PIO card

[mustafa]

Hi
I am in L1 visa, have a new born baby in US. Need to move permanently to india. is it possible get PIO card within 3 weeks ? Can I extend this PIO card beyond 10 years from india?
what is the other option for me, if I didn't get PIO card within 3 weeks and need to permanently relocate to india and retain my baby's US status.

Information would be helpful

Thanks
Kamal

[cool_r2i]

Hi
I am in L1 visa, have a new born baby in US. Need to move permanently to india. is it possible get PIO card within 3 weeks ? Can I extend this PIO card beyond 10 years from india?
what is the other option for me, if I didn't get PIO card within 3 weeks and need to permanently relocate to india and retain my baby's US status.

Information would be helpful

Thanks
Kamal

Kamal,
You can get visa for your baby on his/her US passport and go back to India. I think you can get visa in one day if you go to the consulate directly. And, after you reach India, you can apply for PIO card.

[tamtom]

Hi
I am in L1 visa, have a new born baby in US. Need to move permanently to india. is it possible get PIO card within 3 weeks ? Can I extend this PIO card beyond 10 years from india?
what is the other option for me, if I didn't get PIO card within 3 weeks and need to permanently relocate to india and retain my baby's US status.

Kamal,

It took me (spouse of Indian citizen) about 3 weeks to get a PIO card from the Indian consulate in SF. The PIO card is valid for 15 years, and you can extend it in India through the FRRO.

If you don't have time to do a PIO card before you leave, a second option is to get the baby a visitor's visa to India. You can get those in the same day by going to the Indian consulate in person. On entry the child is allowed a 3-month stay, but then you can apply for the child's PIO card while in India through the FRRO. I don't know how long it takes to get a PIO card from Indian FRRO, but three months should be plenty of time for them to do that.

If you haven't already applied for a US passport for the child, a third option is to get the baby an Indian passport from an Indian consulate in the US. That's what we did.

In this third case (Indian passport), if you decide to claim the child's US citizenship later, you can still do so while in India by applying for a US passport for the child in a US consulate there and showing them the child's US birth certificate. After that, you'd need to go to FRRO and cancel the child's Indian passport, get a retroactive visa for the child, and apply for the child's PIO card.

Hope this helps,

Tamtom