Our OCI experience.
We received our US passports in the middle of October (Oct 16th?? maybe). I prepared the OCI package the same day as follows.
1. Visited
http://mha.nic.in and click OCI under citizen services. There click online registration Filled Part A for all of us and printed Part A and B. Part B was filled manually and only one copy of Part B is required for all applicants. Part A is separate for each applicant.
2. I had already prepared the photos required for OCI as per the OCI specifications listed in
http://ociindia.nic.in/ociindia/ICAO-Photo.pdf. The pictures were taken at home on a bright sunny day with blue background and no flash using our digital camera. I created the correct size of the picture online and printed them at a local photo store.
3. Made copies of our US passport, Indian passports and PIO Cards, kids birth certificates (if US citizens and PIO card holders) only the first 2 and last 2 pages. Clipped item 1 and item 3 as the first set of the application.
4. Now I made 2 copies of the online printed form Part A & B the passport and PIO Copies. One set was clipped together as the duplicate set of the application. Another set was saved so we know what was sent to the consulate.
5. On Part A we pasted 1 photo (that’s 2 photos since you have a send a duplicate copy as well. See item 4 above). So you need a total of 4 pictures.
6. On separate envelopes for each individual I put 2 additional photos. That’s 4 total photos for each individual and wrote on the outside ‘OCI PICTURES OF “AAAA BBBBBB”
7. We drove to the post office got a money order ($275 OCI fee, $25 if you already have PIO) for the required amount and attached it to the application. Put 2 sets of the application documents, 2 additional pictures, money order in one big envelope and write “ATTN: OCI cell” on the envelope and mail the application to:
The OCI Cell,
Consulate General of India,
3 E., 64th Street,
New York, NY 10065-7002
After mailing the application via express mail we started to check our acknowledgment status at
http://ociindia.nic.in/ociindia/OnlineOCIenquiry.jsp
Our application was acknowledged on the 3rd week of November, photos scanned, granted, printed and dispatched on the last week of November. The consulate received the documents back on the first week of December.
We then sent our US passports, Indian passports and PIO card with a cover letter listing all our online file and reference numbers and requested that they send our US passports with OCI visa, booklet and cancelled Indian passports. I waited for 2 weeks and called the consulate and after several tries over the phone I talked to them and found out that our passports are on their way back to us which we received 2 days later. That ends our immigration journey.