Need to apply for Indian Visa/OIC/PIO

[vrrajeeb]

Hi,

We just received the US passport of our baby who was born last year. We are planning to visit India in August '06. Should I apply for the Indian visa or OIC / PIO for her ?. I am not sure what the differences are. And what would be the procedure like ?. (We both hold Indian passports).

Thanx

-RJ

[vrrajeeb]

I just found that Indian Visa costs only $150 for upto 10 years, PIO card costs $1000 for upto 20 years. Any other differences ?.

[tamtom]

I just found that Indian Visa costs only $150 for upto 10 years, PIO card costs $1000 for upto 20 years. Any other differences ?.

vrrajeeb,

This kind of information is available on the website of any Indian consulate.

A PIO card for children is $155 and are valid for 15 years.
A tourist visa costs $150.

There's a huge difference between the two. The visa is only useful for short temporary visits to India, but the PIO card allows permanent residence.

Hope this helps,

Tamtom

[kaunteya]

PIO Card

Can I apply for OCI for my son. He was born in US and holds US passport.

I understand that he can get a PIO Card. If I get PIO card for my son and he needs to stay in India for more than six months (180 days), I have read that he needs to register with the Foreigners Registration Officer. Now, if he plans to stay in India for a long time, does he need to register after every sixth month.

Could anyone let me know the differences between an Indian Visa, OCI and PIO card. Any place where I can find that information?

[tamtom]

I have questions regarding PIO Card. If the person holding the PIO card needs to stay in India for more than six months (180 days), I have read that he/she needs to register with the Foreigners Registration Officer. Now, if he/she plans to stay in India for a long time, does he/she need to register after every sixth month.

Could anyone let me know the differences between an Indian Visa and PIO card. Any place where I can find that information?

Regards

If the person plans to stay in India a long time, then PIO is much better than a visa. With a visitor's visa, the person will have to leave India every 6 months. There are other benefits to PIO like the person is able to work, go to school etc.

For the details, a good source is
/oci-card/
New
/india-visa/

Hope this helps,

Tamtom

[kaunteya]

Thanks for your response. I actually have updated my previous post. Could you please respond to that.

Appreciate your help.

[tamtom]

Thanks for your response. I actually have updated my previous post. Could you please respond to that.

Appreciate your help.

OCI is very similar to PIO. The same source has a description of it.
/oci-card/

For a comparison, check the FAQ of this forum: /oci-card/

Here are several points I can think of.

(1) if you want OCI, it is cheaper to get a PIO first and then upgrade it to OCI than to get OCI directly.

(2) If you get PIO and upgrade to OCI, you have to give up the PIO. But if you get OCI first, and then get PIO, no rule says you have to give up the OCI. So if your goal is to keep both of them, it's better to get the OCI first. It's not clear what happens if you apply for both simultaneously. A good reason to want both is point (3) below.

(3) Spouse of PIO can get PIO, but spouse of OCI cannot get OCI (unless already qualified independently). It's not clear whether spouse of OCI can get PIO.

The above three points prove the authoriies didn't think very carefully when developing the rules of the OCI program ;-)

(4) People have reported that OCI application wait time is longer than PIO wait time, so make sure to allow for that when planning your trip.

(5) OCI is lifetime status, PIO must be renewed every 15 years.

(6) PIO must do the foreigner's registration one time for a stay lasting over 180 days, but OCI does not.

(7) OCI has the word "citizen" in it so may have symbolic sentimental value. Also, maybe the Indian diaspora will eventually get organized and lobby the Indian government to add true citizenship rights to the OCI status ;-)

(8) It's been reported that an OCI holder will lose the ability to have British Overseas Citizenship. I haven't heard of any other country besides Britain that recognizes OCI as a form of nationality. In particular, OCI should have absolutely no implications for US citizenship.

Hope this helps,

Tamtom