Unlike regular citizens of India, NRIs can’t have standard savings accounts in Indian banks. There are three famous types of bank accounts a NRI could operate i.e. non-resident customary account, non-resident external account and foreign currency non-resident (B) account.
Whether you are a non-resident Indian (NRI) who is moving back to India or hoping to invest in India, or you are a resident who has recently been granted NRI status, the principal thing you need to do is have the correct bank account to manage your money.
Unlike regular citizens of India, NRIs can’t have standard savings accounts in Indian banks. The determination of NRI status isn’t as per the prominently known Income-Tax Act, yet FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act). FEMA uses intent as the premise to determine residential status. Along these lines, once you have moved residence (and youngster’s school) over the shores, this clearly denotes intention, and hence your residential status changes.
There are three mainstream types of bank accounts a NRI could operate:
1. Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) – This is the savings bank account of the NRI, which can be funded in rupees or foreign exchange. For those moving to another country, after having worked in India, their resident savings account should be converted to a NRO account. This account can likewise have recurring or fixed deposits.
2. Non-Resident External (NRE) – The key difference from the NRO account is that this account needs to be funded uniquely in foreign currency. The recurring and fixed deposit must have a base development period of one year. Power of attorney can’t be used to open a NRE account; the NRI account holder needs to open this account all alone.
3. Foreign Currency Non-resident (FCNR (Banks)) – A FCNR (B) account is like opening a regular fixed deposit. You may close a FCNR (B) account prematurely; however, so as to earn any interest on the sum, the deposit must remain untouched with the bank for at any rate one year.
Recent amendments to the non-resident bank account rules in India don’t permit the accounts to be held with resident Indians other than in ‘former or survivor’ status, which means that in their lifetime, just the NRI is authorized to operate the account.
For what reason would it be advisable for me to have a NRO account?
NRO accounts are savings or current accounts which can be utilized by NRIs to manage the income they earn in India. This account holds currency in Rupees as it were. You can likewise use your NRO account to directly invest in common funds and shares.
There are no restrictions on the type of credits you make to this account and it’s the main account type permitted for a NRI who’s hoping to collect rents or receive dividends in India, as per RBI.
The money in NRO accounts are not freely repatriable, so it is best that you use this account for neighborhood spends. You can even select a NRO fixed deposit, especially in case you’re not wanting to use your accumulated funds anytime soon. This may help you earn better interest on savings.
Keep at the top of the priority list that any interest that you earn in a NRO account will have 30 percent in addition to surcharge (assuming any) and cess, as TDS levied on it. However, on the off chance that your nation of residence is a piece of the DTAA, then you can benefit a lower rate of TDS; you should complete a few formalities and submit documents as prescribed by the RBI to do this.
The Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) is a tax treaty signed between two or more countries to help taxpayers abstain from paying double taxes on the same income.
For what reason would it be advisable for me to have a NRE account?
As I mentioned earlier, NRO accounts are not freely repatriable. However, for some NRIs repatriation of funds is a basic need. The capacity to freely repatriate funds outside India in any currency, and the way that interest earned on NRE accounts is tax-free (in NRO accounts it isn’t), make these accounts very famous in the NRI people group.
There are a few constraints however. The foreign currency is converted to Indian rupees, and hence subject to currency variances. A significant point to note is that any income earned in Indian rupees can’t be deposited to a NRE account. However, you can freely send funds from your NRE account to some other NRE account in India, or transfer them to a foreign account.
For what reason would it be advisable for me to open a FCNR account?
The biggest advantage of operating a FCNR account is that these accounts can be maintained in a currency other than Indian rupees. This reduces the danger of currency change. It takes the form of term or fixed deposits. NRIs and persons of Indian source (PIOs) can open FCNR accounts jointly with resident Indians, in which case the resident close relative operates the account as a power of attorney holder.
You can make unrestricted funds transfer to any NRE account for making payments in India. For FCNR accounts, the base tenure for you to pick up interest is one year and the most extreme period is five years. Another benefit that non-residents get is that you can hold FCNR accounts to development even if your residency status changes to a resident during the tenure of the deposit.
Of course, let’s not forget that every investor has his own needs and requirements. Make sure you converse with a certified money related planner before you make any urgent monetary decisions.
