Time to Process PIO
 

I need to go to India for a two year period beginning from the third week of July. Is this enough time for me to get a PIO card? If it is not enough time, would it be a good idea to just get a normal 6 month visa, and then just extend it in India? If I extend in India, how much would it cost?

Thanks

No chance, PIO cards usually take 4 weeks minimum. Getting a 6 Month visa and then converting it locally is tough, I would advise you to contact the consulate and ask what to do or if it would be possible to get a two year visa upfront.

Note that stays of more than 180 days required registration at the FRRO anyways, even with a PIO card.

Very slim chance with PIO in that time frame.

Apply for an entry or long term visa and then get that extended in India. IIRC it is possible to apply for PIO within India.

They don't even always turn around PIO status even within 6-8 weeks at many places nowadays.

why not just get a long term visa to begin with????

Depends where you process it. My fiancee got her PIO card done at the Indian High Commission in Lilongwe, Malawi in 24 hours (and with a photocopy of her grandfather's pre-independence passport as her only proof of ties). Most smaller missions will take no longer than 2-3 days to process PIO cards in my experience, but the larger ones can take forever and a day.

Good point. You are right the local consulate does it, so depending on where the OP is based the timing may be different.

Which reminds me that I have to start the process to get my wife and kids their PIO cards before our October trip. @:-)

Does the 6-8 week timeframe apply even when you make an appointment and turn up in person, or does that shorten the time at all?

my wife's mother is stuck in india trying to carry out some type of property transaction in her children's behalf, and suddenly this requires my wife have a PIO card; we're traveling to germany on July 14 and cannot give up the passport for 6-8 weeks, but we could conceivably drive to NYC to submit in person if it would be fast enough.

From what I read online, this sounds extremely unlikely to work, but looking for thoughts.

We'll be back from germany on July 25 and could start the process then, but I really hate to leave my mother in law stuck at 108 degrees or whatever it is right now, if there's any way around it. :(

I also have a similar question. Since a PIO would take 6-8 weeks, I am instead trying to get an Entry Visa, and then extend it in India.

How long would it take for me to receive my Visa after I mail it to the Cox office in Atlanta?

Or, if I go to the Atlanta office in person myself instead of doing everything by mail, would I be able to get the Visa on the same day?

We've decided not to attempt PIO at this time, but if we do it later this year I'll try to update with the turnaround time we experience.