PIO Card and Visa

[nagmad]

Hi

I applied for my son's PIO card today.He is scheduled to travel to India this month end and I am not sure if I will get the PIO card in time for his travel. As a back up, I am planning to apply for a 6 month tourist visa for him.

My question is: If I mail the PIO card to him once I get it, can he legally stay in India beyond the duration of his visa i.e. 6 months. What all is required to be done to change his status from "tourist" to "PIO" during his stay in India?

Rgds

[knowledgeable]

...

Yes, if you're able to collect the PIO from CGI without the passport, you can courier it to India.

There's no "change of status" required to switch from visa to PIO. It's automatic as soon as you collect the PIO card.

Take care.