Extended Deadline for ‘Overseas Citizen of India’ Card Applications

The situation

The Indian Bureau of Immigration has confirmed that Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cards (machine-readable and non-machine readable) will be considered valid for entry into and exit from India until March 31, 2019. This is six months later than the September 30, 2018 deadline set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for mandatory machine-readable documents for entry into India.

Background

• What is a PIO/OCI card? Unlike many other countries, India does not allow dual citizenship. The Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card and the ‘OCI in lieu of PIO’ card is an identity document for foreign nationals of Indian origin that offers benefits that other countries offer dual citizens, such as entry into India without a visa and exemptions from local registration requirements, among other benefits.
• History of PIO/OCI merger. In January 2015, the Indian government merged the PIO card with the OCI card and allowed PIO card holders to apply for an ‘OCI in lieu of PIO’ card. Based on this merger, the Indian government most recently set a deadline of September 30, 2018 by which PIO card holders must convert their cards.
• Machine-readability. While they were issued, PIO cards were made in the form of both machine readable and non-machine-readable cards. OCI cards and ‘OCI in lieu of PIO’ cards are all machine-readable. The ICAO encourages the use of machine-readable travel documents to prevent fraud and to streamline immigration clearance processes at airports.

Impact

• PIO cardholders’ deadline. Based on the Bureau of Immigration’s most recent announcement, PIO cardholders benefit from an extended deadline to obtain an ‘OCI in lieu of PIO card’, which is machine-readable and will meet the ICAO’s requirements. However, non-machine-readable PIO cardholders should obtain an OCI card as soon as possible (by March 31, 2019 at the latest) to avoid being denied entry/exit while traveling to and from India.
• Consequences of failing to convert card. It is possible that ICAO advances the deadline set by the Bureau of Immigration for non-machine-readable PIO cards, in which case impacted PIO cardholders would have to apply for appropriate visas at the relevant Indian embassies/consulates prior to traveling to India or exit permits prior to departure from India. This could be costly and time-consuming.

Looking ahead

Fragomen India is tracking announcements being made by the ICAO and the Bureau of Immigration and will release further updates.

Fragomen in India is Fragomen Immigration Services India (Pvt) Ltd., operating exclusively as an immigration consultancy and not as a law firm in India. This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].