Questions
About the wizard, the waitlist, and the question we will not answer.
Does this wizard tell me whether my child is eligible for OCI?
Not yet, and it says so rather than guessing. Indian eligibility rules are checked against the authority that issues them before they go on this site, and that work is not finished. What the wizard does is establish your position precisely — where the child was born, the parents' citizenship at the time, what they hold now, which Indian documents already exist — and write it out as a summary you can send in one message. That is the part many families find hard, and it is what anyone answering needs in order to answer properly the first time.
Should my child get a British passport instead of an Indian one?
Whether your child should apply for British citizenship or a British passport is a question for a regulated immigration adviser — we can't advise on that. We handle the Indian documents whichever way you decide.
Why won't you answer that question?
Because advising on UK immigration and citizenship is regulated in this country, and we are not regulated to do it. That is not us being cautious about a grey area — it is the line, and it is a line worth having. A regulated immigration adviser can answer it properly. Whatever you decide, the Indian side of the paperwork is the same work and we do it either way.
Is anything I type into the wizard sent anywhere?
No. The questions and your answers stay in your browser. Nothing is submitted as you go, there is no account, and nothing is stored. At the end the wizard offers to open WhatsApp with your summary already written — that only happens if you tap it, and then it is your message from your phone.
What does the waitlist actually commit me to?
Nothing. It is a name and a rough year so we can contact you when the timing matters. You can ignore the message when it comes. What it gets you is a place at the front of the queue for that year, and the price we publish on the day you join rather than the day you use it.
What do you do with the four things I put in the waitlist form?
We message you on WhatsApp when your year comes round. That is the whole use. We ask for four fields and no more: no documents, no dates of birth, no passport numbers — none of that is needed to put a name in a queue, and asking for it would be collecting data we have no reason to hold.
Why are you asking about the parents' citizenship on the date of birth rather than today?
Because the parents' citizenship on that date is the first thing anyone assessing the Indian side will ask for, and it is a fact that does not change afterwards — unlike the parents' citizenship, which may have. It is worth checking against the actual passports rather than from memory. If the two answers differ, that difference is usually the whole question.
We are planning to naturalise. What should we do now?
Join the waitlist and get on with your life. India does not allow dual citizenship, so there is an Indian side to settle afterwards — typically a surrender certificate, and OCI cards, where they qualify, for families who want to travel to India without a visa. We have not published the exact requirement or its deadline here yet, and we will not guess at them; what we can tell you is that it has a lead time and that people often discover it late. Being on the list is how we make sure you hear about it in time.
Do you charge for the wizard?
No. It is free, there is no sign-up, and there is nothing to unsubscribe from. We prepare Indian consular applications for a fee and would like that work — that is the entire business case for this page, and it is better said than hidden.
Whether your child should apply for British citizenship or a British passport is a question for a regulated immigration adviser — we can't advise on that. We handle the Indian documents whichever way you decide.