Both parents must complete, sign, and notarize the OCI parental authorization form before the Government of India will process an Overseas Citizenship of India card for a minor. The form confirms that each parent consents to the child’s OCI registration under Section 7A of the Citizenship Act of 1955 and travels with the rest of the application package submitted through VFS Global in the United States.1OCI Services. Frequently Asked Questions – Online OCI Services A missing signature, a name that doesn’t match the passport, or an unclear notary seal will send the whole package back unprocessed.
Where to Download the Current Form
The form lives on the VFS Global OCI services page for the United States, listed under the document checklist for minor applicants.2VFS Global. OCI Information Always download the version linked on the current checklist. VFS updates its forms periodically, and a copy saved from an earlier application may no longer be accepted.
Fill out the online OCI application at ociservices.gov.in first.3OCI Services. Online OCI Services The portal issues an application reference number after registration, and that number goes on the parental authorization form to link the physical paperwork to the digital file. Keep your child’s U.S. passport and both parents’ passports next to you while filling out the online application and the authorization form, so every name, date of birth, and passport number matches exactly across both.
What the Form Asks For
The form identifies the child by full legal name, date of birth, and place of residence, then states that both parents authorize issuance of an OCI card for that child.4VFS Global. Parental Authorization for Minors Both parents also submit copies of their government-issued photo ID along with the child’s birth certificate.
What trips people up is almost always a small transcription error. The child’s name has to appear exactly as it does on the U.S. passport, middle names and suffixes included. Parents’ names have to match their own passports. The application reference number has to be copied precisely from the online portal. Consular staff check every field on the paper form against the digital record, and a single spelling drift can hold the file up.
Signatures and Thumbprints
Both parents sign the authorization form, and those signatures must be identical to the signatures on the OCI application form and on each parent’s passport or ID.5VFS Global. Minor New Foreign National by Birth and Never Held Indian Passport Mismatched signatures are one of the most common reasons applications get rejected. If your everyday signature has drifted from the one in your passport, practice the passport version before you sit down with the notary.
The child signs the separate OCI application form on their own. A child too young to write provides a thumbprint instead: male minors use the left thumb, female minors use the right thumb.6Consulate General of India, Edinburgh. Brief Instructions for Filling Online OCI Application Form A parent should not sign the child’s application on the child’s behalf. If the child can write, they sign for themselves; if not, the thumbprint replaces the signature.
When One Parent’s Signature Is Enough
The two-parent rule has specific exceptions. Only one parent needs to sign in the following situations:
- The other parent is deceased. Include a copy of the death certificate.
- The signing parent has sole legal custody after divorce. Include the court order granting full custody. This applies when the other parent has no visitation rights and is not paying child support.
- The child was adopted by a single parent. Include a copy of the adoption document.
Any supporting document that is not in English needs a certified English translation from an authorized translator.5VFS Global. Minor New Foreign National by Birth and Never Held Indian Passport
Situations where a parent has abandoned the family or is untraceable are harder. The Indian government’s Annexure C declaration covers cases where a parent deserted the child and their whereabouts are unknown, but the reviewing officer has discretion to ask for additional documentation.7Passport Seva. Annexure C Specimen Declaration If your circumstances don’t fit cleanly into one of the categories above, contact the consulate before you submit rather than after.
Notarization Rules
The authorization form has to be notarized as an original. Photocopies and scans of a notarized form are not accepted.5VFS Global. Minor New Foreign National by Birth and Never Held Indian Passport The notary verifies each parent’s identity with government-issued photo ID, watches the signing, and applies their seal and signature. The stamp needs to be legible and should show the commission number, expiration date, and jurisdiction.
Parents in different cities do not have to appear before the same notary. Each parent can have their signature notarized separately, and both notarized originals go into the application package. Mobile notary services will do this in your home for a higher fee than a walk-in visit to a bank or a shipping store that offers notary services.
Where the Form Goes in the Package
The notarized original goes into the physical bundle sent to the VFS Global application center serving your jurisdiction, either by courier or through an appointment-based drop-off where available.2VFS Global. OCI Information Digital copies of every supporting document also have to be uploaded on the Government of India portal. Applications submitted without the uploads are rejected and returned regardless of how complete the paper package is. Because a rejected form means the whole bundle comes back, there is no way to correct a bad authorization form on the spot; the file has to be re-sent.
You’ll File This Form Again
The authorization form isn’t a one-time task for families with young children. A minor’s OCI card must be re-issued every time the child receives a new passport, and this requirement runs until the child turns 20.8Embassy of India, Washington DC. OCI Card Reissue Guidelines U.S. children’s passports are typically valid for five years, so most families go through the reissuance process at least two or three times before the child ages out. Each reissuance for a minor requires a fresh parental authorization form, notarized again.
After age 20, the cardholder no longer needs a new physical card with each passport renewal. Instead, they upload a copy of the new passport and a recent photograph to the OCI portal within three months of receiving the new passport.8Embassy of India, Washington DC. OCI Card Reissue Guidelines At that stage the parental authorization form is no longer part of the picture.