Immigration Formalities Eased for Persons of Indian Origin
October 7, 2014
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PIO cards issued before September 30, 2014 will automatically be deemed to have lifetime validity and confer exemptions from immigration formalities. The Ministry of Home Affairs is expected to announce whether PIO card holders will still need to update their PIO cards when they renew their passports or obtain new passports.
PIO cards provide lifetime visa-free travel for tourism, business, and employment to eligible foreign nationals. PIO cards are available to:
- Most foreign nationals who ever held an Indian passport (except those from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka);
- Foreign nationals whose parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents were born and permanently resided in India, as long as neither was at any time a citizen of a restricted country; and
- The spouses of Indian nationals or a person of Indian origin.
What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals
This change should ease the ability of foreign nationals of Indian origin to engage in business travel and work in India and should reduce costs and administrative burdens for their employers. Previously, PIOs were required to report to the police if their stays exceeded 180 days and were obligated to update residence permits with details of new passports or new residence addresses, among other burdens.
We worked closely with Fragomen Immigration Services India (Pvt.) Limited ("Fragomen-India") to prepare this alert. It is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work or send an email [email protected].
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