URGENT: OCI minor application for tourist visa - no time for OCI re-issue

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buddyboy

Registered Users (C)
Hello.

My kids (who are minors and OCI cardholders) have recently renewed their US passports. I understand that they need to have the U visa transferred to their new passports. But we am traveling on the 22nd of this month and don't have the time for this. I am wondering if it ok to apply for a toursit visa for both of them and then get the U visa transferred when we return from India. will there be a problem applying for tourist visa for OCI card holders, and subsequently applying for OCI re-issue. Any advice in this regard is deeply appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Man, I really don't understand you people who get so paranoid about this. What part of the lifelong status of the OCI don't you understand? Why on earth are you thinking of applying for visitor visas when your children already have lifelong OCI statuses? You already have seen multiple people (including me) post for people in this situation to take your child's old US passport with OCI visa sticker, current US passport and old OCI booklet. Take all three to enter India and if questioned, tell the immigration officer that you will get the new OCI in their passports when you return to the US.
 
Thanks @JPBoston, for your reply. Well, paranoia sets in if you have a big event planned and can't afford to be sent back on the next plane. But, thanks for the re-assurance, albeit a bit harsh :) In 2011, I traveled to India with both my kids in the same boat - carried old+new passports and OCI card and faced no issues. Blissfully though, at that time, I was unaware of the rules that minors had to get their U visas re-issued. Now that I know about it, and that I see posts in various newspapers dated April 30 2013 calling out this "old" rule as a "new" advisory, paranoia set in.

That being said, I would also like to update that I made a trip to the Indian Consulate in San Francisco today and was duly advised to carry the old+new passports and the OCI card, if there was no time to get the U visa transferred. I was also advised to get it transferred as soon as I returned.

Thanks again.
 
You're welcome. This thing about minors having to get updated stickers/booklets for new passports is at least a few years old (I saw this in 2010) and so it was well in force during your 2011 trip. Classic example (in a good sense) of ignorance being bliss. Anyway there is no way they would have not let you into India as you can see from your consulate visit. At least for the trouble you went through to get this info from those horse's mouths (and they are horses them desi babus are), this will bring reassurance to anyone else who is in the same boat of paranoia. Good stuff.
 
One of my neighbors had their kid on the same boat. They left for India a couple of weeks back (second week of June 2013) and texted me yesterday that they did not have any problems at the Chennai airport with their kid's U visa on the old passport.
 
Can we do without OCI sticker transfer for 3 year old?

Now I'm in the same boat. 3 year old child who's passport just expired. We obtained a new one (CANADA), and realize we need to transfer U sticker for OCI. Problem is it takes two weeks... and we are flying to India in 4 days.

buddyboy - did you have any problems or did you manage to get through with old passport with sticker +new passport + OCI card.

Anyone else? Please feel free to contribute. Much appreciated.
 
Harrytales said:
Now I'm in the same boat. 3 year old child who's passport just expired. We obtained a new one (CANADA), and realize we need to transfer U sticker for OCI. Problem is it takes two weeks... and we are flying to India in 4 days.

buddyboy - did you have any problems or did you manage to get through with old passport with sticker +new passport + OCI card.

Anyone else? Please feel free to contribute. Much appreciated.
Click to expand...

You can travel with old passport which has the sticker and new passport - you may get delayed but shouldn't prevent you from entering the country.

Come back and post so we all know how it went.
 
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