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My wife and I are Indian-origin parents living in Texas on H-1B and H-4 visas, and our daughter was recently born in the United States. We completed her U.S. birth certificate and passport first, then started the e-OCI card application for our newborn through the Indian Consulate's jurisdiction using VFS.
We mailed the application package about three weeks ago after carefully checking the document list. We included our baby's U.S. passport, birth certificate, both parents' passports, our marriage certificate, proof of address, photographs, and the required signed declarations. VFS confirmed receipt of the application a few days later, and shortly afterward the OCI status page showed "Acknowledged."
Since then, the application has remained "Under Process." I know it's still relatively early, but as first-time parents we're checking the status more often than we'd like because we're hoping to visit India later this year so our families can meet the baby.
I've been reading different experiences online. Some parents mention receiving their e-OCI card for a newborn born in the USA within four to five weeks after submission, while others say it took closer to two months depending on the consulate and whether additional verification was needed.
Has anyone recently completed a newborn OCI application in the USA? Which VFS center or Consulate handled your application, and how long did it take from "Acknowledged" to the e-OCI being available? Did your application remain on "Under Process" for most of the timeline, or were there several status updates along the way?
Our experience through the Atlanta jurisdiction was slightly quicker than we expected.
We mailed the package in late June, VFS processed it within a few days, and then the application remained under process for roughly three weeks. One thing that surprised us was that we didn't receive an email when the application was granted. We happened to check the OCI portal ourselves and found that the e-OCI card was already available to download.
If you're only relying on email notifications, I'd suggest checking the portal every few days because updates don't always arrive by email. Based on my experience, the online status changed before any other communication reached us.
We applied through VFS San Francisco for our son earlier this year. The waiting period was definitely the hardest part because the tracker hardly changed for several weeks.
Our application was acknowledged about a week after VFS forwarded it, and then it stayed "Under Process" for almost a month. We never received any request for additional documents, so we were worried that nothing was happening behind the scenes. Eventually the status changed directly to "Granted," and the e-OCI became available shortly afterward.
Overall, it took around five weeks from submission to receiving the approval, which matched what several other parents were reporting around the same time. Every jurisdiction seems to move a little differently though, so I wouldn't compare timelines too closely.
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Our newborn's application took longer because VFS contacted us requesting a clearer scan of one of our supporting documents.
The original upload looked fine on our computer, but apparently it wasn't clear enough for verification. After we submitted the replacement copy, processing continued without any further issues. That added roughly two extra weeks to our overall timeline.
One thing I'd recommend is keeping digital copies of every document you upload. If the Consulate or VFS requests clarification, it's much easier to respond quickly. Requirements and processing times can change, so even applicants using the same Consulate may have different experiences.