PIO Card

nycank

I thought this scheme was implemented later than '98

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namaste_cat

Yeah, me too. I thought the 1st iteration of PIO came about circa 1999.

I remember snorting when I read we'd have to shell out US $1000 for this privilege for a card w/ a validity of 20 years!

The one most folks think of now in PIO context was implemented around 2002, if I remember correctly. That's about the time my 3 family members got their PIO cards.

NonIndianResident

Oops, you're right, that first PIO card was in 2003. After marriage, I had a five year X visa, but when writing the above post I wrote the wrong date. Sorry. (I AM a person who manages to misplace an important document for just long enough to have to go through the whole routine of replacing it, and then finds the original!)

The documents I sent to get my (replacement) PIO card within the US were as follows. I got the list from the Consulate of India New York website. All documents were photocopies that I had either notarized in the US (in my bank) or stamped and signed in India (by a gazetted officer, not hard to find)
1) A photocopy of my passport
2) a photocopy of the lost PIO card
3) A photocopy of the FIR reporting my PIO card lost in India
4) four recent passport photos
5) a postal money order for the required amount (which I found on the consulate website)
6) The PIO application form, which I got from the consulate website.

If it were for a new PIO card, you'd have to replace #2 and 3 with
1) Notarized copy of your spouse's Indian passport (or similar proof that one of your ancestors was an Indian citizen)
2) Notarized copy of of your marriage certificate (if you are applying on the basis of marriage to an Indian citizen or PIO)

Once I had submitted these items, the PIO card arrived in a week. In 2003 for the original, and in 2009 for the replacement.

Oh, and namaste_cat, the price and duration of the PIO card have come down since then. It's now only for 15 years, and costs a lot less than $1000.

namaste_cat

Uh I know! My hubby and 2 kids got it when the latest incarnation first came out.
As i said in my post above --
The one most folks think of now in PIO context was implemented around 2002, if I remember correctly. That's about the time my 3 family members got their PIO cards.

If it was still 20 yrs and $1,000, that would never have happened!

rajeshg

Can the application be sent via courier?
Does all documents need to be notarized?

I am going to apply for my kids' PIO in Delhi as I stay outside Mumbai. Are there any ways to minimize the delays?

namaste_cat

Only way I know to do this is to follow all instructions to the letter (form states clearly size of pics, and what needs to be notarized).