Along with many benefits, a Person of Indian Origin Card enables its holder to travel to India without visa. However, the PIO card holder must always possess a valid passport in order to consider his/her PIO valid. Below are the eligibility criteria to obtain a PIO card:

• An applicant must have held an Indian passport at any point of time.
• The applicant or either of the applicant’s parents/grandparents must have been born and resided permanently in India.
• The applicant must be the spouse of a person who holds Indian citizenship/a PIO.

Benefits of having a PIO Card:

• It allows a visa-free travel to India
• A PIO card holder does not need a Student Visa or Employment Visa in order to get himself/herself enrolled in educational institutions and engaged in job respectively.
• A PIO holder is not required to register his/her name with the concerned body if he/she does not stay for more than 180 days in India on a visit. On staying over the aforementioned days, registration is must for the holder.
• PIO card holders are privileged with equal facilities same as the non-resident Indians are entitled to in respect of economic, financial and educational fields.
• PIO card holders are facilitated with separate counters for immigration checks at all International airports in India.

An application for the PIO card can be filed at the Indian Mission in the country where the applicant is residing. Along with the application form, certain credentials must be submitted in order to support that the applicant is a person of Indian origin.