As of December 30, 2024, US birth certificates submitted with an OCI application must be apostilled, and many US-born applicants did not need this before. We apostille US birth and marriage certificates from all 50 states so your OCI does not get held up.
"From the beginning to delivering of my documents, Fingerprints & Apostilles took control and kept me informed every step of the way. I will without a doubt be a repeat customer for all my apostilles."
Akin O. · Google Review
This is the single biggest reason an OCI application is sent back. VFS requires a birth certificate that shows the parents' names, the date of birth, and the nationality. The official rule is blunt: birth certificates issued by hospitals are not acceptable.
The souvenir certificate the hospital handed you when your child was born does not count. Neither do many short-form state copies, because they leave the parents' names off. If you send one of those, you get a remark, a hold, or an outright rejection, and you start over.
What works: the long-form, certified, state-issued birth certificate that lists the parents, ordered from the state vital records office. Once you have that, it gets apostilled by the issuing state. That apostilled long-form certificate is what VFS accepts.
Not sure which copy your state issues, or want us to handle the whole thing? Contact us and we will point you to the exact request, or in select states retrieve it for you.
OCI applications run on US vital records, and each one is a state document that gets a state apostille. Here is what comes up most.
The number-one document. For a US-born child of Indian-origin parents, the apostilled birth certificate proves Indian origin and the parent-child link. US-born babies and minors are the single biggest segment, and since December 30, 2024 their birth certificates must be apostilled.
Required for a spouse-based OCI when the spouse is of foreign origin, and to register a US marriage in India. The foreign-spouse path often needs two apostilled documents: the spouse's birth certificate and the marriage certificate.
An apostilled US death certificate comes up for NRI and OCI inheritance, estate matters, and proving lineage. A US divorce certificate is used for an OCI reissue after a change in marital status.
This trips up most people. Your OCI birth or marriage certificate is a US state document, so it is apostilled by the state's Secretary of State, not by the federal government and not by the Indian consulate. If you were born in Texas but live in California, your birth certificate is apostilled by Texas. Our order form asks which state issued the document and routes it to the correct state automatically. If you are not sure, just ask us.
The same price in every state. No per-state quotes, no hidden checkout fees. Return shipping is included.
Spouse OCI often needs two documents. The birth certificate and marriage certificate together are billed as the first document plus one additional.
Place your order in minutes. Pick birth or marriage and tell us which state issued it, because an apostille must come from the issuing state.
Mail or drop off the long-form, state-certified record that lists the parents. Do not send a hospital certificate, and do not notarize a vital record.
The issuing state's Secretary of State issues the apostille. We handle the submission and ship the finished apostille back to you, ready for VFS, with return shipping included.
One flat price, return shipping included, and the fastest path the state allows. We handle the paperwork and the submission so your OCI does not get held up.
You can. Here is what that looks like next to handing it to us.
| Do It Yourself | Other Services | Fingerprints & Apostilles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnaround | Weeks of back and forth | Varies, often slow | Always the fastest the state allows |
| Knowing the rules | You research each state | Generic checklist | We verified the rules from the source |
| Avoiding a VFS rejection | Easy to send the wrong copy | Rarely flags it | We check for the long-form parents-listed copy |
| Pricing | State fees plus your time | Service fee plus add-ons at checkout | All-in flat price, no surprises |
| Return shipping | You arrange and pay | Usually extra | 2-day shipping included |
The same state apostille lane handles every US vital record, for OCI or any other use abroad. All 50 states.
The core OCI document. State apostille on the long-form certified birth certificate, all 50 states.
Birth certificate →For spouse-based OCI and to register a US marriage in India. State apostille on the certified marriage certificate.
Marriage certificate →For NRI and OCI inheritance, estate matters, and proving lineage in India.
Death certificate →For an OCI reissue after a change in marital status.
Divorce certificate →The full state vital records apostille hub, every document and every state.
State apostille hub →Not ready to order yet? Get the free OCI apostille checklist so you send the right long-form copy the first time and avoid a VFS rejection.
Need an FBI background check apostille for India? That is a different, federal document used for India employment or business visas, not OCI. We handle those too, in 7 to 10 business days.
FBI Apostille for IndiaYes. Under a mandate effective December 30, 2024, US-issued birth certificates submitted with an OCI application must be apostilled. This catches many families off guard because US-born babies and minors did not always need it before. Always verify the current rule with VFS Global or your Indian consulate, since requirements change.
The most common reason is the wrong type of birth certificate. VFS requires a birth certificate that shows the parents' names, the date of birth, and nationality, and birth certificates issued by hospitals are not acceptable. Many short-form state copies leave the parents' names off and get rejected too. You need the long-form, certified, state-issued birth certificate that lists the parents, then it gets apostilled by the issuing state.
Yes. A spouse-based OCI for a foreign-origin spouse requires the US marriage certificate apostilled, and it is also used to register a US marriage in India. The foreign-spouse path often needs two apostilled documents: the spouse's birth certificate and the marriage certificate.
Usually no. India accepts English, and US vital records are issued in English, so a translation is typically not required. The exception is a name mismatch across your documents or a non-English source document, where a certified translation may be needed.
Often the remark is a request for an apostilled copy of your birth or marriage certificate. Order the long-form certified state record, send it to us, and we apostille it on the fastest path the state allows so you can clear the remark and move the application forward.
No. OCI birth and marriage certificates are US state documents, so they get a state apostille from the issuing state's Secretary of State. The FBI background check apostille is a different, federal product authenticated by the US Department of State, used for India employment or business visas, not OCI.
India accepts English, so most OCI applicants do not need a translation. If you have a name mismatch or a non-English source document, a certified translation can clear it. We recommend Rush Translate for fast, affordable certified translations in 65+ languages.
Get Your Translation from Rush TranslateWe receive a referral fee at no extra cost to you. Learn more about our translation partner.
One flat price, return shipping included, and the fastest path the state allows. We handle the paperwork and the submission.
Exactly which copy to order, why the hospital certificate gets rejected, and how to avoid a VFS hold. We email it to you.
Your checklist is on the way. Or open it now.