Abu Dhabi: The Government of India has decided to extend the date for submission of the application for registration as the OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholder by the erstwhile PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) cardholders till December 31 this year.
External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj has announced that the conversion of PIO cards into OCI cards will be done free of charge for applications submitted until December 31, 2016.
As Gulf News reported earlier, March 31 was the previous deadline for this purpose. As the name suggests, a PIO card is issued to citizens of other countries who are of Indian origin up to the fourth generation. Those who have obtained passports of other countries have to surrender their Indian passports. The PIO card, along with the foreign passport, allows cardholders visa-free travel to India. The PIO card is valid for a maximum of 15 years.
In January 2015, it was announced the PIO scheme was being discontinued by the Indian government, to be replaced by the OCI scheme, which provides a lifetime visa to India. To visit India, the OCI cardholder has to carry the OCI card and the passport whose number is on the card.
Despite the name, OCI cardholders are not citizens of India and cannot vote or hold public office. However, they are entitled to a number of benefits on a par with Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).