India Dual Citizenship Mega Thread (Merged)

[columbiaman]

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Announcement
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Sorry to barge in, but I have merged two very useful and relevant threads on Dual Citizenship for India started by columbiaman & cp-gc. Hope you find the information on this merged thread useful..

-Moderator
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I wish to start a new thread on INDIA Dual Citizenship. Listed below are few resources for those interested:

1. January 9 Annoucement:

http://www.indiaday.org/dual-citizen.htm

2. Current View of INDIAN Consulate on Dual citizenship:

http://www.cgihouston.org/Indian_services.htm

"Indian Citizenship Law Does Not Provide For Dual Citizenship and, accordingly, it is illegal for a person to possess an Indian Passport once he/she becomes citizen of another country. It may therefore, be noted that on becoming citizen of any other country (including US), the holder of an Indian passport should return the same to the nearest Indian Consular post (Embassy/Consulate). The Indian passport will be stamped "acquired US nationality" and returned to holder. Please send the Indian passport with covering letter and a self addressed stamped envelope for this purpose."

3. May 9th statement on Dual Citizenship

http://www.cgihouston.org/PressReleaseDualC.html

4. Dual citizenship by December: Advani
June 13th release in Chicago

http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jun/13lka.htm

5. Statement as of Sep 2003 by Indian Embassy

http://www.indianembassy.org/consular/index.htm

" Dual Nationality

September 2003

Prime Minister of India has announced the provision of dual nationality to the Persons of Indian Origin. The modalities are under process and our web site will be updated on this as and when instructions are received from Government of India. The status on dual nationality remains unchanged as on date."

If anyone has more info or other conversation/ideas/discussions then please post it here.

[columbiaman]

Recent petition submitted to Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/03241105.htm

Please also note recent changes to the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Site. It seems that this site is maintained by the Secretariat with some input from Ministry of External Affairs.

http://www.indiaday.org

The 1st anniversary of the January 9th 2003 dual citizenship announcement is coming up. On a bit optimistic note, a lack of Dual Citizenship process by then will not look too good on the Government.

[columbiaman]

Article at NRI World
http://www.nriworld.com/diaspora/art...?articleid=166

[columbiaman]

A decent article that expressed views on the PIO card. Although the article is about someone living in Germany, the issues presented here are still relevent.

http://www.karammel.com/dualnationality.htm

[columbiaman]

All,

Latest update from FICCI on the status of Dual Citizenship. The FICCI site can be found at:

http://www.ficci.com/ficci/index.htm

--------
Dear Sir/Madam,

You may be aware that the Union Cabinet had decided to grant dual citizenship to Persons of Indian origin living in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Finland, Italy, Netherlands and Ireland and the announcement to this effect was made during the first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2003. Regarding the operational status, the position is as follows:

The Draft bill has been introduced in Rajya Sabha on May 9th 2003. Though there is no definite time frame for enactment and implementation of the Bill, the Ministry is hopeful for its implementation before the next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The text of the bill is posted at our website www.indiaday.org and also at the Home Ministry's website www.mha.nic.in. After the bill becomes an act, the Ministry of Home affairs will frame rules and regulations and introduce the application form. The Indian missions will give due publicity once the Dual Citizenship scheme comes into force.

Dual Citizenship shall be granted to countries in a phased manner due to security reasons. The decision is continuously guided by the High Level Committee report of Indian Diaspora headed by Dr L M Singhvi.

On continuous demand, some more countries are also being considered for Dual Citizenship before the next event in January. For specific queries related to citizenship etc, you may write directly to the Home Ministry or contact the nearest Mission:

Regards and Best Wishes,

Astha Girotra
Research Associate
PBD Secretariat
FICCI

[columbiaman]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...265146&Curpg=2

[chanakya101]

Offer to PIOs in 8 more nations
C R JAYACHANDRAN/TIMESOFINDIA.COM

[ MONDAY, NOVEMBER 03, 2003 05:26:01 PM ]

NEW DELHI : The Vajpayee government will grant dual citizenship to Indians in 16 countries and the Bill to this effect is likely to be considered by Parliament during the Winter Session, beginning this month.

As New Delhi gears up for the second Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January next, the government plans to extend dual citizenship to expatriates in eight more countries- Israel , Greece , Switzerland , Cyprus , France , Sweden , Portugal and New Zealand .

"We have included eight more countries keeping in mind the demand from expatriates all over the world," J C Sharma, secretary, Ministry of External Affairs told timesofindia.com.

"I am optimistic that the Bill will be considered by Parliament during the next session," Sharma added.

Dual citizenship, the main concern of the Diaspora in developed countries, had been a long standing demand. It took an event like Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to bring it to fruition, he said.

During the first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, government had proposed granting dual citizenship to Indians in the United States , United Kingdom , Australia , Canada , Finland , Ireland , the Netherlands and Italy . The decision was later accepted by the Union Cabinet and a Bill to this effect was introduced on May 8, 2003 in the Rajya Sabha

Indians living in these countries will have to apply for dual citizenship and the government could grant it after due verification.

However, expatriate Indians would not have the privilege of voting rights and would not be allowed to hold constitutional offices or jobs in three defence services.

The Union Cabinet in last March had approved certain amendments to the Citizenship Act 1955, to incorporate new provisions, streamline and remove certain provisions that have become redundant in order to increase the efficacy of the Act.

The amendments would also introduce overseas citizenship for persons of Indian origin belonging to specified countries and facilitate introduction of the scheme of issue of national identity cards to all Indian citizens.

The Citizenship Act was among 109 central acts, which had been identified for a review by the Commission on Review of Administrative Laws constituted by the Central government under the chairmanship of P C Jain in 1988.

The broad issues addressed during the review undertaken by the Ministry of Home Affairs included how to make acquisition of Indian citizenship by registration or naturalisation more difficult and how to prevent refugees and illegal immigrants from becoming eligible for Indian citizenship.

[columbiaman]

Source of news is Hindustantimes.com:

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NRIs still awaiting for dual citizenship legislation
Nabanita Sircar
London, November 4

With Pravasi Bhartiya Divas to be held in New Delhi approaching, most in the NRI community, specially the middle class families who have been living here for a long time, are keen to learn about the progress in legislating the Indian Government's proposal for granting dual citizenship.

As it is the interest in the event has been rather low-key this year. Some who went to attend the function in on January last year said it was basically a function for the rich and famous NRIs. But if the dual citizenship becomes a reality many NRIs would "love" to go and possibly become "Indians" in the capital of the country.

There is sudden excitement with a statement from the office of Dr Bhishma Agnihotri, the ambassador for NRIs and PIOs. It said the Government of India's proposal to grant dual citizenship to the people of Indian origin ( PIO) from the eight countries including United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Finland and Ireland, the list of the countries has now been broadened to include PIOs from another eight countries including France, New Zealand, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Sweden, Switzerland and Portugal.

"The bill to grant dual citizenship to PIOs has already been introduced in the Parliament in May 2003 and is likely to be considered for approval during the forthcoming winter session of the Parliament scheduled in November-December 2003."

If the bill is passed before the January 9 event there is a likelihood of a large number of NRIs going to Delhi to "celebrate" their getting the " Indian citizenship".

[columbiaman]

It has been aover a month sine my last posting. News on the subject is very limited. I did find that the bill is presented in the 199th session of the Rajya Sabha. Details can be found at: http://rajyasabha.nic.in/legislative...99billpend.htm

Pls note line 26. However, take a look at the bill on the top of the list. Some of the bills were introduced as early as 1987! One cannot be too hopeful, but I am only slightly encouraged as this bill has a great deal of support from the current administration. Also, take a look at the link below:

http://164.100.24.167/lob/200/r05122003.htm

I cannot be certain as again there are not enough details, but search for "Singhvi" and you will see that a bill has been introduced for consideration and passing. I am not clear if this refers to the Dual citizenship bill. However, the name Singhvi is associated with the Dual Citizenship bill.

[azby9999us]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...how/368368.cms

Does this mean that the dual citizenship is approved fully or is there some more process on the Indian Govt. side

[chanakya101]

http://www.hindu.com/2003/12/19/stor...1905561300.htm

Friday, Dec 19, 2003

Dual Citizenship Bill passed in Rajya Sabha

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi Dec. 18. The Rajya Sabha today unanimously approved the Citizen (Amendment) Bill, 2003, regarding the grant of dual citizenship to people of Indian origin in eight countries.

The Bill, moved by the Deputy Prime Minister, L. K. Advani, amends the Citizenship Act of 1955.

It seeks to make acquisition of Indian citizenship by registration and naturalisation more stringent and prevents illegal migrants from becoming eligible for Indian citizenship.

It also provides for grant of overseas citizenship of India to persons of Indian origin in Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

[chanakya101]

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/h...0222170085.htm

Parliament passes dual citizenship Bill

New Delhi, Dec. 22. (PTI): Parliament today passed a bill to grant dual citizenship to the people of Indian origin, with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani saying the measure would go a long way to enable this section of people contribute to the cause of national development.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2003, would "enable both Bharatvasis and Bharatvanshis to contribute together to the cause of India's development", he said while replying to a debate on the legislation which was earlier adopted by the Upper House.

Among other things, the bill to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, simplifies the procedure to facilitate the re-acquisition of Indian citizenship by persons of full age who are children of Indian citizens and former Indian citizens, according to its Statement of Objects and Reasons.

[fitness99]

Does this mean that US Citizens of Indian origin can now carry an Indian passport as well? I am not familiar with what other approvals are needed for this to become a law?

Thank you.

[chanakya101]

It then goes to president for approval. This should not take time.
After that a notification will come in official gazette. Then orders
will be sent to all embassies.

I think the current govt. is keen in making it a reality by Jan/Feb of
2004 (next NRI day).

After that all PIOs (people of Indian Origin up to 4 generations)
can get Indian Passport (In addition to the current country's passport).
Except for voting, buying agricultural land and holding some defiance
jobs, these dual citizens can have almost all the benefits

[columbiaman]

All, I wanted to share this special email to me from FCCI:
------------------------------------------------
Dear Sir/Madam,


Dual Citizenship now a Reality
Dated: 23rd December 2004
An important and loudly cheered announcement made by the Prime Minister of India,
during the First Pravasi Bhratiya Divas, which was co-organized, by FICCI and
Ministry on January 9-11, 2003 of External Affairs is now a reality. Parliament today passed a Bill to grant dual citizenship to the People of Indian
origin belonging to 16 specified countries and gave an operational start to Diaspora's
productive engagement with India. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2003, would
"enable both Bharatvasis and Bharatvanshis to contribute together to the cause
of India's development", Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani said in the Lok Sabha,
The Bill, which amends the Citizenship Act, 1955, simplifies the procedure to
re-acquire Indian citizenship by adults who are children of Indian citizens and
former Indian citizens.
It provides for grant of overseas citizenship of India to PIOs belonging to 16
specified countries and Indian citizens who choose to acquire citizenship of
any of these countries at a later date. It also makes acquisition of Indian citizenship
and naturalisation more stringent, with safeguards against illegal migrants becoming
eligible for Indian citizenship.
Dual citizenship, the main concern of the Diaspora in developed countries, had
been a long-standing demand. It took an event like Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to
bring it to fruition. The Draft bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha on May 9th
2003 to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, as a follow up to the announcement made
during the First Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, January 9-11, 2003.
· For those who have taken foreign passports, the grant of dual citizenship will
remove the obstacles in travel to and from India with no multiple visa requirements
· Persons of Indian origin settled in economically more advanced countries of
the world have skills and expertise in vital sectors. There is no doubt, that
investments are induced principally by the logic of business considerations and
the investment climate. The facility of Dual Citizenship would foster better
co-operation in these sectors by way of investments and transfer of skills and
resources.
· The principal rationale of the demand of the Diaspora for dual citizenship,
however, is sentimental and psychological. Desire of PIOs to forge emotional
and cultural bonds with their country of origin is quite evident in the amount
of Philanthropic activities done by them in India. Dual Citizenship shall strengthen
this bond and facilitate Diaspora's contribution in India's social Development.
· Dual Citizenship would also help to perpetuate and cement links of the younger
generation of the Diaspora with India as they may be keen to keep in touch with
their roots.
The first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas set in motion the gargantuan task of bringing
Indians from every corner of the globe under one roof and for the first time
created awareness about the achievements of the Great Indian Family. The second
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will take this effort further and not only enhance the
belief and power that this family possesses. The Second Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
2004 will witness the fruition of the major announcements <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...how/265146.cms>made
at the last event. Also in the offing are final announcements on the Gulf Insurance
Scheme and the amendments to the Foreign Contribution Act. It would provide a
renewed platform to take forward the collective task initiated in 2002 of bringing
together the Indian Diaspora <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...how/332187.cms>and
leveraging the potential offered by the global Indian family.

FICCI on the basis of feedback from the delegates of first Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas has come to the conclusion that there has been a significant diplomatic
dividend considering that many eminent and influential NRIs/PIOs went back from
the event with positive thoughts about India. FICCI welcomes Government decision
to grant Dual citizenship and believes that it would create considerable goodwill
among Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and create a climate conducive to Diaspora's
better engagement with India.

Countries that have been granted Dual Citizenship:
1. USA
2. Canada
3. Britain
4. Netherlands
5. Italy
6. Ireland
7. Portugal
8. Switzerland
9. Greece
10. Cyprus
11. Israel
12. Australia
13. New Zealand
14. France
15. Sweden
16. Finland


(For specific queries on Dual Citizenship, kindly contact the nearest India Mission
or the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (www.mha.nic.in <http://www.mha.nic.in>))


Regards,

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Secretariat
FICCI
Federation House
Tansen Marg
New Delhi
Ph: 00 911123317462, 23738760-70
e-mail: indiaday@indiaday.org
indiandiaspora@ficci.com

[chanakya101]

http://www.indianembassy.org/consula...itizenship.htm


Dual Citizenship

December 23, 2003

The Indian Parliament on December 22, 2003 has passed a Bill to grant dual citizenship to the people of Indian origin. Among other things, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill - 2003, which amends the Citizenship Act -1955, would simplify the procedure to facilitate the reacquisition of Indian citizenship by persons of full age who are children of Indian citizens and former Indian citizens.

The Bill provides for grant of overseas citizenship of India to persons of Indian origin belonging to 16 specified countries and Indian citizens who choose to acquire citizenship of any of these countries at a later date.

The rules, regulations and requirements are still under process and our web site will be updated on this as and when instructions are received from Government of India.

[chanakya101]

* No visa required for visiting India.

* No separate “Student Visa” or “Employment Visa” required for admissions in Colleges/Institutions or for taking up employment respectively.

* A PIO Card holder will be exempt from the requirement of registration if his stay on any single visit in India does not exceed 180 days.

* In the event of continuous stay in India of the PIO Card holder exceeding 180 days, he/she shall have to get himself/herself registered within 30 days of the expiry of 180 days with the concerned Foreigners Regional Registration Officer / Foreigners Registration Officer

* Parity with non-resident Indians in respect of facilities available to the latter in economic, financial and educational field.

* All PIOs including PIO Card holders shall enjoy parity with NRIs in respect of all facilities in the matter of acquisition, holding, transfer and disposal of immovable properties in India except in maters relating to the acquisition of agricultural/plantation properties. No parity shall be allowed in the sphere of political rights.

* Facilities available to children of NRIs for getting admission to educational institutions in India including medical colleges, engineering colleges, Institute of Technology, Institute of Management, etc. under the general categories.

* Facilities available under the various housing scheme of LIC, State Government and other Government Agencies.

* Special counters at the immigration check posts for speedy clearance.

[columbiaman]

The next steps are:
1. President signs the bill into law,
2. The Ministry of Home affairs will frame rules and regulations and introduce the application form,
3.The Indian missions will give due publicity once the Dual Citizenship scheme comes into force.

The bureaucrats at the Minsitry of Home Affairs have their tasks cut out for them. Given the political agenda of the Bill, it might be handled in a speedy manner.

I can only wish that procedures are finalized by Jan 9th. If it does not happen by Jan 9th then it could easily take another 3-4 months.

[columbiaman]

Recent news by "The Hindu"

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/h...0028110001.htm

The article envisages about 4.5 million applciants. I am now a bit concerned that the Consulates/Embassies in the 16 countries are gong to be overwhelmed especially in the US. But am also gald to note that the bureaucracy has been at work pre-emptively in this case.


----------------------
Dual citizenship: `Reasonable' fee structure
By Vinay Kumar

New Delhi Dec. 28. Though the Government has got the Dual Citizenship Bill passed by Parliament in the just-concluded winter session, it is yet to start framing the rules, procedures and deciding upon the fees for granting dual citizenship to the Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs).

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2003 provides for overseas citizenship of India to the PIOs in 16 countries who have acquired citizenship in those countries. Among the 16 countries, the United States tops the list with a total estimated PIO population of 16.78 lakhs, the United Kingdom comes next with 12 lakhs and Canada is on the third spot with 8.51 lakh PIOs.

Other countries are: Australia (1.9 lakh), Finland (1,170), Ireland (1,600), Italy (71,500), Netherlands (2,17,000), Israel (45,300), New Zealand (55,000), Cyprus (300), Sweden (11,000), Switzerland (13,500), France (65,000) Greece (7,000) and Portugal (70,000). These countries come under the category of those specified in the Fourth Schedule. The Government may by notification amend the Schedule by way of addition or omission of any entry.

Sources said that an estimated 10 to 25 per cent of the total PIOs population of about 45 lakhs in these 16 countries could apply for overseas citizenship. As the legislation had secured Parliamentary approval, the Government was working to finalise the application form, procedure and the fees to be levied for granting overseas citizenship. The PIO card with steep fees had failed to click about three years ago and the Government would keep "a reasonable fee" structure in mind while framing the rules, the sources added.

The Bill defines "overseas citizen of India" to mean a person who (i) is of Indian origin being a citizen of a specified country, or (ii) was a citizen of India immediately before becoming a citizen of a specified country and is registered as an overseas citizen of India by the Central Government. An overseas citizen will not be entitled to the rights conferred on a citizen of India and will not have the right to equality of opportunity in matters of public employment, will not have voting rights and also will not be eligible to be a member of either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.

Besides overseas citizenship, the Bill has a new Section 14A on the subject of issue of national identity cards, stipulating that the Central Government may compulsorily register every citizen of India and issue the national identity card and the Government may maintain a National Register of Indian Citizens and for that purpose establish a National Registration Authority.

The grant of dual citizenship to the PIOs gained momentum after the Government set up a high-level committee on Indian diaspora under the Chairmanship of Dr. L.M. Singhvi and it made a recommendation to that effect. Dr. Singhvi said before the Standing Committee on Home Affairs that many countries accepted dual citizenship without obliterating the identity of the people. Many countries where PIOs lived did not want dual citizenship, particularly South Africa, where such people were interested only in stronger cultural contacts.

While neighbouring countries were not included in the list for obvious reasons, the issue of constant influx of refugees from the neighbouring countries due to civil commotion and religious persecution was also raised before the Committee. The Home Ministry allayed the apprehension that all those who entered India due to civil disturbances and political developments in the neighbouring countries would be forcibly sent back to their homelands. Refugees who have come to India on or after March 25, 1971 due to religious and political reasons would be dealt with under the provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946.

Armed with the legislation before the second edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas celebration due from January 9, the Government would be able to boast that in less than a year's time it had taken steps to simplify the procedure for acquiring citizenship of India by PIOs. The PIO card, launched three years ago with much fanfare, which facilitated various concessions relating to foreign investments and opening of accounts had proved to be a damp squib, apparently due to steep fees and poor projection.

[chanakya101]

I think it will be another long wait like N-400 :-)

[columbiaman]

OK, Treat this for what it is worth, but Information on this topic either comes in heaps or nothing at all. There is no gradual flow of updates, either. However, I do have some Info that I have gathered from a variety of sources. Sorry, no heap or hype. So take it for whats it's worth:

1. The matter is clearly in the hands of India Ministry of Home Affairs. The web site (http://mha.nic.in) has no new information on the matter of Dual Citizenship.

2. Due to the slightly restricted nature of Dual Citizenship, the lingo these days is "Overseas Citizenship". I would have preferred to call it Diaspora Citizenship -- It makes sense.

3. I believe the fee for Overseas Citizenship will be $100. I am not sure if this is the fee for passport or fee for citizenship in addition to the passport. This may be referred to as the "overseas Citizen registration fees". Anyway, it is not as steep as the PIO scheme. But again, we will have to wait and see until the information is officially released.

Still no expectations or updates when one would be able to apply for a passport. Stay tuned......

[columbiaman]

I spoke with the Ministry of Home Affairs. They told me it will be until August of 2004. Happy Waiting everyone!

Also came across this revcent article in Economic Times: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...show/512704.cms

NJOY

[chanakya101]

Recently my friend who became an US citizen recently gave a different view. He is not considering applying for Dual Citizenship. The reasons:
1. There is nothing much you get over the PIO card.
2. In case of trouble (particularly in a country outside USA) the US embassy may ask you to go to Indian Embassy for help as you are a dual citizen. This is more so in India.

Any comments
BTW: The PIO card is not a card but looks like a passport:-)

[fitness99]

Well.... it does not look like being a dual citizen of India gives you a whole lot more than being a PIO. The only difference I see is that you need to register in India if your stay exceeds 6 months.

At this point, I will just get a PIO card, once I become a USC. Looks like the Indian govenrment is taking its own sweet time to implement the dual citizenship stuff...

[columbiaman]

I agree with Mr. Fitness. I think the primary advantage of the Overseas citizenship over PIO is the avoidance of the trip to the Police station. I also don't like the idea of having to carry the passport and the certificate of registration at the port of entry. I prefer if they simply endorse the passport to indicate the special status. But again we have all these highly qualified so call IAS officers who love to visit foreign countries but cannot learn to be efficient

[columbiaman]

All,

I bit the bullet and went for the PIO. My rationale was as follows:

- I have an upcoming trip, No need for immediate VISA
- I own property in INDIA, the status of which falls in grey area if I dont do something about it.
- I plan on seeking employment immediately in INDIA (Although, I am gainfully employed)
- I *expect* that when the Citizenship becomes operational that there may be an option to convert PIO to Citizenship. I would not count on it because our bureaucrats are true genuises and for some reasons may not have thought about it.


CM

[columbiaman]

All,

I have thought a bit more about the certificate of citizenship. IMHO, it is akin to the Naturalization certificate, so I am ok with it. Afterall obtaining a passport is but optional. However, I am oposed to showing two documents at the INDIA port of entry - The Citizenship Certificate and the Passport. I belv that the Citizenship should be as transparent as possible for the following reasons:

- It does not create a different class of citizens
- Prevents discrimination
- Simplicity

Sound off!

I also urge you to write a brief letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs. My suggestion on the letter is that it should applaud the govertments efforts to include the Indian Diaspora, it should enquire about the status and address the topic of transparency. I could post my letter but then it will appear rote to the minostry. You may right to the following address (sorry no email:

ANIL BAIJAL, HOME SECRETARY
Ministry of Home Affairs,
North Block, Central Secretariat,
New Delhi - 110 001

[SamP]

Columbiaman,

So, how long did it take for you to get the PIO card?
Was it straight forward like Visa?

Also, I think as per the new RBI rule, if you were born in
India and later took citizenship of other country then you need
a visa to visit India but to earn money in India/ employment
no special visa is needed! You can simply go for business visa.

SamP

[columbiaman]

OK, So I submitted the PIO application on March 1st and today is March 20th. Approximately 3 weeks is what it took for the Houston Consulate to send me my PIO card.

Card itself is grey in color. It has only 4 pages. One of the page has an endorsement on page 3 that says:

"The holder of teh card is entitiled to vusa free entry into INDIA for the duration of its validaity provided that it is accompanied with a valid passport."

Nevertheless if you stay in INDIA for more that 180 days you will need to register with the Foreighner's registration office.

[SamP]

Thanks for posting this info.

SamP