PIO card provides visa-free trips to India

Indian women married to UAE nationals do not know about the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card that provides them - and their children - visa-free access to India for 15 years, an Indian diplomat said.

PIO card is available to anyone who has a parent, grandparent who is an Indian citizen, or had a great grandparent of Indian origin.

"The card-holder gets several benefits," said J. K. Verma, consul, visa section.

The PIO card provides all facilities similar to those offered to expatriate Indians. Card-holders can also buy, sell and transfer immovable property, except agricultural land, but do not have political rights, such as voting.

Every year, nearly 27,000 UAE nationals apply for visas to visit India, and many are married to Indians. Presently, the Indian consulate is swamped by visa applicants going to India for summer holidays.

The consul said the cost of the card was reduced recently from $1,000 (about Dh3,650) to Dh1,150 for an adult and Dh550 for children, 12 years and younger.

In comparison, a six-month visa costs Dh150. A one-year multiple visa is Dh240, while a five-year multiple visa is Dh480.

Many women married to UAE nationals frequently travel to India to visit relatives. There are many UAE nationals of Indian parentage who travel to India for medical treatment or ayurvedic therapies, Verma said.

"The women who have married UAE nationals have become mothers and are looking for partners for their sons and daughters back in India," he said.

Indian women married to UAE nationals are often either from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad or from the state of Kerala.

The PIO card is not offered to Pakistanis, Bangla-deshis or Sri Lankans, even if a parent was born in India.

Nationals of 16 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and Sweden, are eligible to apply for the card. Foreign spouses of Indian nationals are also eligible.

Only a few cards have been issued from the Dubai consulate, but that was before the price was reduced, Verma said.