Hello All I urgently need some information. Last year, we had applied for OCI for my infant daughter and it took a long time to process, so we applied for a visa for her that was issued for 10 yrs - multiple entry and we traveled to India without issues. Now after we came back from India, our house got broken into and our passports were all stolen. So we re-applied for the passports for the kids and they got new passports. After a few months, we got back our old passports, some good soul had found it on the side of the highway and located us via facebook and returned it to us. Now, we are traveling to India again in 2 weeks and my daughter has a valid visa, attached to her old passport. Is this still valid, if we just staple or attach both passports together? Or should I just get a visa on arrival for her?
Old passport has OCI - OCI has no expiry right. All U need is U-visa Take old passport along with new passport. If U Visa needs to be stamped on new passport you need to send it to the consulate. Since you are carrying old passport with new passport it should suffice. Please check immihelp for any changed rules.
Hi, no the old passport doesn't have OCI. It has a visa. Is U visa the category for India visitor visa? If yes, that is the visa that is on the old passport, stamped and valid. It was what we used to travel last year. My question is if the visa on the old passport can still be used with the new passport to travel to India now.
Did you have to file a police report to get a new passport? I don't think you can carry two unexpired passports simultanenously. They may have invalidated the old one when you got the new passport. Check with the passport agency but plan on getting visa on arrival. Indian customs might make a fuss if you show up with two passports.
Am I late to respond? PT - You need to go to the Indian consulate and get the visa restamped in the new passport. I got my son's OCI stamped in his expired passport and had his old passport with me but when I called the consulate before traveling they told me that for kids the visa has to be stamped in their new passports. I had to go get it done. For mine, I could take my Old passport with me along with my new passport(adults rule vary). Any lost passport is considered expired so yes go get the visa restamped.
@Laks09 " Our family just traveled to India and reached Mumbai last week. Both our children have new US passports and the OCI stamps on the expired US passports. Just to be safe we took the 30 day visa for the kids. At the Mumbai counter we showed the OCI booklets and old passports. The person at the counter saw in their records that we also got the visas and asked why we got the visas. I explained this new rule as the reason. He said there was no need forvisas. He specifically said all we need is the OCI booklets and old passports with OCI stamps." This is from a discussion which is happening for this issue. Few of our friend also traveled with old passport and didn't have any issue
Thanks! I was told to get it restamped for the kids and not adults when I called. Making that extra trip to the consulate before I left was such a difficulty. Wish I had know this would have saved me much trouble. And I had to submit documentation and wait for "processing" too. Just like a new OCI. Sigh.
Laks I think it's better to be on safe side. Imagine if they create issues after reaching or doesn't allow you to fly from here. I might do the same you did. Right now I'm waiting coz no trips planned for kids and I believe this rule will change as its so inconvenient.
:-( My case is slightly different. She doesn't have an OCI, it is a 10 yr, multiple entry visa and the old passport is technically not expired, it was stolen and later found. So she has the old passport with the valid visa and the new passport with no visa. And I am traveling in 3 more days.... is it too late to do the visa on arrival also now :-o