Residential Permit: what IS it really? Please!

I'm living here on a PIO card (foreign origin, spouse of Indian citizen), and can't figure out whether I should get a residential permit (RP) or not, and what it's good for. I've searched IM but am still confused. One IM poster with a PIO card was given the RP when he went to register for a stay of over 180 days, and then found that it expires long before his PIO card and has to be renewed in time. Another IM poster was given a RP with a longer duration than her visa and it seemed that it would allow her to stay in India as long as it was valid.

There are clear informative govt websites for PIO cards, visas, etc. Is there any such govt info about residential permits?

The PIO card says in it clearly that for stays longer than 180 days, you have to register with the FRRO or local police.

In the past (on a 5-year X visa), registration was a shabby A4 paper labelled "Form A, certificate of registration" and was valid for the duration of the visa, including on multiple trips out of India. On trips out of India I asked the immigration guys if I could keep it for the next time, they said yes, and in fact it worked.

Then, in 2005 with PIO card, I went to the Police in our small town to register. The same registration form was there, but on the back was the form for the "Residential Permit". Having heard that this mysterious paper was the only way to get Indian prices, I filled it in. The certificate of registration on one side has no expiry but the residential permit on the back has a one-year duration and expired in 2006.

I left India before the year was up and returned, thinking the RP had not proved very useful so I would ignore it, not renew it, and just use the certificate of registration.

Unfortunately, now that the 1 year is long gone, we noticed that the RP says on it, "XXX is permitted to remain in India until yyy, 2006. In the event of xxx not departing from India before yyy 2006 he/she will unless obtained the permission of the competent authority to remain for a longer period be liable to prosecution ... punishable with imprisonment for a period of five years, ... fine and ... liable to expulsion from India". Ouch!

Well, I did depart from India, but I also returned. Was I supposed to continue renewing the RP? I would just hide the RP and keep using the registration, but they're on the same paper.

I'm still within 180 days on my current time in India. Should I just go to a different jurisdiction and get a simple registration, and avoid residential permits?

What are the pros and cons of the residential permit as opposed to the certificate of registration? One is the Indian prices, but I don't do enough domestic travel to make that a big advantage. Will it make me liable for taxation on my foreign held income? Or in some FROs, is there no choice which one you get?

Which department do these papers come under? It is not mentioned on either paper, and I can't find any Indian govt website explaining the Residential Permit.

HELP!!! Will I go to jail?

I was not aware of the "certificate of registration" being something different than a Residence Permit. In my experience, the generic term of "registration" was always used with reference to the residence permit, nothing else, and it's valid for as long as the visa is valid. Perhaps being a PIO changes things?

Ok now I checked and it seems that I have asimple A4 sheet of paper saying: Registration Certificate/Residential Permit (RC/RP). It seems that it's 2 in 1 thing...never noticed this.

With an RP you are entitled to Indian prices, opening a bank account and so on. But, since you already are a PIO, you are automatically entitled to all that. However, as far as I know RP is compulsory for a stay longer than 180 days and has to be renewed upon expiry (unless it's valid for a longer period, that seems to vary).

Btw, if you apply in India, RP is required in order to apply for a PIO card.

Mine doesn't have any such worrying words on it --- it seems to vary from place to place. One would expect that a central government form would be the same all over India; maybe not.

In my experience there is also no separate application for residence/registration. When you register you get both. Just my experience.

I am a PIO, but they gave me 5 years registration/residence along with the PIO (in India). I've heard of the full 15 years being given. I think they give what they feel like.

Wow, these forms seem to be pretty random! Any idea which department they come under?

Until 2005, I was always offered only the "Certificate of Registration" and it never had words like "residential" or "permit" or "permitted to stay in India" on it. But then in 2005 the paper had two very distinct forms on front and back. It is interesting that IceTea's gives both titles.

Nick, to try to clarify this, what is the heading on your RP, and some of the key phrases?

Now, if I try to get a fresh one in a different jurisdiction, have any of you applied for registration/residential permit in Delhi recently, and what type did you receive?

BTW way IceTea, the PIO card does not give you local prices on airlines, they say they need the RP. I think the PIO is not supposed to give you local prices on admission, though sometimes you can argue your way in. But yes, the PIO card seems to implicitly give permission to work, etc. I think open bank accounts are allowed on other visas too, but not sure.

Bureau of Immigration Chennai

Registration Certificate / Residential Permit (RC / RP)
FORM 'A' (RULE 6)

It ia an A4 sheet, has my photo with personal, passport and visa details, Purpose of visit to India ('SPOUSE IND'), It is signed and stamped FRRO and MHA.

It does not mention that I am permitted or entitled to do anything!

(other, I suppose, than reside )

It's a very unimpressive-looking paper....

My RP is a tatty piece of A4 with the scary go to jail threats on it. I arrived in India on a PIO card and registered shortly before my 180 days was up. I received a six month RP which, as I've mentioned in a previous post, I unwittingly allowed to expire by a couple of months. Despite the worrying text, I got a five year (I'll have to check to be sure, but it's something like that) extension. There isn't much detailed information provided about residing in India on a PIO card, and I do get the impression that the foreigner registration staff make the rules up as they go along. At least the ones in Pune seem a friendly enough bunch, and the rules tend to fall in the foreigner's favour.

As for the tax question; I suppose it depends on where you live. I do know that the UK and India have a reciprocal arrangement that means I don't have to pay any Indian taxes on UK earnings that I have paid UK tax on.

NIR, both Nick and I got our resident permits from the same office (Chennai) and they seem to be the same.

I'm not sure that you'll be able to get one in a different jurisdiction that the one in which you reside, btw...I don't think that's allowed, unless you prove that you changed your address.

My impression is that these forms are the same everywhere, it's only that there were some changes along the years and that's why the different versions. I got my RP in 2006, maybe your papers are older than that.

Ours is computer-produced. Probably a Word document? And it came from a big government office. I suspect that those registering in smaller places may not have computer facilities, and may be using up the stack of remaining forms for as long as it lasts, regardless of changes.

The previous one I saw was a little blue booklet with the information hand-written.

I would like to know what a PIO card is and what is the benefit of having one? Like everyone else I have x category Visa (5yrs), am registered and have a residential permit on the same scrappy bit of paper (Rajasthan) but originally a long time ago I registered in Delhi and you got quite a nice little book with all the rules in it! The piece of paper i have now has no rules but this little book has proved very useful because sometimes the local police come up with their own rules and I have photocopied the ones in the book so they cannot get baksheesh!!
I haven't heard about PIO so can someone clarify this for me?

Further to last reply I did, it worries about 'will I go to jail'? If you leave the country before 180 days and enter within the terms of your visa then no. But you should be registered (and will automatically get a residential permit) if you are staying beyond 180 days. With x category visa you have up to 180 days in which to register, unlike some others - photocopy the immigration slip you should have received and stapled inside your passport the last time you entered India. (Hope you still have it) The rules are printed there - student, employment, missionary and research i think are the categories who have to be registered within 14 days - use this information when you register because they will try to fine you 1200 rupees for late registering. (Police did this to me last time).
The residential permit should be dated the same as the expiry date of your Visa

You can check out the rules for registering, and find out about the PIO card at the Bureau of Immigration Website

You should check your visa. It may say no registration required if stay does not exceed 180 days. If so, you need not register.

You might want to! I wanted to, and had great difficulty in convincing them that not necessary meant optional, not that you couldn't register for 180 days. (That's another story all together --- of how Mrs N marched straight into the Director's office and had him writing notes to tell people to do what we asked )

Aishah, if you still have a copy of those rules, those of us who have come more lately would be interested in reading them...

I dug out the little book - looks like a post 2nd world War printing and paper! The Residential Permit part is (under Para-7 of the Foreigners order 1948) and according to the local FRO there is nothing new since then! There is much gobblygook in fine print but will summarise: basically if you are FINALLY leaving India and not returning you must hand the permit in 24hrs before departure; if you are away for more than 2 weeks from your registered address you must notify FRO where you are registered particulars of your itinerary, addresses where you will be staying and date when you will return (I put this in writing and courier it to them); you must inform of any change of address in district where registered; if you are staying elsewhere in anything other than a hotel or premises where travellers are accommodated in another district then you have to report to the Registration officer of that district within 7 days.
If you have a tourist visa for more than 6 months you are exempted from making these reports.
There is the rule of fining or imprisonment if you fail in any of these categories for reporting...
Thanks for the website Nick-H I am going to see what a PIO card is!

O.K. I don't qualify for the PIO card but I did notice that if you are staying for more than 180 days at a stretch then you must register...

Thanks everyone!

IceTea, I'll be leaving my regular place for a few weeks, which will overlap the end of the 180 days, so it could be legitimate for me to register in the new place. Thanks, though.

Recently registerd at Pune FRO. I got two papers. One is stamed and signed form that I filled and submitted to them. The other one is a paper titled residential permit. Still it is not clear to me if registration and residential permit are same thing or different.

The permit is valid for 5 years. It is says that I am entitiled to reside until xxx date to remain in India. This date is earlier than the expiry date of my PIO card. Upon pointing that out they told me that for PIO they issue permit only for 5 years. I was not aware that I would need additional permit to reside in India. It does not make sense to give another permit because PIO itself is permission to reside.

The permit also states that if I leave India it needs to be surrendered. But when I asked them what if I am leave and come back. They told me that I don't have to surrender it.