OCI, POI and OIC Card in India
Overseas Citizens of India
As per the India’s Citizenship Act, a person cannot have a second country’s passport simultaneously with an Indian Passport. This is valid even in the case of a child who is claimed by another country as a citizen of that country, and who may be required by the laws of the other country to use one of its passports for foreign travel (such as a child born 
in the United States to Indian parents), and the Indian courts have given the executive branch wide discretion over this matter. So, for such cases, the alternative is OCI.
- The document provided is the OCI Registration Certificate, which looks like Indian Passport but is not.
- The holders of OCI cards don’t enjoy full citizenship of India and thus, does not amount to dual citizenship or dual nationality.
- Moreover, the OCI card is not a substitute for an Indian visa and therefore, the passport which displays the lifetime visa must be carried by OCI holders while travelling to India.
- Overseas Indian Citizenship does not entitle people who have acquired, or are planning to acquire, foreign nationality or to retain their Indian passports. The law continues to require that Indian citizens who take foreign nationality must immediately surrender their Indian passports.
- Indian Missions are authorized to grant applications for Overseas citizenship of India within to cases where there is no involvement in serious offences like drug trafficking, moral turpitude, terrorist activities or anything leading to imprisonment of more than a year.
Overseas Citizens of India have the following advantages:
- The registered OCIs have the benefit of multipurpose lifelong visa to visit India.
- They are exempted for reporting the police authorities for any length of stay in India.
- They have parity with the NRI’s in financial and economic fields except in acquisition of Agricultural properties.
Person of Indian Origin PIO
A person of Indian Origin is again NOT a citizen of India. Anyone who hold passport of any other country (with certain exceptions) are eligible to be PIO if he / she, at any time held Indian passport or he/she or either of his/her parents or grandparents or great grandparents (this means 4 generations) was born in and permanently resident in Undivided India and other territories that became part of India thereafter, provided neither was at any time a citizen of any of the specified countries. The PIO came into effect from 15 September 2002.
Following are benefits of PIO Card Holders:
- The PIO Cardholders don’t require a Visa as long as PIO Card is valid. Their stay in India, if extends beyond 6 months requires registration within 30 days.
- No registration required within 6 months.
- They get the same facilities as NRIs in economic, financial and educational fields, they are given all facilities as NRIs in acquiring, holding, transferring and disposal of immovable properties in India (except agricultural fields), they can avail some facilities in banking, housing, education etc.
Voting Rights of PIO
- PIO Card Holders are not eligible to vote and their stay beyond 6 months requires registration.
Overseas Corporate Bodies
These are the overseas companies, partnership firms, trusts, societies and other corporate bodies which are owned by the persons of Indian Nationality or a Non Resident Indian , to the extent of 60%.
Overseas Indian Card
On the eve of the 9th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas 2011, the Government had announced to merge the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cards into a single facility to simplify visa-free entry and participation of Indian diaspora in business and other activities in India. Later, Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, announced that a new card is proposed to be called the Overseas Indian Card
Rationality behind merging the cards
OCI and PIO cards are to facilitate visa-free travel of NRIs and Indian Origin people to India as well as to provide them rights of residency and participation in business and educational activities. A PIO card holder does not require a visa to visit India and the card is valid for 15 years. A PIO card holder enjoys several economic and educational benefits. On the other hand, the OCI card is a kind of lifelong visa and any India origin person can apply for it if his host country allows dual citizenship. The Government says that merger of the cards will encourage the investment of the PIOs (Indians who have shifted migrated permanently to other countries over centuries) and definitely aid in the development of India. Making visits easier, the single facility will also ensure those certain groups of people find their participation in various activities in India, including investment in business more accessible.
