Renunciation Procedure using VFS

[we-shall-overcome]

hi - was anyone able to figure out about the following. have written to VFS but no response yet -

1) For photo and signature - The checklist says to upload digital forms of both on the govt website. There is no place I found where i can do the same. Or shall we ignore this?

2) the renunciation certificate fillable pdf converts dates to m/d/y format automatically, also the lower portion is not able to record name, phone etc correctly and garbages them. So i have filled up what is possible rest of the stuff has been filled by hand. Is that what everyone is doing?

thank you

[Donald_Trump]

Ignore instruction about digital photo upload

For renunciation certification form, here is what I did.

Hit print on the form and "Save as pdf" - This way all the programmable scripts in the form are disabled. I then used an online site (google/bing and you will see a bunch of sites for this) to edit the pdf and easily filled all the columns manually. The date should be in Indian format. dd/mm/yyyy.

I used smallpdf.com which was very easy to use

hi - was anyone able to figure out about the following. have written to VFS but no response yet -

1) For photo and signature - The checklist says to upload digital forms of both on the govt website. There is no place I found where i can do the same. Or shall we ignore this?

2) the renunciation certificate fillable pdf converts dates to m/d/y format automatically, also the lower portion is not able to record name, phone etc correctly and garbages them. So i have filled up what is possible rest of the stuff has been filled by hand. Is that what everyone is doing?

thank you

[grrfromgk]

Did anyone receive the passport surrender certificate? If yes what is the ETA. Separately, is India allowing travel on visa?

[kiranboda]

Is anyone able to track your application once submitted on the VFS tracking webpage? And were you able to able to sign up for the Text message/SMS option? I tried entering my reference numbers (tried both VFS and Govt. reference numbers), but it says invalid inputs when I try to track them.

[mojoshtudd]

That Renunciation Certificate on their site was designed by a 2 year old on drugs and whiskey at the same time. Dont even try to fill it online. Print it out and fill it by hand or use a separate pdf filler. One question for Donald_Trump. That "Date field at the bottom left of the form. Is it meant for us to fill or the Consulate officer? It is a fillable field - so one one hand it feels like I should fill it. On the other hand, it is in the section called "Surrender Certificate" which seems to be meant for the officer.

[Donald_Trump]

India is not allowing people with tourist visa yet. However, OCI, business/work visa holders are allowed.

Did anyone receive the passport surrender certificate? If yes what is the ETA. Separately, is India allowing travel on visa?

[Donald_Trump]

Yes, that's exactly what I did. Downloaded form and used pdf editor to complete the form. Leave the last section blank (Date and sign of consular officer). They will stamp the date and sign. VFS has done a shitty job at this. CKGS was much efficient and smooth. With CKGS, all forms would be generated in pdf format once you fill everything and you just had to print. No manual work was needed. Had done renunciation earlier for another family member and it was so smooth and streamlined wkth CKGS. I so miss them. Wonder why they would not renew Ckgs' contract.

That Renunciation Certificate on their site was designed by a 2 year old on drugs and whiskey at the same time. Dont even try to fill it online. Print it out and fill it by hand or use a separate pdf filler. One question for Donald_Trump. That "Date field at the bottom left of the form. Is it meant for us to fill or the Consulate officer? It is a fillable field - so one one hand it feels like I should fill it. On the other hand, it is in the section called "Surrender Certificate" which seems to be meant for the officer.

[sksrinidhi]

There are 4 Application categories listed in VFS online application form. I know I am not belong to the 2 categories(which is before June 1 2010). I have valid Indian passport. I need to choose one from enclosed below 2 categories
1. Naturalized after June 1 2010 and does NOT have a stamp(Cancelled due to acquiring US/Foreign nationality)
2. Naturalized after June 1 2010 and does have a stamp(Cancelled due to acquiring US/Foreign nationality)

what does this stamp means(I thought its cancel stamp in the passport) and which option do I need to select.

[Donald_Trump]

That question is basically not proper. But the stamp they are referring to is the "Cancelled passport due to acquiring US nationality" that they will eventually put on your Indian passport when you send your documents to them which is what this renunciation is all about. So you need to choose option #1.

I say the question is not proper is because if my passport already has that stamp, then why will I need to do the renunciation process again!

There are 4 Application categories listed in VFS online application form. I know I am not belong to the 2 categories(which is before June 1 2010). I have valid Indian passport. I need to choose one from enclosed below 2 categories
1. Naturalized after June 1 2010 and does NOT have a stamp(Cancelled due to acquiring US/Foreign nationality)
2. Naturalized after June 1 2010 and does have a stamp(Cancelled due to acquiring US/Foreign nationality)

what does this stamp means(I thought its cancel stamp in the passport) and which option do I need to select.

[sksrinidhi]

Thanks for the reply. When I choose the option #1 then it generated check list. The heading of the check list reads --> "Naturalized on or After 1st June 2020 - DO NOT HAVE MOST RECENT INDIAN PASSPORT - UNITED STATES", Which is incorrect. There is no clear explanation of these options.

[Donald_Trump]

Yes, that is due to the buggy system they have. We need to ignore a lot of stuff and choose logically. You will need to do the appropriate checklist that is available on the VFS site under "Required Documents"

Thanks for the reply. When I choose the option #1 then it generated check list. The heading of the check list reads --> "Naturalized on or After 1st June 2020 - DO NOT HAVE MOST RECENT INDIAN PASSPORT - UNITED STATES", Which is incorrect. There is no clear explanation of these options.

[we-shall-overcome]

hi

what is the experience everyone is having after submission? how long before we get a notification from vfs for receipt and further processing to embassy? in my case the fedex status shows delivered but no update from vfs. from ckgs, it used to be pretty quick update from them followed by ups delivery

also, has anyone got the renunciation cert back ? how long did it take ?

[Donald_Trump]

Since VFS just started and there was a few weeks of transition period during which people were not able to apply anything, expect some delays as they should be receiving a heavy volume of applications.

hi

what is the experience everyone is having after submission? how long before we get a notification from vfs for receipt and further processing to embassy? in my case the fedex status shows delivered but no update from vfs. from ckgs, it used to be pretty quick update from them followed by ups delivery

also, has anyone got the renunciation cert back ? how long did it take ?

[we-shall-overcome]

true... however vfs has experience with the same applications for india in many countries and also usa in the past.... the transition should have been seamless....however, based on kind of issues faced, looks like they are setting everything up from scratch.....so strange....well no option for us but to wait and watch

Since VFS just started and there was a few weeks of transition period during which people were not able to apply anything, expect some delays as they should be receiving a heavy volume of applications.

[kiranboda]

Been 3 days since my application was noted as delivered by FedEX, but no status update what-so-ever. On top of that, I see this on VFS website. Who the hell pays to call a customer-service-agent? Is this like dial-a-**** or something....ridiculous!!

Please note that you will not be charged for the initial 5 minutes after you get connected with the contact center’s agent. Post that calls will be charged for every additional minute @ USD 2.48. Please follow the instructions on the IVR system for details.