Requesting help from someone with TIMATIC access re PIO
 

Mods, please move to a more appropriate forum if needed.

I'm trying to find out if there will be an issue at checkin for the following situation:

1. Mother and minor daughter planning travel USA to India in late January 2016.

2. Both are US Citizens, both with PIO cards.

3. Daughter recently got a new passport upon expiry of the old one.

4. PIO lists previous, expired passport number.

5. Consulates no longer endorse/update PIO's with new passport number, since new PIO's no longer being issued, and advising conversion to OCI.

6. Consulate told me that if they carry old and new passports plus PIO, there will be no issue at immigration in India, BUT that the airline may refuse boarding since current passport number is not in the PIO.

7. They advised applying for OCI, which we will do, but that will not process prior to the trip.

I don't envision it to be a problem, but can't take that <5% chance that an overzealous and/or uninformed checkin agent could cause issues or refuse boarding.

So the question is, does TIMATIC have any specific guidance for this situation, i.e., does it say that old+new passports plus PIO (with old passport number) is valid for travel to India? If so, then they are good.

Anyone that can provide the full text/guidance from TIMATIC for this situation?

Summary: US passport holder/US resident traveling USA to India; PIO card shows expired passport number; traveling with both expired and new passport.

Thanks!

There has never been a problem with any of this. Endorsing a PIO card with the new passport number has never been necessary, and it is even less necessary now.

My wife is a PIO and has been traveling with PIO card and old+new passports for several years. This is not just anecdotal evidence; it is standard, it is old news, and all the airlines know about it. Nowadays even the old passport is not required (see below) but you might want to carry it anyway since it's not a big deal.

There are multiple ways for you to access Timatic data yourself. One way is through Skyteam's web interface:

both my uncles are u.s. citizens with pio cards....they have traveled to india multiple times since the expiry of their old passport which is mentioned on their pio card....till date they have never had a problem....

The MHA guidelines are very clear: "OCI registration certificate (OCI card) must be RE-ISSUED EACH TIME A NEW PASSPORT is issued up to the completion of 20 years of age in view of biological changes in face of the applicant."

I'd recommend getting in writing from the consulate that the unendorsed PIO card is valid.

There is nothing in TIMATIC that talks about passport listed on PIO card matching passport being traveled on. Given this ambiguity, it is not outside the realm of possibility that boarding or admission into India could be denied. In the future, I recommend applying for visas in a timely manner.

TIMATIC says nothing about updating your PIO card:

The consulate will not give you a clean chit to travel without updating the PIO card:

https://www.indianembassy.de/pages.php?id=151

Really??? In 99% of cases, the only thing that airline ticket/gate agents every checked in my passport was the Visa, which was a U visa. Only once or twice have I been asked if I had an OCI booklet by an airline agent. I just returned from a trip to the subcontinent this week, and even at Immigration in DEL, the U visa was examined, and the entry and exit stamps were on the opposite page.

Of course, I can't see why the Indian authorities would require two separate documents testifying to the same thing (the card and the visa stamp). However, the U visa no longer a requirement? This is the first I've heard of it.

Okay, I wanted to follow up with the results.

I spoke again to an individual at the embassy in Washington, who advised me that there will be no issue, that my daughter can travel with old and new passports and PIO card. He even agreed to send me an email confirming this that included his title/contact info for me to print out and carry.

We went armed with TIMATIC info from Emirates' website, the email from the embassy, and a letter downloaded from the NY consulate website advising airlines to accept PIO's for travel to India even though PIO program is phased out.

As a backup, I even filled out and printed a visa application for her, along with birth certificate and passport photos in case we needed to apply for an emergency visa at the NY consulate in the event of a problem at checkin.

End result? Absolutely ZERO issue during checkin with Emirates at JFK, they simply entered info from passports and PIO cards, never asked for old passport. BP's issued, and they were on their merry way.

A lot of worrying on my part for nothing!

Good read.. I am in the same boat with my 2 kids with OCIs in expired passports and new passports in hand. All 4 are US citizens, flying AA/Etihad, PHX-LAX-AUH-BOM//AUH-LAX-PHX. What is TIMATIC and how do I get it for AA/Etihad? I plan to carry kids' old/expired US passports with lifelong U visa sticker, original OCI booklet and of course new passports. Parents OCIs are in current US passports. + carrying the booklets too. I hope not be turned back from airport and spoil the whole vacation. Too short a time to apply fore reissue for kids and risk not even having their docs in hand when its time to outbound. Wondering if I should try and check with SF consulate but worried about the red-tape I have seen on the humongous re-issue documentation requirements.

The TIMATIC entry for your situation is as follows:

You should be fine.