FedEx/USPS). Even this little info is missing in their instruction. Although Travisa was charging $12 towards service fee the customer service was extremely good. BLS charges only $4.70 and so you can expect the quality of service you get. BLS took over with effect from July 1, 2013.
 
Hi madgu-gc2005,

Thanks for your response. I am doing the same. I haven't left messages, but calling everyday so I get a chance to talk to somebody. After 10 minutes of waiting, they want you to leave a voice mail.

That's exactly right: there is NO information about the self-addressed stamp envelope in the list of documents they need. You are extrapolating this info from TRAVISA, right? i.e. there is nothing on the BLS site that addresses this. Is this a a small envelope then? I want to do it right rather than find that my application has gone down a black hole.

If you are more successful than I in getting this info, please post here. I will certainly post this info if I get to them before you.

Thanks, KP
 
OCI Processing at BLS

Been trying to reach BLS for the same questions for the last 1 week, where to send the draft and application, single draft or multiple drafts, Return Envelope and etc. No response. The numbers don't even connect for long time. I get a message the number is disconnected or out of service many times, finally got through to the recording, waited for 45 minutes. Tried again today, the number does not even go through. Website has confusing or incomplete info, and the folks don't pickup the phone. How do we crawl out of this OCI processing mess...?


kaashparinda said:
Hi madgu-gc2005,

Thanks for your response. I am doing the same. I haven't left messages, but calling everyday so I get a chance to talk to somebody. After 10 minutes of waiting, they want you to leave a voice mail.

That's exactly right: there is NO information about the self-addressed stamp envelope in the list of documents they need. You are extrapolating this info from TRAVISA, right? i.e. there is nothing on the BLS site that addresses this. Is this a a small envelope then? I want to do it right rather than find that my application has gone down a black hole.

If you are more successful than I in getting this info, please post here. I will certainly post this info if I get to them before you.

Thanks, KP
Click to expand...
 
kaashparinda said:
Hi madgu-gc2005,

Thanks for your response. I am doing the same. I haven't left messages, but calling everyday so I get a chance to talk to somebody. After 10 minutes of waiting, they want you to leave a voice mail.

That's exactly right: there is NO information about the self-addressed stamp envelope in the list of documents they need. You are extrapolating this info from TRAVISA, right? i.e. there is nothing on the BLS site that addresses this. Is this a a small envelope then? I want to do it right rather than find that my application has gone down a black hole.

If you are more successful than I in getting this info, please post here. I will certainly post this info if I get to them before you.

Thanks, KP
Click to expand...

I got through to BLS international using a different number than what is posted on their site. When I pointed out to the representative that the list on the website is missing a self-addressed stamped envelope, he said that there is nothing he could do about it. I proceeded to ask him what kind, and he said, medium enough for them to return the passport and the OCI booklet. It seemed so ad-hoc and there was nothing specific. I guess I am going to use fed-ex and send it along but even after the call, I don't know if this is necessary or not; he said "you can", not "you must"; maybe they are trying to save money if they do it, versus us sending? This is so unprofessional.

I also complained that the address where to mail all this was not associated with the OCI section of the site. There's a separate contact us address which he pointed me to.

Anyway, this is the best I could get. Appreciate it if others can also add to this. Seems like 1,000s read these posts but only 1 or 2 contribute.

Best, KP
 
kaashparinda said:
I got through to BLS international using a different number than what is posted on their site. When I pointed out to the representative that the list on the website is missing a self-addressed stamped envelope, he said that there is nothing he could do about it. I proceeded to ask him what kind, and he said, medium enough for them to return the passport and the OCI booklet. It seemed so ad-hoc and there was nothing specific. I guess I am going to use fed-ex and send it along but even after the call, I don't know if this is necessary or not; he said "you can", not "you must"; maybe they are trying to save money if they do it, versus us sending? This is so unprofessional.

I also complained that the address where to mail all this was not associated with the OCI section of the site. There's a separate contact us address which he pointed me to.

Anyway, this is the best I could get. Appreciate it if others can also add to this. Seems like 1,000s read these posts but only 1 or 2 contribute.

Best, KP
Click to expand...

Hi kaashparinda,

Finally yesterday I got a live person to talk to at BLS international after trying for about 2 hours. My wife's OCI card is received at Indian consulate, San Francisco last week and I was asked to send the original US passport by the help desk, BLS. Today again I called and talked to help desk and I was told today to wait till I get official notification. I got two version of statements. Whom to follow? no co-ordination at BLS I think. Now I will wait for one more week. If I do not receive any email notification from them I will again call.

By the way you better send in the Fed Ex standard envelope.

I will post if there is an email notification from BLS.

Madgu
 
madgu-gc2005 said:
Hi kaashparinda,

Finally yesterday I got a live person to talk to at BLS international after trying for about 2 hours. My wife's OCI card is received at Indian consulate, San Francisco last week and I was asked to send the original US passport by the help desk, BLS. Today again I called and talked to help desk and I was told today to wait till I get official notification. I got two version of statements. Whom to follow? no co-ordination at BLS I think. Now I will wait for one more week. If I do not receive any email notification from them I will again call.

By the way you better send in the Fed Ex standard envelope.

I will post if there is an email notification from BLS.

Madgu
Click to expand...

Thanks Madgu. The main reason I haven't posted anything yet is for exactly that - they don't know what they are doing. Thankfully, I am not posting anything valuable yet, except for the money order. Yes, I'll send a pre-paid fedex envelope, standard size. I better send the packet soon though, because at this rate the 60 day period will turn into more like 4 months. I'll update this thread as I know more.
 
Interesting info after talking to BLS: You need to send separate pre-paid envelopes for each OCI applicant and separate ones for each renunciation.

Ideal example of red-tape. I live close to the BLS office, so I can at least think of dropping the stuff or possibly collecting it personally, but the whole idea of sending pre-paid envelopes is so retro. If they are offering a service that too something that is outsourced, sending pre-paid envelopes in multiples is preposterous!

For someone who chooses to FedEx or UPS, it is a major cost hit.
 
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