PIO and OCI

What is PIO and OCI Full Form?

PIO stands for Person of Indian Origin, and OCI stands for Overseas Citizen of India.

What is the Difference between OCI and PIO Card in India?

OCI card holders can visit India at any time and stay for any time. PIO: It refers to a foreign citizen who held an Indian Passport at any point in time or whose parents/grandparents/great grandparents were citizens of India.

Is PIO replaced by OCI?

It is strongly recommended that all persons having valid PIO cards apply for conversion of PIO to OCI card. The Bureau of Immigration will accept PIO cards as valid travel document till 31st December, 2022, along with valid foreign passport.

What is the difference between OCI and Indian Visa?

The main difference between the two is that you can only stay in India for a maximum period of 6 months at a time with an India Visa; whereas you can stay for years in India with an OCI Card.

What is the difference between PIO and NRI?

The key Difference Between NRI and PIO is that NRI stands for Non-Resident Indian who is a resident in a foreign country, whereas PIO stands for Person of Indian Origin allocated to foreign citizens, except for those belonging to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Who are NRI, PIO and OCI?

NRI, PIO, and OCI are all terms that relate to the status of a person who is of Indian origin but living outside of India. All have the same eligibility criteria to carry out financial transactions in India. However, there are minor differences in their rights and privileges in India.

Which is Better OCI or NRI?

An OCI cardholder gets the permission of living within Indian territory for an indefinite period of time. Whereas, an NRI does not enjoy these benefits and either has to rely on a visa for a certain period of time.

PIO and OCI both are legal terms that are generally used for foreign citizens of Indian origin. A PIO is a person who was an Indian citizen on 26th January 1950 or later or was an eligible person to become a citizen of India on 26th January 1950. On the other side, an OCI is a person who is registered as an Overseas Citizen of India.

In this article, we are going to learn PIO and OCI in detail and their major differences.