Q.1287 PIO Card Validity

Extended up to March 31, 2020

Question: I read that PIO cards will not be allowed for travel after September 2019. I hold PIO card and want to confirm if I can or cannot travel to India with my valid PIO card as no one has told me it is cancelled. Look forward to a reposnse ad I am planning a Dec 2019 christmas holiday trip to India and don’t want trouble at delhi airport on arrival. Thanks Answer: Hand written PIO card acceptance as a travel document to enter India was supposed to expire on September 30, 2019 but this date has recently been extended by the authorities. Now PIO cards can be used as a valid travel document to enter India until March 31, 2020. What will happen after the March 31, 2020 expiry date is up to the government. Date may or may NOT be extended. So it’s best to convert PIO to OCI as soon as possible. Currently the fee for conversion of PIO card to OCI card is $100 compared to a fee of $275 for new OCI applicants. I doubt that PIO cards will in the near future become invalid. The only restriction that is likely to happen is that they will not be allowed as travel documents after the new announced date of March 31, 2020 because hand written PIO cards are not machine readable.