The Indian government had extended the deadline for six months in December 2016.
The Consulate General of India in New York reiterated on Wednesday that the deadline for the conversion of People of Indian Origin (PIO) cards into Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards is June 30, 2017.
“PIO card holders under the jurisdiction of this Consulate are requested to urgently convert their PIO cards into OCI cards before the expiry of the deadline for the conversion process which is June 30, 2017,” the news release read. The request for the OCI cards can be made to CKGS here.
The Government of India had extended the deadline by six months earlier, from December 31, 2016 to June 30, 2017.
The Indian government introduced the OCI cards in 2005. In 2014 Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that both the cards would be merged to provide better service to India-born foreign residents. An OCI cards are valid for the lifetime of the card holders whereas the PIO card was initially good for just 15 years.
According to the notification on January 9, 2015, “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (@) of Section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955), the Central Government hereby specifies that on and from the date of publication of this notification in the Official Gazette, all the existing Persons of Indian Origin [PIO] cardholders registered as such under notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs number 26011/4/98- F. I, dated the 19th August, 2002, shall be deemed to be Overseas Citizens of India [OCI] cardholders,” the Ministry of Home Affairs’ said in 2015.
It should be noted that the Indian government has not made it mandatory for the PIO card holders to convert their cards to OCI. Also, all previously issued PIO cards would also enjoy the same benefits as the OCI card holders. However, the Ministry of External Affairs’ (MEA) website advises that, for the sake of convenience at the entry ports, beneficiaries should get the OCI cards. “However, you are advised to convert your PIO Card to an OCI Card in order to avoid any potential inconvenience at immigration check points,” the MEA website elaborates.