Effectively fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement on consular and visa issues during his address at the Madison Square Garden in New York City last month, all Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cards are now valid for the lifetime of the cardholder, instead of 15 years, according to a Gazette notification issued on September 30th, 2014.
Following Prime Minister Modi's announcement that PIO cardholders would be exempt from police reporting, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued instructions through the same Gazette notification dated September 30th, that PIO cardholders would not be required to report to a police station even if their visit to India exceeds 180 days.
Swiftly implementing all the announcements made by Prime Minister Modi, instructions have been issued to Embassies and Consulates that unless there are exceptional circumstances, visas to US nationals should normally be given for 10 years.
Systems are in place to introduce visa on arrival for US tourists in October itself.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is working on a new scheme that will merge the PIO and OCI schemes.
