OCI - Overseas Citizen of India

OCI Card is issued only to the people who are holding a foreign passport and who are previous citizens of India.

Note: If an applicant has ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh or has an adverse record, they are not eligible for OCI

Those applicants who do not have an Indian passport can submit any other documentary evidence like a notarized copy of birth certificate, educational certificate issued by an institution in India; and land ownership certificate by which eligibility may be reasonably ascertained or a duly notarized affidavit to that effect. The decision of the Consular Officer (deciding your Indian identity) will be final in such cases.

The OCI Card is not a dual citizenship or it is not the same as being a regular citizen of India

As on OCI you get the following benefits:

Multiple entries, multipurpose lifelong visa to visit India
Exemption from reporting to police authorities for any length of stay in India
Employment allowed in private sector

PIO – Person of Indian Origin

Card allows visa free travel and gives several benefits to the card holder. The government of India has a comprehensive scheme for persons of Indian origin – called the “PIO Card Scheme”.

Under this scheme, persons of Indian Origin up to the fourth generation (great grandparents) settled throughout the world, except for Bangladesh & Pakistan would be eligible.

The PIO Card will be valid only when accompanied with a valid passport.

A PIO Card shall be valid for a period of fifteen years from the date of issue subject to the validity of the foreign passport. In other words, the password must be valid in order for the PIO card to be considered valid.

Eligibility:

“Persons of Indian origin”, means a foreign citizen not being a citizen of Bangladesh, Pakistan or other countries as may be specified by the Central Government from time to time if,

1. he/she at any time held an Indian passport, or,

2. he/she or either his/her parents or grandparents or great grandparents was born in and permanently resided 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 aforesaid countries (as referred above); or

3. he/ she is a spouse of a citizen of India or a person of Indian origin covered under (i) or (ii) above