Registering a birth with the Indian consulate
A birth abroad to Indian parents is registered with the consulate that covers the place of birth. The result is an Indian record of the birth, which is what the passport and later the OCI application refer back to.
What it is not
It is not proof of Indian citizenship on its own, and it is not the US birth certificate. The US certificate comes first, from the county or state, and the consular registration is built on it.
Register within the window the consulate publishes. Late registration is possible and it is slower and asks for more.What to bring
| Document | Note |
|---|---|
| US birth certificate | The long form, with parents named |
| Both parents' passports | Indian, or the surrender certificate if one has naturalised |
| Marriage certificate | Usually asked for |
| Proof of address | To establish which consulate covers you |
If a parent has taken US citizenship
Then the child's Indian citizenship is not automatic and the registration may not lead anywhere. The route in that case is an OCI card, and the birth registration is still worth having as a record.
- US birth certificate first, long form
- Then the consular registration
- Then a passport, or an OCI if the parents have naturalised
- Both parents’ documents, not one
- Register early; late registration asks for more
The window, and what late registration costs
Consulates publish a registration window measured from the date of birth. Inside it the procedure is routine. Outside it, the file needs an explanation of the delay and often a sworn declaration, and it takes considerably longer.
There is no penalty in the sense of a fine. The cost is time, and it lands at the point where a passport is suddenly needed.
Names, and getting them right the first time
The name on the consular registration is the name that will appear on the Indian passport and, later, on the OCI. If the US birth certificate carries a middle name the family does not use, or an order of names that differs from Indian practice, decide now which version is the real one.
Changing it afterwards means an amendment on the Indian side and a matching correction on the US side, in that order.