Document checklist for Indian services 2026

Photo size by service

The photo is easy to get wrong, because the size changes with the service. An OCI photo and a passport photo are different shapes, so one print will not do for both.

Our photo size checker covers the shape. Where a VFS appointment is part of your service, keep two identical photographs for the day.

How to prepare your scans

A clear scan or a sharp photo from your phone is fine. What matters is that the whole page can be read.

• Show the full page, with no cut edges.
• Keep it in colour, not black and white.
• Avoid glare or reflection across the page.
• Check that all the details are readable.
• For a passport, send the main photo page rather than the visa pages.

Address proof

For a UK address, this is usually a utility or council tax bill from the last three months. An old bill is a common mistake, so check the date before you send it. The address also needs to match the one on your application.

Your signature

Sign on plain white paper with a black or blue pen, then scan it or photograph it clearly, so the copy is clear and dark. For a very young child, some applications take a thumb impression instead, and we tell you if yours is one of them.

Birth and marriage certificates

These two follow different rules. If you were born in India, your birth certificate is generally accepted as it is. If you were born outside India, it may need to be apostilled in the country of birth.

For OCI through a spouse, a marriage registered in the UK or another country is accepted, but the certificate usually needs to be apostilled before submission. We check both before anything is submitted, so ask before you pay for an apostille.

Families and children

Where several people are applying, shared family documents are provided once, and personal documents are provided for each applicant. A child’s application also needs the parents’ documents, so tell us who is applying, and we send a list for your family.

Shorter lists: e-Visa, e-Arrival and UK passport

Some services need very little. An e-Visa starts with your passport details page and a recent photograph, and a phone photo with a plain white background is fine. A business e-Visa adds an invitation letter from India and your business card, and a medical e-Visa adds a letter from the hospital in India. The India e-Arrival Card needs no documents at all, only the details for each traveller. For a UK passport renewal, a digital Photo Code is preferred to a printed photograph.

If a document is missing

You do not need a complete set before you message us. Send what you have and tell us what is missing, and we tell you what to do next. A surrender certificate you do not hold yet can add a step before a Fresh OCI, so ask first rather than paying for something you may not need.

Where to send your documents

Use the buttons beside your list, and the service name is filled in for you. For most services the address is docs@matrixsolutions.uk. Visa documents go to our visa inbox, which the checklist shows when you pick a visa. On WhatsApp the number is 07309 081666.

Common mistakes

• Sending an out-of-date address proof.
• Using the wrong photo size for the service.
• A cropped, blurry or black-and-white passport scan.
• Leaving out a previous passport.
• Sending a marriage certificate that has not been apostilled where the route calls for it.

What Matrix Solutions adds

This page tells you what to gather. Our service goes further: we review your documents, confirm the exact list for your case, complete the application, and format your photo and signature. You can see the fee for each service beside its list, and the VFS fee table covers what is paid at an appointment. The decision on your application sits with the Indian authorities or HM Passport Office.