Applying for an Indian visa or OCI card for a newborn US citizen can be deceptively complicated. While official websites provide a standard checklist, what they don’t tell you what’s buried in personal experiences and rare edge cases is where real frustration (and long delays) can begin. This article unpacks the lesser-known realities of securing legal travel status for your infant to India and back, especially if you’re applying from cities like Houston or San Francisco.
Start with One Simple Truth:
TUS-born children of Indian-origin parents are not automatically Indian citizens. And until they get either an Indian visa or an OCI card, they can’t legally enter India. Many parents assume their baby’s US passport is enough. It isn’t. And leaving this until the last minute can mean missing family events or rebooking expensive international tickets.
Visa or OCI for Newborns? Choose Based on Time, Not Preference
The OCI is ideal, it’s a lifelong visa. But here’s the catch: processing times in consulates like Houston and SFO often stretch beyond 8-10 weeks, especially around holiday seasons or political transitions.
For instance, OCI card applications in SFO may seem straightforward on paper, but delays related to minor documentation errors (or parental name mismatches) are very common.
If you have urgent travel plans, apply for a regular tourist visa for your newborn first. Indian visa services in cities like Houston, TX or San Francisco (540 Arguello Blvd) usually offer faster turnaround for tourist visas often within 3 to 5 business days. This buys you time while you wait for the OCI to process.
What Most Experts Overlook: The Name Game
Inconsistent spelling of parent names between documents, passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates can lead to application rejection. This is particularly problematic when dealing with Indian consulates, which maintain strict matching requirements.
Make sure:
- Parent names match exactly across all submitted documents.
- You’re including notarized affidavits if there’s any discrepancy.
- The baby’s US birth certificate has both parents’ full legal names.
Hidden Hurdles When Applying in Houston or SFO
Each Indian consulate functions slightly differently despite a centralized portal. San Francisco, meanwhile, is more lenient on documentation but can have delays due to volume. If you’re applying from either location, track your application status obsessively, and be ready to follow up via email, not just through the online VFS system.
Most parents don’t realize your application can be stuck with no progress unless you push for movement.
Why You Might Want to Delay the OCI Application Altogether
Challenging conventional thinking: Avoid skipping the OCI application until your child is older, unless you travel frequently. Why? Every time your child gets a new US passport, you’ll have to re-upload it to the OCI system, and the minor’s OCI card is not valid without this update. This can be an ongoing administrative burden for parents who only travel occasionally.
Instead, you can apply for a 5- or 10-year tourist visa (available for US citizens), which may offer more flexibility and less hassle.
OCI and Dual Intent: Your Baby Isn’t “One or the Other”
Some parents panic, thinking that applying for an OCI card makes their child give up US citizenship. This is false. The OCI card is not Indian citizenship—it’s a long-term travel and residency authorization. It doesn’t require your child to renounce US citizenship or choose allegiances. But India still doesn’t allow dual citizenship, which differs from dual nationality. Be mindful of approaching this with official forms and avoid language that could imply intent to claim Indian citizenship.
Final Notes on Documentation
- Make sure your baby has a US passport before applying for anything. You cannot apply with just a birth certificate.
- Include passport-sized photos that meet India-specific dimensions (2×2 inches with a white background).
- OCI applications require Parental Authorization Forms, Birth Certificates, and sometimes a Marriage Certificate all of which must be notarized and uploaded in the correct format.
Conclusion
Applying for an Indian visa or OCI card for your newborn baby isn’t just a paperwork chore. Don’t rely solely on checklists. The real work lies in catching small inconsistencies, understanding consulate quirks, and recognizing that not every application proceeds as expected. This is not about avoiding stress. It’s about outsmarting it.