Indians living overseas are no longer required to get a U visa affixed on their passports every time they travel to India. The Indian government has done away with the process of affixing a visa.
The Indian government has done away with the process of affixing a U visa after the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) were merged last year. the OCI card will suffice to enter the country and hence would require no visa.
Now the OCI card will suffice to enter the country.
Carrying a passport will, however, be mandatory, an official told The Hindu newspaper.
“Till now, every OCI card holder also had to get a visa affixed from the Indian High Commission whenever they planned a visit to India. Now, only the OCI card will be needed."Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in 2014 that the PIO and OCI would be merged for the benefit of the diaspora.
The Indian government had announced to merge the PIO and OCI for benefit of the Indian diaspora.
The Citizenship Act was amended last year and a notification was issued to merge the two cards.
The earlier deadline to migrate from PIO to OCI was January 2016, the Indian government has extended it to June 30.
