Ready for the World

Before anyone can embark on international travels, they need a passport, even a one-month old. So one of the first things we did to prepare for our future travels was to apply for Aaron's passport.

Our first decision was a pretty easy one: US citizenship or Indian citizenship. We quickly settled on US citizenship because it has numerous advantages, one of which is that visas are not needed for so many countries. This will save us, and one day Aaron, countless hours and dollars.

To start, we went to have Aaron's passport photos taken. We thought this would be a challenge since the individual's eyes have to be open and he wasn't yet 4 weeks old. But the little guy cooperated fully and we ended up with a great set of passport photos.

Next, we headed to the US Embassy in Delhi with documents in hand that proved: 1) I gave birth to Aaron (medical records) and 2) I am a US citizen (my passport). With this proof, my citizenship could be transferred to Aaron and we applied for both his US passport and his Consular Report of Birth Abroad, which serves as a certification of US citizenship by birth. A few days later (less than a week for his passport), we received both.

Our next step was to apply for his Indian visa. Since Aaron has a US passport he technically needs a visa to  be in the country. So after one trip to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), two trips to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and one visit to our home by a police officer, Aaron was granted a one year Indian visa.

It's worth noting that MHA and FRRO are two of the worst Indian beaucratic offices, with notorious wait times and inefficient, unclear (and often non-existent) processes. To make matters worse, on the day we went to the MHA, the temperature was 42 C and the waiting room had no air conditioning. I was miserable to say the least, but I did my best to fan Aaron and attempt to cool him off. The visit to the FRRO office was cooler, but equally chaotic. The one redeeming quality of this place is that you see all of humanity there - literally. Regardless of status, foreigners have to register at this office, in person, within a few weeks of arrival in India and all visa extensions are processes there. So whether you are a diplomat, a student, a businessman or an Afghan refugee, you'll have to make a visit to this office. It's kinda cool to look around and see so many people from different backgrounds, a variety of people that are not often in the same room together.

Our final step will be to apply for Aaron's Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card, for which he is eligible because Ani is an Indian citizen. The PIO card will allow him to enter and remain in India without a visa for 15 years. We decided that the privileges that come with PIO status are sufficient as only voting and ownership of agricultural land are not permitted for PIOs. Given the painful but necessary evil of running between the MHA and FRRO to apply for the PIO card, we decided to hold off for awhile since his visa is valid for a year.

In case you are wondering, India does not allow dual citizenship, so this was not an option. Instead the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and PIO programs are in place to provide travel and residency privileges to US citizens of Indian descent).

So now with his passport and visa, Aaron is all set to see the world!