India travel after interview/naturalisation before OCI

desihometown · Post by **desihometown** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 7:34 am

Hi

I am expecting my US citizenship (oath/naturalization) in the next couple of months.

Once I get naturalisation letter and my US passport, can I still use my indian passport to travel to India and come back on US passport ?

The reason I'm asking is, I may have to go India immediately after I get my letter/US passport and may not have the time to wait for OCI.

I'm just trying to find out if its legal, 'coz I read somewhere on the OCI website (the Visa outsourcing company's site) that you can use Indian passport upto 3 months after getting foreign citizenship.

Also, does anyone know OCI processing times these days ?

Thanks
DHT

Old-Spice2 · Post by **Old-Spice2** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 8:05 am

To be on the safer side, get a tourist visa which is possible to get the same day if you apply in person.

GutsyGibbon · Post by **GutsyGibbon** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 10:49 am

After USC, one needs to get a surrender certificate before applying for anything at the consulate. Surrender certificate + Visa would be quicker than OCI. Looks like the window to surrender/renounce indian citizenship (without penalties) has been extended. It used to be 90days, after which there were penalties. The travisa website only talks about penalties of using the consular services after 90 days of taking USC. E.g. Power of Attorney, attestation etc. The moment you take the oath, Indian passport will be invalid. After that, travelling with Indian passport to the best of my knowledge, is illegal. The entry and exit stamps on diff passports will cause issues at a later time. Looks like surrendering indian passport can also be done in person now. Lots of improvements from last year.

dcnri2india · Post by **dcnri2india** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 6:56 pm

The moment you obtain US citizenship, is the moment you lose Indian citizenship.
Having Indian passport from that point on is mere detail.

It is illegal from Indian perspective to use Indian passport after you have gained US citizenship. Visitor visa is the best option.

desihometown · Post by **desihometown** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 10:33 pm

ok, Thanks a lot guys.

How long is the processing time for OCI since they have outsourced OCI/PIO/Visa to the external agency ?

Last I heard it was anywhere between 30 - 60 days.