US born baby of Indian parents. Immediate help needed.

[bpranam]

All,

My wife and I had a baby girl 4 months ago and now we are ready to move back to India for good. I am on a H1 and my wife on H4. Is getting the Indian passport still the best option? Will that be a risk now during travel or in future? Please advise. I have to take a decision ASAP. This will be a one way trip to India and we dont intend to return for a long time.

Thanks!

[curtdfw]

Do a site search for 'baby born in US to Indian parents' or something similar. Lots of threads with situations like yours.

[bpranam]

I did but was confused with all the mixed messages. Again, am new to the forum. Some said indian passport was the best option while others say US passport with indian permit is the best. Some messages were posted more than a year ago. Not sure if the rules have changed since.

[curtdfw]

Unfortunately the rules change regularly. Your plans for the future are probably the best guide for the decision. A child born in the US is automatically a US citizen. A US passport usually means easier travel around the world -- according to the Economist link below, a US passport will permit visa-free entry to about 4x the number of countries than is available with an Indian passport. As a hardcore traveler, that's an important feature for me, but perhaps not for you.

http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13244826&CFID=53604292&CFTOKEN=77002813

Alternately, if you plan for your daughter to be educated in India, an Indian passport will avoid NRI fees, I think. An education (or maybe just university) in the US? A US passport might avoid international student fees.

Tough call. Good luck.

[sridiculous]

US Born baby

Well, if your plans for the future visit to the US are not concrete, then I would strongly recommend getting the child an Indian passport. If you ever have to travel back to the US, then you can always apply for a US passport at the nearest US embassy and give up the Indian passport, whereas the other way is not possible. Also, this way, your child will be treated on par with all the other citizens of India and not as an NRI and no excess fees as well. This may not be an issue in primary education, but will definitely effect the higher educational prospects. I hope this helps you to make a decision.