PERSON OF INDIAN ORIGIN(PIO)CARD SCHEME

      The salient features of the PIO Card Scheme are as follows : 

I      Eligibility:  Any person of Indian origin who holds a passport
       of any other country(except some  countries as specified by the
       Government of  India) will be eligible to apply for PIO Card, if : 

        i)    he/she at any time held an Indian passport; or 

        ii)   he/she or either of his/her parents or grand parents or great grand                 parents was born  in and  permanently resident in India. 

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

II.  Benefits : 

        A PIO Card holder : 

        i)  Shall not require a separate tourist visa, student visa or employment                         visa.However, conditions and other formalities for study/employment
            as prescribed will have to be  fulfilled. 

        ii) Will be exempt from the requirement of registration if his stay on any 
            single visit in India does not exceed 180 days. 

        iii) In the event of continuous stay in India exceeding 180 days, will be
            required to get registered within 30 days of the expiry of 180 days with
            the concerned Foreigners Regional Registration Officer/Foreigners
            Registration Officer. 

        iv) Shall enjoy parity with NRIs except in matters relating to the acquisition
            of agriculture/ plantation properties. No parity shall be allowed in the
            sphere of political rights. 

III.  Validity :  The Card shall be valid for a period of 15 years from the date of
       issue subject to the  validity of the passport of the applicant. 

IV.  Rates of fee for a PIO Card, which is payable along with the application,
       are as follows:

        i) Adults - Rs. 15,000.00(equivalent to US $310.00)
        ii)Minors(up to 18 yrs of age) - Rs.7500.00(equivalent to US $155.00)
       (The amount in US $ may change periodically depending upon exchange
       rate.)

V.   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.

VI.  Application :    Application form for obtaining a PIO Card can be
       downloaded from our web site :   http://chicago.indianconsulate.com or 
       procured from the Consulate  either  personally or by post. The
       following documents would be required along with the application : 

(i)    Passport of foreign country indicating the place of birth of the applicant
       in India.

(ii)   Any other documents satisfactorily proving the residence/nationality
       as an Indiane.g.revenue records/domicile certificate/school/college leaving
       certificate etc. Further  enquiries as necessary may be caused tostablish the
       authenticity of these ocuments and the claim of the applicant.

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