Friday, December 26, 2008

OCI & PIO Cards

Foreign Citizens of Indian Origin can avail OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) card and PIO (Person of Indian Origin) card. Both offer similar facilities. Neither of these cards offers dual citizenship contrary to popular belief. Also in case of OCI card the country of citizenship of the person should allow some form of dual citizenship. Such cards offer many benefits to foreign citizens of Indian Origin and many more facilities are expected soon.

·         Eligibility – Both cards can be applied based on earlier Indian citizenship of self or parents or grandparents. PIO Cards can also be applied on basis of earlier citizenship of spouse or great-grandparents. Citizens of certain countries like Pakistan, Bangaladesh not eligible.

·         Procedure – Applicant has to submit documents to applicable Indian Embassy/Consulate/Indian Immigration Office. In case of OCI card - applicant has to first get an online registration number also and quote registration number in the application.

·         Validity – Lifelong for OCI card and 15 years for PIO cards.

·         Benefits – Separate immigration counters at international airports in India. Card holders can maintain bank account in India and purchase properties in India except agriculture/plantation/farm house. They can work in India except in government posts. They can avail benefit of NRI quota in educational institutes.

·         Parity with NRIs - Treated on par with Non Resident Indians (NRIs – Indian Citizens) in all cases except 1) Cannot vote or hold public office 2) Cannot own agriculture property. 

·         Stay in India - OCI card holders need not report to police for any length of stay in India while PIO need to report only for stay more than 180 days. Also no visa requirements for PIO card holders to visit India. For OCI card holders - multiple entry multi-purpose lifelong visa.

·         Application for Indian Citizenship – OCI card holders can apply for Indian Citizenship after 5 years of getting card and after at least one year stay in India. PIO card holders can apply the same after 7 years of being ordinary resident of India. Cardholder will lose his foreign citizenship then.

·         OCI card offers more benefits than PIO cards.

·         Websites – for more details visit http://mha.nic.in (Ministry of Home Affairs, click ‘OCI’ for details of OCI Cards) and http://www.immigrationindia.nic.in (click ‘PIO card’ for details on PIO Cards).

 

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