Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Card
Government of India announced vide Gazette Notification No.26011/01/2014-F.I dated 09.01.2015 that all PIO cards issued till 09.01.2015 are deemed to be OCI card. Bureau of Immigration will accept PIO Cards as Valid Travel Document till 31.12.2021 along with valid foreign passport and the Indian Immigration Checkposts will continue to consider all PIO Cards valid for entry/ exit into India till 31.12.2021. This extension of timeline is subject to the condition that if in the meantime any deadline is notified by the ICAO thereby making hand written PIO cards invalid, then PIO cardholders may have to obtain appropriate visa.
As such, all PIO cardholders may apply for conversion of their valid PIO card to OCI card at the earliest. One can apply for OCI card in lieu of valid PIO card at CGI Dubai after seeking appointment. For details related to application process and documentation, applicant may write to visa2.dubai@mea.gov.in.
In the event of change of passport of PIO card holder, he/she can travel to India on the basis of new passport with the valid PIO card and the old passport on which PIO card number is endorsed.
