r2i forum

Senior members based on your experience / knowledge, Please help provide your opinion on this situation


We are relocating to India from USA after 10 years of stay in USA. Few months back blessed with a baby girl, we have 2 options as per existing law of both countries


(A) Get US PP + OCI (If child wants she can apply/get Indian Citizenship after 18 by renouncing US Citizenship)
(B) Register birth at Indian Consulate and get Indian PP. Once Child attains full age (18) within 6 months she will have to renounce US Citizenship to continue as Indian OR get US PP + OCI at that time and surrender Indian PP.
(Citizenship by descent - http://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/citizenshipact1.htm )


We thought we will go with option (B), but we need expert opinion here, considering following 2 points is it worth considering Indian PP for baby for first 18 years ?

1. Most schools have same fees for Indian citizens and OCI holders. Are there any advantages hoding Indian PP for first 18 years over US PP + OCI ? (With India PP child has to be restricted with US travel even for short term)


2. 18 years is long time. If at 18 child decides to go with US PP (& OCI) and surrender Indian PP will it be a problem considering fact that child did not apply for US PP for 18 years. Any possibility US Consulate will deny passport / refuse to identify citizenship at that time for any reason ? that will create lot of issues because at 18 child must get US PP OR At-least they should allow to renounce US citizenship

Advise please

Plan B. Get India passport right away. If you are going to be in India, that is oh so hassle free.
Private school fees have a difference between native and foreigner.
College entrance tests eligibility have a difference between native and foreigner - albeit the OCI

Issues under item 2 in OP are non-existent. Birth certificate would be required to apply for the first USA passport. It is always good to have chronological photographs of the baby saved in some album (both paper and electronic) as proof, if the child were to be growing up outside the USA. Travel to USA will not be feasible for the USA born child (eligible for citizenship) using an India Passport. This happened to one of India's diplomats (Khobragade); her children had to get US passports to get to USA and live with parents in Newyork.

Good luck.

Thank you very much okonomi for opinion

I agree on school front it could help but not 100% sure on college entrance exams as that will happen after 18 only and if child decided to go with US PP at 18 then college admission will come under NRI quota (as per todays rules)

okonomi;636280Plan B. Get India passport right away. If you are going to be in India, that is oh so hassle free.
Private school fees have a difference between native and foreigner.
College entrance tests eligibility have a difference between native and foreigner - albeit the OCI

Issues under item 2 in OP are non-existent. Birth certificate would be required to apply for the first USA passport. It is always good to have chronological photographs of the baby saved in some album (both paper and electronic) as proof, if the child were to be growing up outside the USA. Travel to USA will not be feasible for the USA born child (eligible for citizenship) using an India Passport. This happened to one of India's diplomats (Khobragade); her children had to get US passports to get to USA and live with parents in Newyork.

Good luck.

i will Suggest for Plan B. Myself and my wife are indian citizens and working at India and leaving in Tamilnadu. My Kid's (currently aged 16 years) is an US citizen.
Per tamilnadu State, Domicile requirement, the kid need to study from VIIIth onwards either cbse or state or ICGSE in approved schools located within Tamilnadu. for birth certificate of ur kid, try to get 20 birth certificates before u leave usa.
For engg education, he can fit in with TN State quota.
For medical education, he need to pass the NEET exam.
OCI card will treat the kid as an indian national with foreign passport and having met the domicile requirement of each state which u reside

bhakshi;636290i will Suggest for Plan B. Myself and my wife are indian citizens and working at India and leaving in Tamilnadu. My Kid's (currently aged 16 years) is an US citizen.
Per tamilnadu State, Domicile requirement, the kid need to study from VIIIth onwards either cbse or state or ICGSE in approved schools located within Tamilnadu. for birth certificate of ur kid, try to get 20 birth certificates before u leave usa.
For engg education, he can fit in with TN State quota.
For medical education, he need to pass the NEET exam.
OCI card will treat the kid as an indian national with foreign passport and having met the domicile requirement of each state which u reside

Happy to see this one.
Quite often, it is best to offer the Indian bureaucracy a simple case. A local person (india passport holder) applying for a local benefit. Any extra effort on the part of the bureaucracy would be thoroughly hated by the bureaucracy, or it would demand a price for understanding a special case. Parents will have to work this additional price into the cost of foisting the wrong nationality on their child.

The parents of the baby has to decide now about how much international travel they would do -- when they have to get visas for their india passport holding child -- and then take the decision on the nationality for their child until she reaches 18.

@okonomi

US born holding India PP would have difficulty getting visa / travelling internationally ? I know travel to US can not be made but what about other countries travel.

okonomi;636292Happy to see this one.
Quite often, it is best to offer the Indian bureaucracy a simple case. A local person (india passport holder) applying for a local benefit. Any extra effort on the part of the bureaucracy would be thoroughly hated by the bureaucracy, or it would demand a price for understanding a special case. Parents will have to work this additional price into the cost of foisting the wrong nationality on their child.

The parents of the baby has to decide now about how much international travel they would do -- when they have to get visas for their india passport holding child -- and then take the decision on the nationality for their child until she reaches 18.

cyber007a;636547@okonomi

........ holding India PP would have difficulty getting visa / travelling internationally ?....

Indian passport holders can also get visa-on-arrival in a few countries. HK and Macau are the two well known ones for this kindness. In the following link click on the India-Passport and see the other countries that welcome India tourists without early, pre-travel, vetting. https://www.passportindex.org/byRank.php

As I had pointed out earlier, parent would know the expected frequency of international travel of the child; and could have an idea of how the extra cost of getting visas would compare with the hassle of a non-Indian passport while growing up in India.

bhakshi;636290i will Suggest for Plan B. Myself and my wife are indian citizens and working at India and leaving in Tamilnadu. My Kid's (currently aged 16 years) is an US citizen.
Per tamilnadu State, Domicile requirement, the kid need to study from VIIIth onwards either cbse or state or ICGSE in approved schools located within Tamilnadu. for birth certificate of ur kid, try to get 20 birth certificates before u leave usa.
For engg education, he can fit in with TN State quota.
For medical education, he need to pass the NEET exam.
OCI card will treat the kid as an indian national with foreign passport and having met the domicile requirement of each state which u reside

sorry I had typo.

i will Suggest for Plan A. Myself and my wife are indian citizens and working at India and leaving in Tamilnadu.
My Kid's (currently aged 16 years) is an US citizen.

Per tamilnadu State, Domicile requirement, the kid need to study from VIIIth onwards either cbse or state or ICGSE in approved schools located within Tamilnadu. for birth certificate of ur kid, try to get 20 birth certificates before u leave usa.
For engg education, he can fit in with TN State quota.
For medical education, he need to pass the NEET exam.
OCI card will treat the kid as an indian national with foreign passport and having met the domicile requirement of each state which u reside