OCI application for your children

Applying on behalf of children

In this article, we specifically address the issue of applying for an OCI for your children. If you, your parents or your grandparents were citizens of India, your children would also be entitled to apply to become an OCI.

For the latest requirements, please visit the VFS website and refer to the latest checklist. For many of our clients, the application for an OCI for their children requires them to have the copies of passports of both parents notarised and a copy of the child's birth certificate to be notarised as well. If you have multiple children, then each child must have their own set of notarised copies of parents' passports.

Usually, the requirement for attestation outlined for this application means 'certified copies'. However, if you are a resident of New South Wales, it also means that the attestation must be performed by a notary public. A justice of the peace (which is a free service) is not authorised to 'notarise' a document. Notarisation can only be provided by a notary public (and this is usually not a free service).

As a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney, we regularly help clients intending to apply for their own OCI as well as an OCI for their children.

What is an OCI?

OCI stands for "Overseas Citizen of India". For many of our clients, who are Australian citizens (and sometimes New Zealand citizens) living in Australia, the main attraction for applying to be recognised as an OCI is the multiple entry and unlimited stay in India. This is especially important if they still have family (ie, aging parents), property or other business interests in India.

What are the benefits of being an OCI?

Aside from multiple entry and the entitlement to multi-purpose life long visa to visit India, the other benefits of being an OCI are:

• Exemption from reporting to Police authorities for any length of stay in India; and
• Parity with non-resident Indians in financial, economic and educational fields except in the acquisition of agricultural or plantation properties.

Who can apply to become an OCI?

If you have renounced your Indian citizenship (or your family were originally from India) and you are now a citizen of another country (ie, Australia or New Zealand), you can apply to become an OCI provided that:

• you were a citizen of India at the time of, or at any time after 26th January 1950; or
• you were eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January 1950; or
• you belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15th August 1947; or
• you are a child or a grandchild or a great-grandchild of such a citizen; or
• you are a minor child of such persons mentioned above; or
• you are a minor child and whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India.

Besides, a spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application is also eligible for registration as OCI cardholder.

Acknowledgements

This blog is supported and maintained by Phang Legal. Phang Legal is a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney. With offices conveniently located in Parramatta and Rouse Hill, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.

Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.

Ern Phang
Notary Public

Ern Phang is the solicitor director of Phang Legal and a notary public. Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public, including the kinds of problems and solutions that his clients face when sending documents to India.

IMPORTANT: the information in this article is correct at the time of publication, however, the law constantly changes. This means you should always refer to the most recent articles because we try to update this blog on a regular basis with the most current information.

Attesting a copy of your passport of Indian Police Clearance Certificate

Are you applying for the Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) from India?

If you are NOT an Indian citizen, one of the requirements for submitting your PCC application to VFS is an attested copy of your passport. If you live in New South Wales, then your passport must be attested by a notary public.

How do you apply for the PCC from India?

The best place to start would be the VFS website and the application checklist. You can find that form here (the VFS often updates from time to time so always refer to the website for the latest forms and checklists):

https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/india/australia/passport-services/English/pdf/checklist-for-pcc-updated.pdf

Why do you need a PCC from India?

Generally, you would need a PCC from India if you previously lived in India and you need to provide support for a background check (ie, you are applying for a visa to another country, or you are applying for employment that requires a background check or criminal history check).

How do you attest a copy of your passport?

Application for the PCC must be submitted through VFS. VFS is responsible for processing applications on behalf of the Indian Consulate in Australia. If you live in New South Wales, then any documents that should be attested before being submitted to VFS generally must be attested by a notary public.

To attest a copy of your passport, you must provide us with your original passport. You can either arrange for it to be delivered to our office or you can make an appointment to bring it in person. We will be able to attest a copy of your passport at the time of your appointment and return your original passport with the attested/notarised copy at the same time. The process really does not take more than 10-15 minutes.

Can we attest a copy of your Indian passport?

Yes, we can attest a copy of your Indian passport on the basis that it is an international document and it is recognised in Australia as your primary form of identification.

You may need to check VFS requirements for the application if they will accept an attested/notarised copy of your Indian passport as the standard application checklist states that you must provide your original passport.

What next?

To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/notary-fees/.

Acknowledgements

This blog is supported and maintained by Phang Legal. Phang Legal is a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney. With offices conveniently located in Parramatta, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.

Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.

Ern Phang
Notary Public

Ern Phang is the solicitor director of Phang Legal and a notary public. Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public, including the kinds of problems and solutions that his clients face when sending documents to India.

IMPORTANT: the information in this article is correct at the time of publication, however the law constantly changes. This means you should always refer to the most recent articles because we try to update this blog on a regular basis with the most current information.

Why do I need to attest my passport?

Attesting copies of passports is a common request, but why?

Don't lose your passport!

Your passport is an important document. While it's not irreplaceable, to replace a lost, stolen, or damaged passport is a real hassle - an unnecessary burden if it can be avoided. There are going to be many times when you'll have to prove your identity and perhaps rely on your passport as evidence. In those cases, unless you absolutely have to, you shouldn't really be sending your original passport anywhere or to anyone. Not only can it be lost in the mail, but once your passport is out of your possession and control, then who knows what could happen to it. Instead of sending your original passport, perhaps you should consider sending a copy only.

Sending copies of your passport overseas

Depending on who needs to see your passport, the copies that you send to them may need to be attested by a justice of the peace or by a notary public. If you're sending a copy of your passport overseas, then it should be attested and notarised by a notary public rather than just attested by a justice of the peace.

VFS applications

If you need to send your original passport, or an attested copy of your passport, to VFS in support of any applications you may be submitting to them, we recommend sending an attested copy of your passport rather than your original passport. For people living in New South Wales, this also means your passport copy must be attested by a notary public while anyone else living in any other state can have their passport copy attested by a justice of the peace.

Primary identification document in Australia

If you don't have any other form of photograph personal identification in Australia other than your passport, you should probably carry a copy of your passport (preferably an attested copy) instead of your original passport. There have been many cases where we've had to help people who have lost their passport or had it stolen or damaged because they were carrying their passport around with them every day. You should keep your passport securely and if you don't apply for another form of identification (ie, like a NSW drivers licence or photocard) then consider only carrying an attested copy. Since you'll be using it only in Australia as your primary identification, you don't have to have it attested by a notary public and can rely on an attestation from a justice of the peace.

Our notary public services

As a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney, we help the community by attesting copies of passports all day every day.

(Just remember we charge for copy of each passport - please do not expect that you can have as many copies of the passport as you like for the same price.)

To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/notary-fees/.

Acknowledgements

This blog is supported and maintained by Phang Legal. Phang Legal is a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney. With offices conveniently located in Parramatta, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.

For more information regarding notary public services for documents going to India, view our notary publications at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/jurisdiction/india-notary/.

Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.

Ern Phang
Notary Public

Ern Phang is the solicitor director of Phang Legal and a notary public. Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public, including the kinds of problems and solutions that his clients face when sending documents to India.

IMPORTANT: the information in this article is correct at the time of publication, however the law constantly changes. This means you should always refer to the most recent articles because we try to update this blog on a regular basis with the most current information.

Same-Day Courier and Notary Public Services for clients across Sydney

Finding practical solutions during the restrictions in Sydney

The current restrictions and 'stay at home' orders in Greater Sydney will continue for the remainder of the month. This means that for many people who thought they could wait until our office reopens will now have to consider other alternatives to notarise their documents. Our office will remain closed to the public for face-to-face appointments until the restrictions have been lifted after 28 August 2021 (unless extended).

Despite being closed to the public for face-to-face appointments, we have continued to provide notary public services to the Indian community in a limited capacity.

No witnessing

Due to the restrictions, we aren't able to offer witnessing services. Witnessing services requires you to visit our office in person which you cannot do because of the 'stay at home' orders. Accordingly, this means we cannot notarise documents such as the general power of attorney, special power of attorney or other forms and declarations. You need to sign these documents in person and in our office, and so you'll have to wait until the restrictions have been lifted and our office reopens.

Certifying and attesting copies of document continuing

As for documents that don't require witnessing, we can still assist by notarising those depending on what you require. For example, we're still attesting, certifying and notarising copies of original public documents like passports, Australian birth certificates, Australian marriage certificates or Australian drivers licences. In all cases, this requires us to have the original document and that's where we engage same-day courier services to collect the original document from you and return it to you (with the notarised copies) once it's been completed.

Same day courier service

Some of you have already taken up our offer of including same-day courier services with our notary public services and, despite the occasional hiccup, we think it's working well. Those who have taken advantage of this service have benefited from having their documents notarised and returned to them with minimal hassle and fuss. Although it's more expensive than just notarisation, there are certainly benefits of using the same-day courier as it avoids the effort, time and expense of travelling to our office and that's a blessing that some people can appreciate.

Of course, we admit not everything is perfect and there have been some challenges in using a courier service especially during these restrictions. But please understand that the courier services are actually under higher demand than usual since many people are complying with the 'stay at home' orders and are now relying on these courier services as well.

So if you're in urgent need of notary public services, and you need copies of original documents (such as passports, drivers licences, VEVO/Visa documents) to be attested, certified and notarised, then this is the only available solution at this time.

... or wait

For everyone else, there's still the option of waiting until after the restrictions have been lifted. Assuming the situation in Sydney improves, then we expect the restrictions should be lifted by the end of August 2021. However, please don't ask us when the restrictions will be lifted. We know as much as you know and that's all dependent on government announcements. If you're able to wait, then wait. We'll still be offering notary public services and we can attend to your requirements at that time, otherwise if you urgently need to have your documents certified, attested and notarised and you want to do it now - please take advantage of our current service offering including the same-day courier service.

Attesting copies of your passport (and other documents) during the lockdown

Notary public services continue for some documents

At the moment our office is closed to the public due to the restrictions and the current stay-at-home orders in place across Greater Sydney. However, as a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney that hasn't stopped us from continuing to offer notary public services in support of the Indian community with respect to certain documents.

While we can't provide witnessing services (ie, for the power of attorney or declarations or affidavits) right now, we can still attest, certify and notarise copies of original documents such as:

• passports (Australian and foreign passports)
• Australian visas (VEVO)
• Australian birth certificates
• Australian marriage certificates
• Australian death certificates
• Australian police clearance certificates
• Australian drivers licences, and
• Australian utility bills.

If you're in urgent need of these services, then please review the following steps to see which relates to you. You can always call us on 02 9687 8885 if you have any questions about whether we're able to assist you and you can always choose to wait until the restrictions have been lifted to make an appointment with our office.

Attesting copies of original passports

Original passports should be delivered to us by courier. You can attempt to post it to us, however considering that items often are lost in the mail, we don't recommend this method.

A courier service is generally a door-to-door service. If you have any trouble arranging your own courier, we can arrange for a courier to collect your documents from you. The courier service that we use is generally a same-day service across Sydney, which sometimes means we can arrange for a collection in the morning and a return delivery by the afternoon (or the following business day at the latest).

Many of our clients have already elected to use service to great success and satisfaction, and so it's already a proven process during these past few weeks.

Attesting copies of Australian visas (VEVO)

As the VEVO is an electronic document, we can verify and notarise a copy of your VEVO without a physical document. In order to notarise your VEVO, we must verify your visa status and obtain a copy of your VEVO from the Department of Home Affairs. This allows us to confirm the details of your visa and we notarise a true and correct printed copy of the electronic document (ie, your VEVO) that we obtain from the Department of Home Affairs.

In most cases (because we offer discount pricing), we notarise a copy of your VEVO with a copy of your passport which also means that you'll need to provide us with your original passport as well (see above). However, if you prefer to avoid the logistics of sending your passport, we can notarise the VEVO by itself.

Once we have notarised your VEVO (and your passport), we arrange for a same-day courier to return the notarised documents (with any original documents) to you.

Attesting copies of Australian personal certificates

Birth certificates, marriage certificates, and death certificates issued in Australia (or for this specifically, issued from NSW) are issued by the Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages.

You must either arrange for these documents to be issued by the Registry directly to our office or if you have the original you can either post them or have them delivered to us by a courier. As these certificates can generally be easy to replace (ie, it's just an application to the Registry) we think using the post should be sufficient and it's unnecessary to incur the additional cost of a courier unless you wish to have the possibility of a same-day service or you have other documents, such as your passport.

After we've notarised copies of your certificates, we're able to return the original certificate and the notarised copy to you by same-day courier.

Attesting copies of Australian police clearance certificates

Police certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) or the NSW Police can also be sent to us by mail or by courier. We require the original certificate as it contains security features which is important for the purposes of verifying that the document is original and authentic.

If you've obtained your certificate from an authorised accredited body, we can generally verify these certificates online through the relevant website as they're normally issued electronically. If you're not sure whether you can rely on a certificate from an authorised accredited body, we recommend applying for your police clearance certificate from the AFP or NSW Police.

Once we've notarised your police clearance certificate, we'll arrange for it to be returned to you by same-day courier.

Attesting copies of Australian drivers licences

We cannot notarise copies of your digital drivers licence. This means that if you want copies of your drivers licence to be notarised, you must arrange for your original drivers licence to be delivered to us.

We recommend using a courier service to deliver your drivers licence to us rather than sending it to us by post. Once we receive your drivers licence, we're able to notarise a copy of it and return both the notarised copy and the original licence to you by same day courier.

We're unable to notarise copies of an overseas drivers licence UNLESS it's part of our Indian Drivers Licence Verification (IDLV) service. For the time being, due to the current restrictions, we've suspended our IDLV service as it also requires you to attend our office in person to verify your identity and to sign the IDLV affidavit.

Attesting copies of Australian utility bills

If you're attempting to provide evidence of your current address (ie, to VFS) by supplying a copy of your utility bill, it's likely that your utility bill must be notarised. As most utility providers now issue their bills and statements electronically, you must to arrange for your provider to email a copy of your bill to us directly.

Once we receive your bill from your provider, we're able to verify and certify the bill by confirming that it was received directly from your provider. We can then notarise your utility bill on that basis. After we've notarised your utility bill, we'll arrange to have it returned to you by same-day courier which means this  process can be completed quite quickly.

What next?

To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/notary-fees/.

Acknowledgements

This blog is supported and maintained by Phang Legal. Phang Legal is a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney. With offices conveniently located in Parramatta, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.

For more information regarding notary public services for documents going to India, view our notary publications at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/jurisdiction/india-notary/.

Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.

For Hindi to English translation services by NAATI accredited translators, see https://hindi-naati-translation.blogspot.com.au/.

Ern Phang
Notary Public

Ern Phang is the solicitor director of Phang Legal and a notary public. Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public, including the kinds of problems and solutions that his clients face when sending documents to India.

IMPORTANT: the information in this article is correct at the time of publication, however the law constantly changes. This means you should always refer to the most recent articles because we try to update this blog on a regular basis with the most current information.

Attesting copies of your passport - it's easy!

VFS checklist for document attestation

Have you noticed that many of the requirements for VFS have changed, especially for people living in New South Wales? Previously, copies of documents submitted to VFS could be attested or certified by a justice of the peace. That rule no longer applies for people living in New South Wales. If you live in New South Wales, copies of your original documents (such as passports) now must be attested and certified by a notary public (ie, notarised).

As a leading provider of notary public services, we're often asked to help people with attesting their passports. In many cases, clients need to submit a certified and notarised copy of their passports with their applications to have documents like a general power of attorney or special power of attorney attested by VFS. In some cases, the attested copy of their passport is required when applying for new passports, or applying for police checks, or applying for the OCI for them or their children.

How do I get my passport attested?

The process is simple. You just need to bring your original passport to our office, and we'll take care of the rest! It's actually a really quick process with some clients (especially if they've made an appointment) in and out within 5 minutes. It's that quick. It's that simple.

Do I have to make an appointment to attest my passport?

It's always recommended to make an appointment because this ensures that we're able to help you at the time you want to be helped. You could always just come to our office at your convenience, but that doesn't necessarily mean we can help you at that time as we're normally booked with other appointments to help other people. If you're happy to take your chances and to possibly wait, then an appointment is not necessary - but still recommended.

How do I make an appointment to have my passport attested?

Just contact us. It's best to make an appointment by calling us, but you can also contact us by email or by Facebook Messenger - through our website. Calling us ensures that the booking can be made in the fastest and easiest way, especially because most people call and so appointment times can be taken quickly and a lot faster than if you're trying to make a booking by email or Messenger.

Do I need to come in person for my passport to be notarised?

No, if we're just certifying or attesting a copy of the original passport, and we're not required to verify your identity or provide confirmation that you're the person in the passport, then you don't have to come to our office in person. You can send someone else as long as they bring your original passport with them. You could always send the original passport to us by mail, but we don't recommend doing this and we wouldn't return your original passport by mail either - it would only be by courier.

Can I bring someone else's passport to be attested

Yes, as long as you have the original passport then we can still copy and attest that passport even if the person who holds that passport is not present. If you're bringing someone elses passport to our office, our office will still need you to bring your own photograph identification (which could include your own passport) as proof of who you are for our records.

Do I need to make and bring my own copies of my passport?

If you need to have coloured copies of your passport, then you need to bring your own copies. Otherwse, and in most cases, our office will make our own copies of your passport - but it will be a black and white copy.

Will you attest all pages of my passport?

We'll attest whatever you need to have attested. In most cases, our clients only require the front and back page of the passport, if they carry an Indian Passport. Otherwise, if you have any other passport then generally it's only the front page. If you need to attest all pages of your passport, that's not a problem but be aware that our normally low cost fixed fee may change with the increasing number of pages that you need to have attested.

Will you attest the visa page in my passport?

These days, Australian visas no longer appears as a label in the passport. The only way to obtain evidence of the Australian visa is through the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system. The requirement to attest the visa label in some VFS checklists may be outdated, or written with references to or based on other country requirements - not Australia. If you are concerned about satisfying this requirement, you should contact VFS directly to clarify. We can attest your VEVO or visa grant documents, however the cost associated with attesting this document is separate to and more expensive than attesting the passport.

Will you attest an expired passport?

If the expired passport is clearly an original passport, despite being expired, we'll still attest it. Attestation is simply confirmation that the document being attested is the copy of the original document regardless of its current status or validity. Whether you should be relying on an expired passport or should be using some other document is another question and you should check with VFS (or your lawyer handling whatever transaction you're involved in) before spending the money to have your expired passport attested.

Can I get my passport attested for free?

If you see a justice of the peace to certify a copy of your passport, then their service is free. If you are sending a copy of your passport overseas, cerification by a justice of the peace may not be acceptable. Generally, documents sent overseas (including copies of passports) need to be notarised by a notary public in order to be accepted. If you are sending your documents to VFS first, then make sure you follow the relevant VFS checklist which should detail whether your passport can be certified by a justice of peace (for free) or whether it needs to be attested by a notary public and essentially notarised. If your document must be notarised, there's usually a notary fee involved.

How much does it cost to attest my passport?

Fortunately, we have low cost fixed fees to attest copies of passports. Pricing will change from time to time and so it's always best to call and obtain a quote before you book an appointment, or you can visit our website and use our quoting tool. We try to maintain a notary fee that's lower than the recommended notary fees just to offer you that little bit extra in savings, especially for simple notary services like notarising copies of passports. We promise you won't be disappointed.

What next?

To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/notary-fees/.

Acknowledgements

This blog is supported and maintained by Phang Legal. Phang Legal is a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney. With offices conveniently located in Parramatta, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.

For more information regarding notary public services for documents going to India, view our notary publications at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/jurisdiction/india-notary/.

Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.

For Hindi to English translation services by NAATI accredited translators, see https://hindi-naati-translation.blogspot.com.au/.

Ern Phang
Notary Public

Ern Phang is the solicitor director of Phang Legal and a notary public. Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public, including the kinds of problems and solutions that his clients face when sending documents to India.

IMPORTANT: the information in this article is correct at the time of publication, however the law constantly changes. This means you should always refer to the most recent articles because we try to update this blog on a regular basis with the most current information.