The new PIO Card Scheme 2002 has been in operation since 15th September, 2002. All persons of Indian origin who are in possession of the passport of any country except Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Sri Lanka or any other country specified by the government, are eligible for PIO Card if:
- He/She has at any time held an Indian passport.
- He/She or either of his/her parents or grandparents or great grandparents was born in India or permanent resident of India, provided none of them were at any time a citizen of any other specific country.
- He/She is a spouse of a citizen of India or a person of Indian origin covered under 1 & 2 above.
- Iranian nationals of Indian Origin can be granted PIO card following MHA approval.
- Fee: For all adults a PIO Card is issued after charging a fee of Rupees 15,000/- and for minors i.e. below 18 years of age Rupees 7,500/- is levied as fees. All PIO Cards are valid for 15 years.
- Authority to which application is to be made: -
Documentary evidence of being person of Indian origin to be produced.
An application for issue of a PIO Card can be made at Indian Mission in the country where the applicant is ordinarily resident. In case applicant is already in India on Long Term Visa (more than one year), then application for PIO can be made for issue of a PIO Card to the following authorities:
| (A) Those residing in: - |
| (a) |
Delhi |
Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, Level-II, East Block-VIII, Sector-I, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110066 |
| (b) |
Mumbai |
Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, 3rd Floor, Special Branch Building, Badruddin Tayabji Lane, Behind St. Xaviers College, Mumbai-400001 |
| (c) |
Kolkata |
Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, 237, Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Road, Kolkata-700020 |
| (d) |
Amritsar |
Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, 123-D, Ranjeet Avenue, Amritsar-143001 |
| (e) |
Chennai |
Foreigners Regional Registration Officer,Shastri Bhavan, 26, Haddows Road, Chennai-600006 |
(B) Foreigners who are residing elsewhere in India other than (A) ,will have to submit their application to the:
Joint Secretary (Foreigners), Ministry of Home Affairs, Jaisalmer House, 26, Man Singh Road, New Delhi-110011
Documents required to be presented at the time of submission of application for PIO:
- Application of PIO Card can be downloaded from the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs i.e. www.mha.nic.in
- Photocopy of the foreign passport presently held (Front page i.e. photo page and VISA page). Photocopy of the initial VISA, which has been registered with FRRO/FRO cum Superintendent of Police.
- Photocopy of all the pages of Registration certificate issued by the FRRO/FRO office.
- Four recent passport size photographs.
- Demand Draft/Pay Order in favour of FRRO, Delhi, for Rs.15000/- in case of individuals above 18 years and Rs.7500/- in the case of applicants below 18 years of age.
- Two photocopies of Demand Draft/Pay Order.
- Proof of Indian Origin:
- Previous Indian Passport OR
- Birth Certificate and parents’/grandparents/great grandparents Indian passport OR
- Marriage certificate and copy of spouse’s Indian passport
A PIO card holder is exempt from the requirement of registration if his stay on any single visit in India does not exceed 180 days. In the event of continuous stay in India of the PIO card holder exceeding 180 days, he/she shall have to get himself/herself registered within 30 days of the expiry of 180 days with the concerned Foreigners Regional Registration Officer/Foreigners Registration Officer. Minors are also exempt from registration regardless of the duration of their stay or type of visa. An penal fee of US$ 30 is charged towards late registration. Every foreigner at the time of Registration, shall furnish, such information in registration report, as may be in his possession for the purpose of satisfying the Registration Officer and shall, on being required, shall sign the registration report in the presence of the said officer and shall thereupon be entitled to receive from the said officer a certificate of registration in Part III of Form A:
The following documents are required to be submitted at the time of registration.
- Registration form in triplicate (3 Copies).
- 4 Recent passport size photographs.
- Copy of PIO Card
- Copy of passport/VISA/arrival immigration stamp.
- Copy of valid and notarised Lease/Rent agreement OR Copy of C-Form from the Hotel OR copy of recent electricity/telephone bill along with the letter from the landlord, towards proof of residence.
- Duly filled in Registration Book (Upto page 8).
- Passport in original.
- PIO card holder shall not require a separate VISA to visit India. The card is valid for 15 years.
- PIO card holder will be exempt from the requirement of registration if his stay on any single visit in India does not exceed 180 days. In the event of continuous stay in India of the PIO card holder exceeding 180 days, he/she shall have to get himself/herself registered within 30 days of the expiry of 180 days with the concerned Foreigners Regional Registration Officer/Foreigners Registration Officer. For minor no registration is required on any type of visa.
- The PIO card holder doesn’t require a student VISA for undertaking studies in India and similarly no Employment VISA will be required for taking up employment in India.
- The PIO card holder shall enjoy parity with NRIs in respect of facility available to the latter in the economic, financial and education fields except in matters relating to acquisition of agriculture plantation/properties. However, no parity shall be allowed in the sphere of political rights.
b. OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) CARD
Foreigners of Indian origin (excluding citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh) whose present nationality is such that allows dual citizenship in some form or other, are eligible to apply under OCI scheme, if he/she possesses evidence of their self, parents or grandparents:
Being eligible to become a citizen of India at the time of commencement of Indian Constitution i.e. 26.01.1950.
OR
Belonging to a territory that became a part of India after 15.01.1947.
OR
Being a citizen of India on or after 26.01.1950.
Authority to which application is to be made: -
Application for the OCI Card is available online on the Ministry of Home Affairs website i.e. www.mha.nic.in which can be submitted to:
(A) Indian Mission in the country where the applicant is ordinarily resident, when such foreigner is resident outside India.
(B) Concerned FRROs having jurisdiction for processing the applications which are as under:
| Sl NO. |
FRRO Office |
FRRO Office |
FRRO Office |
| 1 |
Delhi |
Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
States/UTs under the jurisdiction of FRRO Lucknow would be dealt by FRRO Delhi, till March 31, 2013 |
| 2 |
Amritsar |
Punjab, J&K, Chandigarh |
|
| 3 |
Lucknow |
UP, Bihar, Jharkhand |
w.e.f. April 04,2013 |
| 4 |
Kolkata |
West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura |
|
| 5 |
Hyderabad |
Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh |
|
| 6 |
Chennai |
Tamilnadu, Puduchery, Andaman & Nicobar |
|
| 7 |
Bangalore |
Karnataka |
|
| 8 |
Mumbai |
Maharashtra, M.P., Gujrat, Daman & Diu |
States/UTs under the jurisdiction of FRRO Goa would be dealt by FRRO Mumbai, till further orders. |
| 9 |
Trivandrum |
Respective Jurisdiction L&M Islands & Kerala |
Excluding jurisdiction of other FRROs |
| 10 |
Calicut |
Respective jurisdiction & Kerala |
Excluding jurisdiction of other FRROs |
| 11 |
Cochin |
Respective jurisdiction & Kerala |
Respective jurisdiction & Kerala |
| 12 |
Goa |
Goa , Dadra & Nagar Haveli |
w.e.f. April 01, 2013, by FRRO Mumbai till further orders. |
Note: Processing for applications pertaining to jurisdiction of FRRO, Goa would be undertaken by FRRO- Mumbai till further orders.
Documents required to be enclosed at the time of submission of application for OCI:
Application of the OCI Card can be downloaded from the website of the Ministry of Home Affairs i.e. www.mha.nic.in .Form XIX,Part A can be filled online and printout taken, while Form XIX ,Part B has to be filled by hand.
- Photocopy of Passport and valid VISA.
- Proof of Indian Origin –
- Previous Indian Passport OR
- Applicant Birth Certificate
- Any other documentary proof
- In case of PIO Card holder - Copy of PIO Card and Copy of previous Indian passport/Birth Certificate and parents Indian passport.
- Copy of Registration Certificate.
- Application with the self-attested documents to be submitted in duplicate along with the following:
- Demand Draft of Rs. 15000/- (for non- PIO Card holders) and Rs. 1400/- (for PIO Card holders) and Rs. 8000/- (for minor PIO Card holder), for OCI Misc. Services Rs. 1400/- (for Reissue of OCI Card), Rs. 5500/- (for loss/damages of OCI Card) in favour of ‘Pay & Accounts Officer (Secretariat) Ministry of Home Affairs with 4 recent passport size photographs.
- Grant of multiple entry, multipurpose lifelong VISA to visit India.
- Exemption from registration with FRRO/FRO for any length of time.
- Parity with NRI's in economic, financial and educational fields except in matters relating to acquisition of agricultural/plantation properties.
- Note: In case of minor children, OCI will be issued, if either of the parents is holding OCI Card or eligible for OCI.
- OCI Card holders who have entered in India without U visa sticker may seek exit permission/extension of TLF from FRRO/FROs.
1. Eligibility: A. Tourist Visa-on-Arrival (TVoA) is granted to citizens of certain countries (visit https://boi.gov.in for details) whose sole objective in visiting India is for purposes such as recreation, sight-seeing, casual visits to meet friends or relatives, short-duration medical treatment, or casual business visits etc. and no other purpose or activity. The criteria for eligibility for this visa include people:
- Who do not have a residence or occupation in India;
- Who holds a passport with minimum six months validity, and a re-entry permit if that is required under the law of the country the applicant holds nationality to;
- Who is a person of assured financial standing ( the production of a return ticket and availability of sufficient money to spend during their stay in India may be considered sufficient for this purpose).
- Who is not a person-non-grata to the Government of India;
- Who is not considered an undesirable person and is not the subject of a black list or any warning circular or other restrictive list;
A citizen from the above-named countries who wants to come to India for a longer duration should be granted a visa of the appropriate category by the Indian Mission/Post concerned.
This facility shall not be available to the citizens of above-named countries if the person or either of his/ her parents or grandparents (paternal or maternal) was born in , and was permanently resident in Pakistan. Such persons can visit India after obtaining appropriate visa from the Indian Mission/ Post concerned.
2. Validity : A Tourist Visa-on-Arrival will be valid for entry and stay into India within the period of its validity subject to conditions specified. The Immigration officer may grant single entry Tourist Visa-on-Arrival up to 30 days to nationals of Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia.
3. Conditions for Tourist Visa-on-Arrival : Tourist Visa-on-Arrival shall be non-extendable and non-convertible. At the time of issue of Tourist Visa-on-Arrival, the Immigration officer must make it clear to the foreigner that a Tourist Visa-on-Arrival can neither be extended nor converted to any other kind visa during his/her stay in India except in the following circumstances and with the prior approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs:
a) Tourist Visa-on-Arrival may be converted to 'X' (Entry) Visa if a foreigner who has come to India on Tourist Visa-on-Arrival marries an Indian national during the validity of his/her Tourist Visa-on-Arrival. Such conversion would be considered subject to fulfilment of following conditions:
1. Submission of a copy of a Registered Marriage Certificate, and
2. Report from the concerned FRO/FRRO about their marital status which will, inter-alia, include his/her antecedents, confirmation about their living together and security clearance.
b) Tourist Visa-on-Arrival of the foreigners who fall ill after their entry into India rendering them unfit to travel and require specialized medical treatment may be converted to Medical visa if they are eligible for grant of Medical Visa and medical certificate is obtained from the government / government recognized hospitals. In such a case, Tourist Visa-on-Arrival of the attendant accompanying the foreigner( whose Tourist Visa-on-Arrival is converted to Medical Visa) may also be converted into Medical Attendant[Med-X] visa co-terminus with the Medical visa of the Foreigner.
4. Fee for Tourist Visa-on-Arrival : A fee of US $60/- or an equivalent amount in Indian rupees per passenger (including children) will be charged from each foreigner for the grant of Tourist Visa-on-Arrival.
5. Repeat Visit: Tourist Visa-on-Arrival shall be allowed for a maximum of two times in a calendar year to a foreigner with a minimum gap of two months between each visit.
The Tourist Visa-on-Arrival facility shall not be applicable to holders of Diplomatic/ Official passports.
6. Required documents:
- Passport with 6 month validity
- Passport size photographs
- Photo copy of passport
- Hotel booking confirmation if possible
- On production of Return Ticket
1.Eligibility: Visa on Arrival for a single entry, 45 days stay, maximum up to 5 places will be available at Attari Immigration Point to a Pakistani national who is more than 65 years old and is crossing Attari border on foot and:
- Whose sole objective of visiting India is to meet friends or relatives (individuals who want to avail business, medical, conference or pilgrim visa should apply to the respective Mission/Post for the requisite visa);
- Who does not have a residence or occupation in India;
- Who holds a passport with minimum validity of six months;
- Who is not a persona-non-grata to the government of India;
- Who is not considered an undesirable person and is not the subject of a black list or any warning circular or other restrictive list; and
- A Pakistani national of age more than 65 years, who wants to travel to India for a longer duration, should apply for a visa in appropriate category at the Indian Mission/Post concerned.
- A Pakistani national desiring to avail this facility should fill the prescribed Immigration Card at Attari Immigration Point and present-
- Copy of his/her National Identity Card (NIC) with translation in English;
- Copy of the utility bill as proof of residence;
- His/Her Pakistani Passport valid for not less than six months;
- Photocopy of the passport;
- Two passport-size photographs;
- Confirmation of booking in case he/she is to stay in a hotel in India.
- Name and address of the person he/she is visiting in India.
- Sponsorship certificate (click here to download) (duly attested by the Authorized Officer in India) taking responsibility for the bonafides and good conduct of the Pakistani nationals. DM/SP/SDM/Tehsildar/BDO/SHO/Group ''A'' officers of the Central and State Government/Principal of Government college/Principal or Head Master of Government school are authorized for this purpose.
- Pakistani nationals who desire to avail Visa on Arrival shall be required to fill the on-line visa form on the website (http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/) and carry a printout of the same when they come to ICP Attari.
2. Validity: The Immigration Officer may grant single entry Visa-on-Arrival upto 45 days. Since all individuals, more than 65 years are exempted from Police Reporting, all such visas will also be endorsed "Exempted from Police Reporting".
3. Conditions for Visa-on-Arrival: Visa-on-Arrival shall be non-extendable and non-convertible. At the time of issuance of Visa-on-Arrival, the Immigration Officer must make it clear to the Pakistani national eligible for such a visa that a Visa-on-Arrival can neither be extended nor converted to any other kind of visa during his/her stay in India except with the prior approval of the Foreigners Division, Ministry of Home Affairs. Visa-on-Arrival would not be given for visiting Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Kerala, Cantonment areas and other areas and places under restricted/protected area regime.
4. Entry points and Exit Points: The Visa-on-Arrival will be provided only at the Immigration Check Post at Attari, Punjab to Pakistani nationals crossing on foot. All such visa holders will be allowed to exit only from Attari (on foot).
5. Fee for Visa-on-Arrival: A fee of Indian Rupees 100/- or US $2/- or Pakistani Rupees 176/- per individual as per prevailing exchange rate will be charged for the grant of a Visa-on-Arrival
6. Repeat Visit: Visa-on-Arrival shall be allowed for a maximum of two times in a calendar year to a Pakistani national.