Number plate types, Tamil Nadu

Nick-H

I suspect my legal standing is not that different to Gerties, despite the nationality of my wife. I'm sure she will be a resident too, in that she will have a Residents' Permit just like mine.

My PIO card may allow me a few privileges that her business (I assume) visa does not, but I still have heaps of difficulties with officialdom!

'Deemed Indian' --- Sounds good . Maybe one day!

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Dilliwala

Actually it is. It's the fact that you're married to an Indian and living here that makes u a deemed Indian. Agreed the boundaries are very hazy nowadays, what with PIO, OCI, etc. allowing people almost the same privileges as u - but still the diff is there.
Gertie's RP wud be valid for the duration of her visa only.

Nick-H

Mine is for five years only!

Although I've heard of people getting the full 15 along with their PIO.

It'll do me for now

Dilliwala

That's confusing - don't u have a PIO? I thought I read somewhere that u did.

Nick-H

I do, yes.

But when they gave it to me they extended my existing permit (1 year, to go with the X-visa) to just five years.

I'll worry about it in 4 and a half years!

Dilliwala

Aah, now I get it- that's what was confusing - the 5-year RP and PIO card actually don't go together. What your FRRO has done is increase their work - maybe they like it that way or maybe they just want to have a friendly chai and chat every 5 rather than 15 years.
The initial RP for 1 year was correct based on a 1-year 'stay-visa', that's the same for all (obviously not every foreigner is entitled to PIO, which means many live here on RPs). Had u never taken the PIO card, after 20 years (as the law stands) u wud have been eligible for the 5-year multiple-entry visa and the linked 5-year RP. U now have a PIO, basically just a 15-year entry visa with bells and whistles attached. Based on the above principle u shud have gotten a 15-year RP. I'm not aware that the law limits the RP to 5 years max - what u say about people getting 15-year RPs makes sense based on the existing practice.
What your FRRO has done is hybridise your residential status.

I think the problem (different interpretations by different officers in different states) arises becos individual Home Ministry officials themselves give conflicting statements when asked for clarifications by the states and FRROs. So if Mr X tells FRRO Mumbai to give 15-year RPs, his colleague Mr Y tells FRRO Chennai to give 5-year RPs (the max upto now). And the states where there are no FRROs have a bigger problem cos there it's just cops doing the work in addition to their other duties.

I know this becos I had a taste last year, not PIO-related but something similar, where someone I had accompanied to the FRRO here had to wait 2 hours to get a ruling from MHA about whether they had to pay the renewal fee or were exempt (nationality based). The FRRO staff themselves had conflicting versions, finally it had to be sorted out by an officer at the top of the Ministry chain.

Meanwhile u have nothing to worry about - if u renew on time, the extension will be automatic.

Nick-H

In London, when they gave the 1-year 'X', they said they would give 5-year after two years of marriage.

Not much point in that, as PIO can be had after one year!

But you have hit the nail on the head... the law is whatever the officer you are dealing with at the time says it is. That is the number-one rule of dealing with Indian bureuocrasy.

Dilliwala

Things are improving all the time!!
That 20-year rule was still in force a few years ago.

saajan_20

even i have seen many such numbe plated cars around airport shall ak the driver next time i think that s the number plate for taxi s which cant be hailed or flag down dont know just might be correct but shall ask one of it s driver s next time