Tenders Public Notices/ Alerts

PIO card holders to obtain machine readable OCI Cards, in lieu of the existing hand-written PIO cards

Conversion of PIO card to OCI card

The Bureau of Immigration will accept PIO cards as valid travel document till 30th September, 2019, along with valid foreign passport. Indian Immigration Check Post(s) will continue to consider all PIO cards valid for exit/entry from/into India till 30th September, 2019. The extension of timeline is subject to the condition that in the meantime if any deadline is notified by the ICAO, thereby making hand written PIO cards invalid, then PIO cardholders would have to obtain appropriate visa from India Missions/Posts abroad. This situation will be further reviewed in September, 2019.

All PIO cardholders are meanwhile advised to convert their PIO cards to OCI cards well in time. 

Any request for conversion of PIO card to OCI card will attract a fee of $100. The fees for issuance of fresh OCI cards will remain as US $275.

Regarding obtaining OCI in lieu of PIO card, the process is explained at  https://www.in.ckgs.us/pio/index.shtml.

(a) OCI card is a smart card;

(b) Possession of an OCI card will facilitate quicker immigration clearance at Immigration Check Posts;

(c) It will help in obtaining various Consular Services from Indian Missions/Posts;

(d) For those who are resident in India, it will facilitate in availing various services in India.

For OCI card holder under twenty years of age, he/she must get OCI card reissued whenever US passport is renewed. OCI card needs to be renewed  after crossing 50 years of age only once, that too when the US passport is renewed.  If time is short and you have to travel, please make an online application for renewal of OCI Card, carry acknowledgement/print out thereof, old passport and new passport and the old machine readable OCI card.

OPEN HOUSE TO ADDRESS COMPLAINTS/GRIEVANCES RELATING TO INDIAN PASSPORTS, VISA, OCI AND OTHER CONSULAR SERVICES