256. Reclaiming Indian

Citizenship by US Citizen

Q. I currently am an OCI. I am thinking of returning to India and of reclaiming my Indian citizenship so as to active in every area. Does this prevent me of occasional visit to USA and of collecting the retirement benefits from USA. Thank you. A. I guess you don't want to live in India with OCI, In such a case: Once you reclaim Indian citizenship, you will have to give up your US Citizenship. You could visit USA provided you can get a visa from the US authorities in India. As a former US citizen who returned to India, the chances are you may get a visa to visit USA, however there are no guarantees and the final decision would be of the US visa officer when they review your visa application. You would have to check your retirement plans documentation to verify if you can get them abroad. Normally employer pensions that you qualify for in USA should be payable regardless of where you live. However you need to check your plan documentation. If you have lived in the United States for at least 10 years or earned at least 40 credits under the US Social Security system you may qualify for benefits, however here again, you should check with the authorities if you would qualify for benefits if you gave up US Citizenship.