Definition of Overseas Citizen of India One cannot get a clearer defnition of what one gets as an OCI other than indefinite stay in India.
SOURCE: http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/acsdualnation.html Dual Nationality The Indian government recently launched a program called "Overseas Citizens of India" or "OCI". This program often has been mischaracterized as "dual nationality" or "dual citizenship." However, a person who holds an OCI Card in reality is granted an Indian visa, not Indian citizenship. Thus, an American citizen who obtains OCI status remains a citizen only of the United States. The OCI Card is a special visa which grants the holder the right to indefinitely visit, study or work in India, and also the right to own most types of property in India (excluding certain agricultural and plantation properties). A holder of an OCI card also need not register with local police/immigration authorities, unlike other holders of Indian visas. An OCI holder, however, does not receive an Indian passport, and has no other political rights in India, including the right to vote or eligibility for government employment. The OCI card is similar to a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Card, except that PIO cards are not granted for life, and PIO Card holders may be required to register with police/immigration authorities under certain circumstances. An American citizen who wishes to obtain a PIO or OCI Card, may apply outside of India at the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, or at an Indian consulate in New York, Chicago, San Francisco or Houston. An American citizen who resides in India can apply at the Foreigner’s Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in New Delhi (tel. 2671-1348). The FRRO also maintains offices in Mumbai, Chennai (known as the Chennai Immigration Office), Calcutta and Amritsar. In Delhi, applications also may be made at the Foreigner's Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, located at Jaisalmer House, 26 Man Singh Road, New Delhi (tel. 2338-7436). For more information on the OCI program, please see http://www.mha.nic.in/oci/oci-main.htm Santana Mendes --- On Thu, 7/2/09, elolgo . <[email protected]> wrote: From: elolgo . <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Goanet] Definition of PIO (Person of Indian Origin) To: [email protected], "Goa's premiere mailing list, estb. 1994!" <[email protected]> Date: Thursday, July 2, 2009, 2:48 AM Add to that, Who is an OCI- Overseas Citizen of India? On 7/1/09, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Been reading that some Goanet readers are not actually aware of the > definition of PIO (Person of Indian Origin).. i.e. How does a white Brit > get a PIO card? > > Because he married a Indian brown girl.. Could be that this girl was not even > born in India but her Parents /Grand parents were Indian Citizens by virtue > of the Constitution of India or the Citizenship Act, 1955. > > Please read the definition.. As per RBI website.. > http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/BS_CircularIndexDisplay.aspx?Id=5119 > > Definition of NRI/PIO > > NRI for this purpose is defined as a person resident outside India who is > citizen of India. In terms of Regulation 2 FEMA Notification No.13 dated May > 3, 2000, Non-Resident Indian (NRI) means a person resident outside India who > is a citizen of India. Person of Indian Origin (PIO) means a citizen of any > country other than Bangladesh or Pakistan who had (a) at any time held Indian > passport or (b) he or either of his parents or any of his grandparents was a > citizen of India by virtue of the Constitution of India or the Citizenship > Act, 1955 or (c) the person is a spouse of an Indian citizen or a person > referred to in (a) or (b). > > > Santana Mendes > > > > > >
