One of the key things to do during your move from US to India, is providing "Change of Address". Should I be giving change of address to Post Office, Bank, 401k Provider, Social Security Administration, etc.,? Can I give foreign address to institutions in US? Can I setup mail forwarding from US to India? This post is intended to address some of the commonly asked questions on R2I Address Change.
(Also read: Return to India (R2I) - 25 things to do)
When returning from USA, you should have given the change of address to all the concerned parties, so that they can mail you the income tax statement. Otherwise, you may have to chase each of them to send you soft copies by email. Hopefully, you gave the address of a friend who lives in his/her own house. That way, you don't have to worry about change of address when your friend shifts his/her house. Inform/remind your friend that he/she may receive your income tax statements from different sources. This will help them to keep an eye on it.
Post Office - Giving "Change of Address" to your post office is one of the important things you should do. It is recommended to give the address of a friend who owns a house (A friend who rents a house may move around). Also, the friend has to be very reliable. He/she shouldn't miss important mail communications to you.
(Note: There are services that provide you a local P.O Box address in US and does international mailing of shipment to India. I don't have much details on them and I'm not sure how reliable they are)
Employer - Your employer would have to send your W2 statement at the end of the financial year. You would need that to file your tax returns. You need to give your employer the address to which they've to mail your W2 statement. You can give your India address or ask your employer to ship the W2 statement to your friend's address. Your friend can courier it to you or scan it and send it to you, for filing the tax returns online.
401K Provider - Depending upon the provider, you can give a foreign address. For ex., Vangaurd would allow you to maintain a foreign address for your 401k account. (Also read: R2I - 401(k) closure FAQs)
Bank / Credit Cards - Many banks allow you to provide a foreign address for communication. However, it is recommended to call the banking institution to confirm the same. In todays "hi-tech" world, you can do most of the transactions online and even get your monthly statements online. You can also give your friend's address in the Bank for communication.
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) - You can give a foreign address in some of the DMVs. For example, Oregon DMV allows you to do that. Call & check with your DMV directly.
Jury Duty/Voters List - If you are a US Citizen, you can do the address change on voters list, in your DMV office itself. You're called for Jury Duty based on the records in Secretary of State offices (which they get from DMV) & Voters list. You can call your "State Election Offices" to do the change in Voters list (if DMV doesn't offer that service)
Social Security Administration - No address change required. However, you need to keep IRS informed about your address change. You should fill Form 8822, to notify IRS about your address change. SSA doesn't maintain your address records if you are not getting benefits currently (i.e., until you reach your retirement age). SSA gets the information from IRS (Internal Revenue Service). So, keep the IRS informed about your change of address. You can notify IRS regarding the address change by using Form 8822.
SSA would start tracking your address (on its own) only after you reach your retirement age. You can refer to the following FAQ on SSA website that provides additional information:
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10028.html
(Also read: How can I get my Social Security benefits/money?)
Post R2I - Once you returned to India, there is no "formal" process to notify India government about R2I. If you have a PIO you may need to get it registered, at the FRRO. If you have an OCI, you don't need any registration.
In general, I would recommend you to give a friend's address for all the institutions in US, from whom you would receive correspondences. That way, the mail doesn't get lost/missed during international shipment.
US Citizens - US Citizens should let the consulate or nearest embassy know that they're residing/traveling in a foreign country. They should let the consulate know about the change of address - https://travelregistration.state.gov/
The following website provides additional address change instructions for US Citizens.
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Services/Address_Changes.shtml
Note: This blog post provides a list of common places where you have to change your address. This isn't a comprehensive list.
Also read:
R2I Planning Guide
Returning to India - 25 things to do
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Raw Vegetarian Diet - Experiment scaled down
I started experimenting "raw vegetarian diet", a few months ago. I liked the idea of eating uncooked vegetables and they really tasted good. However, I couldn't sustain my experiment for more than couple of months. There were several challenges that I faced during the experiment:
(Also read: Why am I a Vegan?)
- Vegetables that we get in the market/shop aren't "fresh" most of the times
- It takes lot of time to eat raw vegetables
- It also takes a lot of time for us to "digest" raw vegetables
- Raw vegetables generate lot of gas and stomach is always 'heavy'
- The craving for 'cooked' food is hard to control :-)
Also read:
A journey from non-vegetarian to raw-vegetarian
Why am I a Vegan?
Sunday - a day of mass murders in India
Canon Camera Service Centers in Chennai - Scarce & Costly !
I have been owning a Canon Powershot A630 for nearly 4 years, now. Recently, the camera needed a service. The lens door wasn't closing or opening properly. I started looking for service centers in Chennai. I took the camera for service to a 'mom & pop' service center in Parson Complex (near Gemini Flyover). The shop was called V.V Camera Clinic. It looked very much like a 'watch repair shop' that you see on the road sides. After seeing the camera, he said, he'll charge Rs.950 for the repair. I was completely thrown away when I heard the price. I asked him - "Are you going to replace th entire lens". He said, "No sir! I'm going to just fix the lens door". I asked him "Can you just remove the lens door for me? Technically, I don't need a lens door as I'm keeping the camera away from dust all the times". He said "No sir ! It isn't possible". I was hesitant to leave my costly(!) camera there for service. I decided to check with a proper "Canon Camera Service Center" in Chennai. (Also read: Goods in US market - lots of options & cheaper prices)
One of my friends told that there is a Canon Service Center opposite to HCL Technologies, in Vadapalani. I took the camera there and came to know that the Service Center is taking care of only printer repairs, these days (They used to service cameras before). It looks like they've consolidated all the Canon Camera/Camcorder repair services to one location in Chennai.
The Canon Camera Service Center is located in Mylapore - right opposite to Thirumayilai MRTS/Railway Station. It is a busy area with buses flying left and right. and I had to park my two wheeler on the road near-by. The service center itself is a small shop and had neat interiors. There were atleast 3 people waiting before me. There was a board in the shop displaying the rates for various services. The minimum charge for any service is Rs.827 (Rs.750 + tax). They do a pre-inspection and will tell you "how much it would take to service the Canon camera". They'll give you a ball park estimate. After inspection, they'll tell you the exact amount for the service. If you think, you don't want to do the service, you can get the camera back. However, they charge Rs.200/- for inspection.
One of the service reps did a pre-inspection and told me that it would take Rs.950 for the service :-) [Thats when I realized why the "mom & pop" guy asked for Rs.950]. I asked the service rep "Why does it cost so much to just replace a small lens door?". He said "Sir ! Any time we open a camera for repair, we charge Rs.827. Charges for the parts will be extra". I thought "Hmm ! These guys are getting more than what I get paid for an hour of job". I didn't have much option. I decided to leave the camera there for service. They called me in an hour and asked me to collect the camera back. I couldn't go on the same day and collected the camera on the following day.
It costed me $20 to get a small lens door replaced, in Chennai. Of course, the same job would cost more in US. But, $20 still looked high for Indian standards. Considering the fact that many guys own Canon Camera/Camcorders here, having only one service center for Cameras/Camcorders was still surprising to me. Not sure if there are many mom & pop guys who are stealing "service" business from Canon. Or, the Canon cameras may not be getting faulty often :) Anyways, it was an interesting experience to me. Just thought of sharing the experience with others.
Here is the address for the Canon Authorized Service Center in Chennai. NO. 7 RK MUTT ROAD, 1ST FLOOR, MYLAPORE, CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, Pin : 600028, Tel : 044-42101331/64602423. You can look at Canon India website for the latest details.
Also read:
IP Phone - Magic Jack vs Vonage vs Skype
Goods in US market - lots of options & cheaper prices
How much money do you need to R2I?
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Anna Tower Park - A boon for Anna Nagar residents
(Also read: A visit to Arignar Anna Zoological Park - Vandalur A visit to Children's Park & Snake Park in Guindy
)
The 135ft tower in the center of the park, painted in fresh orange, is an eye catcher. I was curious to take a peek at the Chennai city from the top of the tower. However, access to the tower was closed. I was told that the access is restricted due to increased suicides and "pairs" using walkways as a "hangout" place.
The entire park was very busy - folks who are exercising, readers who are buried into their books, students hanging out with their friends, elderly couples chit-chatting, families relaxing, and kids playing. Despite the "busyness" engulfing the park, everyone gets their privacy.
The park had a meditation court, a small pond, kids play area, walk-ways and grass land, an arena for dance/music, cricket pitch, skating rink, and water fountains. In the night, they switched-on fancy lights, which made the entire place to look very colorful. The park also had well maintained rest room facilities. There is enough parking available along the road side for both two wheeler and cars. There is also a constable standing outside the park, to maintain some order. (Also read: Semmozhi Poonga - A Greenway in the heart of Chennai)
It looks like kids are taught "skating" lessons in the mornings and evenings in Anna Tower Park. Also, the park is used for hosting week long annual celebrations of "Chennai Sangamam", a Tamil cultural festival. You can easily spend two or three hours in the park. There is lots of entertainment for kids. Adults can also spend time peacefully in the park.
Anna Tower Park is definitely a boon for the residents in and around Anna Nagar.
Also read:
Semmozhi Poonga - A Greenway in the heart of Chennai
Skywalk Ampa Mall - Multiplex++
Mahabalipuram, Muttukadu & Crocodile Park
American Library in US Consulate - for History Lovers
A visit to Children's Park & Snake Park in Guindy
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