PIO Card Holders Must Eventually Apply for OCI Card

Following the merger of the Person of India Origin (PIO) card and the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, PIO card holders can apply for an OCI card under the OCI in lieu of the PIO category. Eventually, all PIO card holders will be required to apply for an OCI card using the OCI card process to be able to travel to India. 

Notably, PIO card holders may have to file their applications at the Indian Mission or application center where the initial PIO card application was submitted, which may require travel for some. 

Deadlines for Applications 

For German and UK national PIO card holders, the deadline for voluntary submissions has passed as of April 8 and any travel to India going forward requires obtaining an OCI card in lieu of a PIO card. PIO card holders from the United States can file their applications by June 17 voluntarily after which they must obtain an OCI card in lieu of a PIO card to travel to India. Other foreign national PIO card holders may face different deadlines. 

The OCI application in lieu of the PIO category is still voluntary for foreign nationals of Indian origin residing in India, and they will not be required to convert to the OCI card until the Ministry of Home Affairs releases an official notification making it mandatory. 

Application Requirements and Fees 

The application process, documentation requirements and processing time for PIO card holders to apply for OCI cards under the OCI process is equivalent to that of a new OCI card application. 

There are no fees associated with OCI card applications in such cases, except application center service charges and postage costs for applications filed from abroad. 

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals 

Fragomen India is working with the Ministry of Home Affairs to determine whether PIO card holders currently in India can file their OCI card applications in their city of residence as opposed to travelling to where the PIO card was issued. Affected foreign nationals should contact their immigration professional for more information. 

We worked closely with Fragomen Immigration Services India (Pvt.) Limited ("Fragomen-India") to prepare this alert. It is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].

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