Q549. British Citizen – How to

find proof of Indian Origin for OCI

Question: Dear Mr Chand My mother arrived in Britain in 1966 on an Indian Passport. She is now 81 years old, and wants to apply for OCI. She later bacame a British Citizen. The problem we have is that we do not have any documentation for her application. We do not have the Indian Passport, there are no living relatives in India who may have birth certificates, school leaving certificates etc. What can we do, as this also stops me and my brothers who were born in Britain to apply for OCI. Best regards Mr D Joshi Answer: Many people have the same type of predicament! The government of India recognizes that some people, who moved out of India many years ago, may not have adequate documentation to prove their Indian origin. They therefore allow such people to apply for OCI on the basis of a Nativity certificate. A Nativity certificate from any state in India is accepted as proof of Indian origin and many people have probably successfully used Nativity certificate, to apply for OCI. Although your mother may have no documentation, such as old Indian passport etc. Here are a few points that you may wish to think about: 1. There must be records of when your mother applied for British citizenship. Such documents would probably show the passport she used to enter UK etc. Sometimes photo copies of passports are attached to documents and passport numbers can be easily identified from these documents. With some effort, you may be able to get some useful information here. 2. Passport issuing office where your mother got her Indian passport, if she can remember, may be another avenue. They may have some information that you can use. With the right kind of approach, you may find something useful. 3. Failing everything else, the Nativity certificate is the option to consider. Even if there are no relatives in India, the municipal offices in the area where your mother formerly lived, would still be there. Your mother may not have school leaving certificates, however the school she attended would probably still be there. Do read an article I have on this site titled ‘ Proof of Indian Origin when proper documents not available - How to get Nativity Certificate’ I believe the grant of OCI is pretty strict these days and decisions to grant OCI are not made at the consulate level but in Delhi. On the other hand, perhaps PIO card decisions are made at the consulate level and may not be as stringent as OCI. In some cases it might be prudent for some applicants to get PIO card first, as this is a step to show some sort of connection to Indian origin. PIO card holders can later apply for OCI if they desire. Is this a short cut to getting OCI? No! are all PIO card holders guaranteed to be approved for OCI? No!. Everything depends on documentation available to each applicant and my personal feeling is that PIO card is a good option for those having difficulty getting OCI documentation.

More information on Nativity

Certificate

How to get Nativity Certificate >> Where to Apply of Nativity Certificate - Sample of Nativity Certificate Application >>