Application for PIO card, inability to obtain full documentation

[Vince Viknesh J'eg Pillay]

Hi everyone!

I have no idea where else to post this query and found this to be the most apt place thus far, so apologies in advance if it isn't!

I am a Singaporean of Indian descent and am seeking to apply for a PIO card (I believe requirements would be the same for US citizens and other nationalities, like mine). Based on the requirements on the High Commission website, I have to produce original copies of my grandparents' or great grandparents' passport or travel documents.

My grandparents and great grandparents had lost their homes, all their belongings, along with whatever documents they may have had, during the World Wars and Japanese occupation of Singapore. I only have one living grandmother. She advised us that my grandfather's cousin sister is alive and well in Singapore.

My Singaporean passport and Singapore Identity Card does label my race as Indian and I clearly have an Indian name.

When I was younger, my parents had attempted to obtain the PIO status. Roughly 10 years ago, my parents attempted to trace their roots to understand their origins better, and with a view of obtaining a PIO status. My grandfather's cousin sister directed my parents to a town in India. My parents duly headed to India and after an arduous journey with numerous attempts at tracing, finally managed to obtain a letter from the Village Administrative Officer (VAO) of the village, proving that we originated from there. Upon presentation for application, the personnel at the counter refused to file the application, saying that they had insufficient documentation (I was told by a friend that they may have wanted a bribe).

Fast foward 10 years later, now, I am picking up the pieces where my parents left, and I definitely want to obtain a PIO status. I don't want to leave my parents efforts in vain, and I personally doing whatever it takes for me to get the PIO status.

Can anyone advise me on how I can apply even without direct documentation proving that I am Indian? With the Modi government in place, perhaps it may be easier than 10 years ago? If the need arises, I am able to head up to India in Jan/Feb 2015. Any constructive feedback and/or advise will be dearly appreciated. Thank you!

[Hubly]

I have no idea how PIO applications work in Singapore. Here in the U.S., there is a service called CKGS that gathers all necessary documents to then submit to the Indian Embassy/Consulate. What they look for are documents directly given by the Indian government that shows/proves your Indian lineage. So the fact that your Singapore passport has Indian written on it by itself won't help you get the PIO, at least if you applied from the U.S. You can simply use it as a secondary form of evidence to supplement your claim if you so wish. You'd have to gather documents such as your parents or grandparents' Indian birth certificates, maybe some Thasildar certificate etc. To give you an example from personal experience, I have never held Indian citizenship but my mum is Indian. I had no problem getting an OCI when I was living in India. But when time came to acquire a PIO for my husband who has never set foot in India, it was more complicated and my OCI alone was not enough. So then I had to produce my birth certificate, Indian degree certificate, Indian driver license etc. so husband could get PIO.

If you cannot get any hard documents that are directly from India while you're in Singapore I would suggest you go to India first and trace your family's paperwork. But as I said before, my advice is based on my experience in the U.S. Perhaps someone in Singapore can shed more light on how things work there.

[Vince Viknesh J'eg Pillay]

I have no idea how PIO applications work in Singapore. Here in the U.S., there is a service called CKGS that gathers all necessary documents to then submit to the Indian Embassy/Consulate. What they look for are documents directly given by the Indian government that shows/proves your Indian lineage. So the fact that your Singapore passport has Indian written on it by itself won't help you get the PIO, at least if you applied from the U.S. You can simply use it as a secondary form of evidence to supplement your claim if you so wish. You'd have to gather documents such as your parents or grandparents' Indian birth certificates, maybe some Thasildar certificate etc. To give you an example from personal experience, I have never held Indian citizenship but my mum is Indian. I had no problem getting an OCI when I was living in India. But when time came to acquire a PIO for my husband who has never set foot in India, it was more complicated and my OCI alone was not enough. So then I had to produce my birth certificate, Indian degree certificate, Indian driver license etc. so husband could get PIO.

If you cannot get any hard documents that are directly from India while you're in Singapore I would suggest you go to India first and trace your family's paperwork. But as I said before, my advice is based on my experience in the U.S. Perhaps someone in Singapore can shed more light on how things work there.

Thank you for your reply. I shall consider heading to India in January and possibly seek help from friends there. I was wondering if you know whether affidavits would work. If I were to get an affidavit notarised in India giving oath/affirmation that I am on Indian descent.