Recent Experiences Applying for e-OCI for Minors

We completed the process recently in Australia for our newborn, and our timeline was fairly straightforward.

The acknowledgment came about a week after VFS forwarded the application. We checked the status almost every day because we had upcoming travel plans, but there weren't many updates during processing.

One thing I noticed is that different families receive approvals at different speeds, even when they apply around the same time. A friend who submitted through another consulate received approval almost two weeks before we did, despite having very similar documents.

If you've already submitted the child's passport, birth certificate, parents' documents, and the correct photo and thumb impression, you've probably covered the major requirements. Requirements can change, though, and individual consulates may request extra documents depending on the case.

Waiting is definitely the hardest part of the process.

Our experience in the UK was a little different.

We applied for our daughter's minor e-OCI through VFS London after becoming British citizens. About three weeks after acknowledgment, we received an email requesting a clearer copy of her birth certificate because one corner of the scanned document wasn't fully visible.

After we uploaded the requested document, processing resumed without requiring a new application. The overall process took around eight weeks from submission until approval.

One thing I learned is that even if you believe you've submitted everything correctly, the consulate may still request additional documentation if something isn't clearly readable or if they need further verification. That doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem with the application itself.

So if your status is simply showing "Under Process," I wouldn't assume there's an issue unless they contact you directly.

We recently applied for our son's e-OCI card through VFS San Francisco, so our experience may be useful.

Our child is 4 years old, and we submitted the application in May 2026. We included his U.S. passport, birth certificate, both parents' OCI cards, passport copies, address proof, and the thumb impression instead of a signature.

The application stayed at "Under Process" for about six weeks after acknowledgment. During that period we didn't receive any emails, so we were worried something had gone wrong. Eventually the status changed directly to "Processed," and the digital e-OCI became available shortly afterward.

In our case, the consulate didn't ask for any additional documents. I think making sure the uploaded scans were clear probably helped, but every application is reviewed individually. Based on my experience, the waiting period felt longer than expected, even though nothing was actually wrong with the application.