OCI fees & processing time
OCI fees and processing time in the USA
Two questions decide most OCI plans: what does an OCI card cost, and how long does OCI processing take? Both have clear answers for US applicants — with a few add-ons and one stage that quietly eats most of the timeline.
OCI fees in the USA
- New OCI card, adult: $275 government fee
- New OCI card, minor: $100 government fee
- ICWF fee: $3 per application
- VFS service fee: about $19 for mail-in applications (varies by submission method)
- Shipping: prepaid courier labels through VFS, both ways
Fees are paid to VFS Global when you submit, not to the government portal. Two costs sit outside the OCI fee itself: a surrender certificate, if you need one first (a separate application with its own fee), and state apostilles for US-issued birth or marriage certificates, which run from a few dollars to about $25 per document depending on the state. Always confirm the current amounts on VFS before paying — the consulates revise them from time to time.
OCI processing time, stage by stage
- Getting ready: 1–3 weeks for most people — the state apostille on a birth or marriage certificate is usually the slowest piece, and it happens before you can file
- VFS intake: a few days from delivery to your application showing as received and under process
- Consulate processing: about 4–8 weeks in the USA once VFS forwards a complete packet; some jurisdictions quote 5–6 weeks
- Return: the passport and OCI card come back by courier; since July 2026 new applicants receive a digital e-OCI card
End to end, plan on roughly 6 to 10 weeks from starting your documents to holding the card, if nothing goes back for correction.
What actually causes OCI delays
Almost never the consulate queue. The repeat offenders are: a missing or wrong apostille, a photo rejected for size or background, a document uploaded to the wrong portal section, an unsigned or un-notarized parental authorization for a minor, and name mismatches between documents. Every one of those is a checklist problem, and every one restarts part of the clock. That is the entire premise of OCI Guide: the personal checklist, the photo checker, and the pre-mail packet audit exist to keep your application out of the correction loop.
Common questions
How much does an OCI card cost in the USA?
$275 for an adult and $100 for a minor, plus a $3 ICWF fee and a VFS service fee of about $19 for mail-in applications.
How long does OCI processing take in the USA?
About 4 to 8 weeks at the consulate once VFS forwards a complete packet. End to end, including document preparation and apostilles, plan on 6 to 10 weeks.
Who do I pay the OCI fees to?
VFS Global, when you submit your application — not the government portal. Surrender certificates and state apostilles are paid separately.
Fees and timelines summarized from Indian consulate and VFS Global pages for the USA as of late 2026; both change, so confirm on VFS before filing. OCI Guide is not affiliated with the Government of India, VFS Global, or BLS International. See also: how to apply for an OCI card, step by step.