502. Foreign wife of Indian Citizen

eligibility for PIO Card

Question: Dear Sir, I am an Indian passport holder living in UK on ILR. My wife is a British citizen of India origin. We are thinking of moving to India for good. Can she apply for PIO through my Indian passport? I was told by someone that her to apply for PIO, I need to change my passport to British, then only she can apply through my Indian origin. Is this true? Please guide & help. Regards, Kumar Answer: There is no need for you to acquire British Citizen so that your wife can apply for a PIO card. If your wife is of Indian origin, as you mention in your email, she can apply on her own merit. Furthermore, a foreign spouse of a Indian citizen is qualified to apply for a PIO Card. The only restriction here is that the foreign spouse should not have previously held the citizenship of any of the following countries: 1. Pakistan, Bangladesh 2. Sri Lanka 3. Bhutan 4. Afghanistan 5. China 6. Nepal. Update: Effective January 6, 2015 Foreign Spouse can now apply for OCI Registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) by by a foreign origin spouse of a citizen of India or spouse of an OCI holder is now allowed. The following conditions apply: 1. marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application 2.Foreign spouse applying for OCI shall be subjected to prior security clearance from a competent authority in India.