Global Entry For Indian Citizens- Without Any Address Proof In India

This post is mainly for all the Indian Citizens who want to apply for the Global Entry Program but- do not have any address proof in their name in India- they have a US address in their current passport- their address proof in India has an old address and not their current address in India- their valid H1B visa stamped on the passport has been issued by company A but the company has been acquired by company B. 

First of all, you cannot complete the Global Entry program process without going to India. You can apply for it while you are in the US, however, you have to go to India for an in-person interview for the 'Background Verification for GEP' at the Passport Office (Passport Seva Kendra/PSK) and police station in India as per your residential jurisdiction (Indian address that is furnished online).

You will not need an address in India for submitting the GEP application form on the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website.  For filling out the 'Background Verification for GEP application' and for the in-person interview at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in India, you need to provide the address for which you have a proof on your name. You will also need your PAN card number for filling out this application form. Also, the location of your PSK depends on this address (your current residential jurisdiction in India). If your existing address in India is the same as in your current passport address then you just need to provide a copy of the first two and the last two pages of your current passport along with one more address-proof document from this list.

Now, the problem arises since most of you do not live in India anymore, you may not have an address proof in India on your name. PSK accepts photo passbooks of active bank accounts (that has been active for over a year) from Scheduled Public Sector Banks, Scheduled Private Sector Indian Banks and Regional Rural Banks only. If you do not have a bank account or have a bank account that is not active or do not have an account in any of the banks listed above then ask your family member or a relative who has an active account in the above listed banks in India to add your name in their bank passport as a joint account holder. This is a very simple process that would only require a copy of your current passport, photo, and signature (no address-proof or Aadhar card is required). Plus it takes only 2 to 3 working days for the bank to add your name and issue a new photo passbook. Also, make sure that you get all the transactions made in the last 1-2 years printed on your new photo passbook.  You can take the photo bank passbook (original + self attested copy) along with your current passport (original + self attested copy of the first two and the last two pages). This method was suggested to me by the PSK in Mumbai and it did work in my husband's case.

For the police verification, you will have to provide 4 to 5 address-proof documents including the photo passbook issued by the bank. The acceptable documents for address proof may vary. It is, therefore, best to either call up your local police station or visit them to get a list of the documents that they accept. Now, you already have your bank photo passbook that has your name and address in it. You can show that to the police as an address proof. All the address proof documents for the police verification does not necessarily have to be in your name. For instance, if you are living at your parent's or spouse's house in India and the house is on their name, you can produce the utility bills that are on their name. Make sure that you have some Government issued document that proves that they are your parents. For example, birth certificate, your passport, marriage certificate, school leaving certificate, academic degree certificates, election commission card, etc- everything that has your parent's name in it. If your address proof is on the name of a person other than your parents or spouse then you would need to take a 'No Objection Certificate (NOC)' letter from the actual homeowner. For example, if you live at your in-law's house and the house is in their name, then your in-laws need to give you a NOC letter.

Lastly, if the valid H1B visa stamped on your passport has been issued by company A but the company has been acquired by company B then put the details of company A in GEP application form on the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website. Once you get a new H1B visa on your passport, you can also update this information in the GEP. I would strongly suggest that you apply for your Aadhar Card during your India visit. You do not need any address proof in your name to apply for Aadhar Card. Read my next post on 'How to get Aadhar Card without any address proof in your name?'.

I hope that you have found this post useful. Feel free to send me an email if you have any further questions.