The online form takes a square JPEG photo and a signature, each with its own pixel and file-size limits shown on the form (ociservices.gov.in: OCI FAQ). Printed copies for the centre are 2×2 inches, 51×51 mm.
Online photo
Square JPEG, 200×200 to 900×900 pixels, up to 200 KB; plain light-colour background, not white, with no border (ociservices.gov.in: OCI FAQ)
Online signature
JPEG up to 200 KB (ociservices.gov.in: OCI FAQ). Neither the MHA portal FAQ nor VFS UK gives its shape: follow the limits the upload screen shows. Picproved makes a wide 3:1 file.
Tip: UK photo booths and most UK shops make the 35×45 mm UK passport size, not a 51×51 mm square, so ask for a 2×2 inch print or make it at home.
Which centre for your area
Your address decides which Indian mission handles your application: the High Commission in London, the Consulate General in Birmingham or the Consulate General in Edinburgh. Either way you hand it in at a VFS Global centre, and all appointments are booked on the High Commission of India's appointment page (Consulate General of India, Birmingham: services through VFS).
Birmingham: Consulate General of India, 2 Darnley Road, Birmingham B16 8TE. For the West Midlands (Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall), Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire, Cumbria, Durham, Cleveland, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Humberside, North, South and West Yorkshire, the Isle of Man and the Isles of Scilly. (Consulate General of India, Birmingham: jurisdiction, Consulate General of India, Birmingham: location)
Fill in the form online. On the Ministry of Home Affairs OCI portal, pick your jurisdiction (London, Birmingham or Edinburgh). The photo and signature go up at the start, the documents once the form is filled in. Note your reference number, which starts with GBR (VFS Global UK: step-by-step guide to a fresh OCI).
Pay and send. Pay at the counter by cash or debit card. Bring two Royal Mail tracked, signed-for, next-day envelopes, or pay for the courier there (VFS Global UK: step-by-step guide to a fresh OCI).
Or make it at home. Picproved costs £5.99 (free while we launch) for one person's photo in every size you need, and it checks the size, background, head size and face rules before you save. The office still makes the final decision. Make your India OCI card photo
OCI photo in the app
OCI photo, 51×51 mm
Checked against the OCI rules
OCI photo questions from the UK
Can I use my UK passport photo for OCI?
No. A UK passport photo is 35×45 mm, but VFS UK asks for a 2×2 inch square print and the MHA portal asks for a square upload. Make a separate square OCI photo.
Is an e-apostille accepted on a birth or marriage certificate?
No. VFS UK says a certificate issued outside India needs a physical paper apostille; an e-apostille isn't accepted.
Can I post my OCI application from the UK?
No. VFS UK doesn't take postal OCI applications. You hand it in yourself, though a husband, wife or child can hand it in for you with an authorisation letter and proof of the relationship.
Who gives fingerprints at the VFS appointment?
VFS UK takes biometrics in person from applicants aged 12 to 70, and asks you to allow 30 extra minutes.
What if my child is too young to sign?
The MHA portal FAQ and the VFS UK checklist don't say what a UK child who can't sign should upload. Ask VFS UK before you apply rather than following another country's rule.
