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1)
Eligibility
All persons of Indian origin who hold passport of any other country
(not being a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries
as may be specified by the Central Government from time to time)
will be eligible for PIO Card, if:
- he/she at any time held an Indian passport; or
- he/she or either of his/her parents or grand parents or great
grand parents was born in and permanently resident in India
as defined in the Government of India Act, 1935, and other territories
that became part of India thereafter provided neither was at
any time a citizen of any of the specified countries; or
- he/she is a spouse of a citizen of India or a person of Indian
origin covered under (i) and (ii) above.
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2) Benefits
- A PIO Card holder shall not require a separate visa to visit
India. The PIO Card holders will not require 'Student' Visa
for undertaking studies in India and similarly no 'Employment'
visa will be required for taking up employment in India. However,
they will be required to fulfil all such other pre-requisite
conditions and formalities in connection with their studies/employment
as prescribed by concerned authorities from time to time.
- A
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.
- All
PIOs including PIO Card holders, shall enjoy parity with NRIs
in respect of all facilities available to the latter in the
economic, financial and educational fields except in matters
relating to the acquisition of agricultural/plantation properties.
No parity shall be allowed in the sphere of political rights,
however.
- Separate
counters for immigration may be provided to PIO Card holders
at all International airports in India.
(vi) All PIOs would be eligible for such benefits as would be
made available to NRIs from time to time (and not just PIO Card
holders).
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3) Application
An application for issue/renewal of a PIO Card shall be made in
the prescribed form and shall be accompanies by documentary evidence
to show that the applicant is a person of Indian origin as defined.
Application
Form |
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4) Validity
A PIO Card shall be valid for a period of fifteen years from the
date of issue subject to the validity of the passport of the applicant. |
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5) Fee
The fee for a PIO Card would be the equivalent
of Rs. 15,000 in hard currency (euros) payable along with the application.
PIO Card to the children up to the age of 18 years will be issued
at a fee equivalent of Rs. 7,500 in hard currency for a 15 year
card. |
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6) Status of PIO Cards issued earlier
PIO Cards issued earlier for US$ 1000
will continue to remain valid and no refund shall be admissible.
However, the validity of such cards shall be extendable by 10 more
years without charging any fee. |
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7) Who are eligible for issue of gratis PIO Card
Gratis PIO card may be issued to an exceptionally eminent person
of Indian origin --who plays an important role in building bridges
between India and the country of his/her adoption, if he /she desires
to obtain the PIO Card.
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8) Acquisition of Duplicate PIO Card in case of loss
etc
On a request supported by FIR and other documents, a duplicate
PIO Card shall be issued on depositing a fee of US$100. Duplicate
PIO Cards will be issued by the same office that issued the original
one.
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