Since the significant announcement by the Reserve Bank of India on May 7, 2012 many NRIs have expressed interest in transferring funds from the Non-Resident Ordinary Account (NRO) to Non-Resident External Account (NRE).
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) permitted NRO to NRE fund transfer subject to payment of applicable taxes within the overall ceiling of $ 1 million in a financial year.
Transfer of Funds from NRO to NRE: Before 2012…
Prior to 2012, the transfer of funds from NRO to NRE account was not permitted by RBI. The only way to transfer the amount into NRE accounts was through release from abroad or another NRE account.
Transfer of Funds from NRO to NRE: After 2012…
The proclamation by the Reserve Bank of India is plainly good news for NRIs looking forward to transfer their money to NRE accounts, which are repatriable in foreign currencies. This change has helped NRIs to save transaction cost. However, there are certain conditions that have to be met before transferring the amount.
What is NRO and NRE Account?
1. The NRO account is mainly for depositing Indian incomes like dividends, rent or incomes through any investment or sale of property. In case of NRO account both non-resident and resident can become joint account holders.
2. The NRE account is mainly for depositing income from abroad. In case of NRE account, only NRIs can become joint account holders.
Lack of Awareness about transfer of funds from NRO to NRE
A lot of NRIs are using this privilege; still a few NRIs are facing difficulties transferring their funds. This is mainly due to lack of awareness about the process/intricacies. Below are a few conditions every NRI must know about transfer of funds from NRO to NRE.
For Your Knowledge…
- An NRI can transfer funds from NRO to NRE account only if the amount is within USD 1 million in a financial year. The amount/limit is the maximum.
- Transfer of funds from NRO to NRE account is subject to payment of applicable taxes. Only if the taxes are clear you can move funds
- The source of funds in the NRO account should be transferable/ repatriable
Document Requirements for Transfer of Funds from NRO to NRE
For transfer of funds from NRO to NRE account, NRIs need to submit Form 15CA (online application form) and form 15CB (Chartered Accountant Application) to the bank branch.
RBI’s 2011 change….
A decreasing value of rupee incited RBI to exempt interest rate on NRE deposits in December 2011. This change has propelled NRIs to save their funds in NRE deposits, as they are tax free and freely repatriable. Here, reparation means you are free to move your money to your overseas account.
Benefits of reparation
It is beneficial for NRIs to repatriate money, since at the time of excess motion (constructively) in the currency you can make money by transferring the amounts to your overseas financial account.
A little on ‘Taxation’ side…
Do you know the difference in the tax treatment for interest earned on an NRE and NRO account? Yes! Both the accounts have different rules. Read on:
- The interest earned on the NRO account is subject to taxation. The tax percent or amount is subject to holder’s tax bracket
- The interest earned on the NRE account is free from taxation. The credit balance in the account is free from wealth tax. Also, a gift given to relative does not attract gift tax.
Conclusion
It is now possible for NRIs to transfer funds from NRO to NRE account subject to certain conditions and guidelines mentioned above. In order to avoid financial ambiguities, one must get in touch with a financial expert to clear all the doubts. Read and understand the conditions carefully before transferring your funds.
(The author is Ramalingam.K an MBA (Finance) and certified financial planner. He is the Director & Chief Financial Planner of holistic investment planners (www.holisticinvestment.in) a firm that offers Financial Planning and Wealth Management. He Can be reached at ramalingam@holisticinvestment.in)
Author Bio
I have an NRO account consisting of past savings and accumulations from tax paid interest and pension. When I tried to transfer $20,000 SBI online I get a message stating that I should contact the branch. They do not respond my phone call or emails. According to Form 11.2 for outward remittance from NRO account for transaction upto $25,000 only form 11.2 is required and not even A2. Can I send form 11.2 and ask them to activate online transfer facility?
Sir
I want to transfer my sale of property fund from NRO to NRE account, but my both the account are in INR currency. So how can i generate the form 15CA
I want contact of a Accountant who deal with form for NRO funds to NRE as I live overseas and funds are taxed a t 30%on interest to get tax back and to
change status to nre to transfer the funds to invest in aaproperty
You can mail your query at vidhuduggal94@gmail.com
Dear Sagar
I received funds from sell of property in resident savings account. My capital gain tax and other tax returns are fine and settled. Now I want to transfer those funds to overseas account. Is the process same or different in this case considering my account is resident account?
Can you please provide details if there is another process?
Indian resident can repatriate funds equal to USD 250,000/- each financial year. You have to pay 5% TDS and claim as part of your ITR filing.
Besides the 15CA/CB what other documents are required? My bank is not willing to accept the instructions on email and insisting all original documents and sale agreement of property. Funds are already in NRO account and at the time of deposit declaration about source of funds was submitted. Please advise how can we proceed as bank in unwilling to help.
Move the NRO fund to more friendly banks and do the transfer. Most nationalized banks create a ruckus just because they are not aware of the process
Besides the 15CA/CB what other documents are required? My bank is not willing to accept the instructions on email and insisting all original documents and sale agreement of property. Funds are already in NRO account and at the time of deposit declaration about source of funds was submitted. Please advise how can we proceed as bank in unwilling to help.
Which form of form 15ca is applicable when transferring money from nro account to nre account, my understanding is when 15cb is mandatory to be filed we should do it through part c of 15ca only, please help me understanding the same.
Thank you
Hi, I received my PF and gratuity in 2015 on my NRO account. I am an NRI from 2011. Can I move that fund from NRO to NRE, by producing the settlement letter without Form 15CA/CB. Thanks Gopa
I am having a problem transferring money from my NRO to NRE account, HDFC staff keeps telling my accountant it is not possible.
i am indian origin USA citizen, recently received gift from my sister staying in india and kept money in my NRO acct, so can i transfer this fund to my NRE acct and then do part investment in indian mutual fund and part can i take it back to my overseas usa account?
1. How is it established that the fund being transferred from NRO to NRE is Tax paid?.
2. Who is required to submit For 15 CA & 15 CB? Is 15 CB required to be submitted on paper unlike 15 CA which is ‘on line’?
Can I transfer INR online from my NRO account in HDFC Bank to my NRE account in SBI. What is tax implication and how to sort out?
it is excellent
Changes in the requirement of filling the forms effective from 1st April 2016
No Form 15CA and 15CB will be required to be furnished by an individual for remittance which do not require RBI approval under its Liberalized Remmittace Scheme (LRS).
The list of payments of specified nature under Rule 37 BB where submission of Forms 15CA and 15CB is not required has been expanded from 28 to 33.
In spite of this banks invariably ask for 15CA /15CB . In such situation how to deal with banks.
Can I transfer the fund from NRO a/c to NRE a/c without CA certificate and on my own declaration and attestation for the maturity amounts of PPP instruments like PPF, Life Insurance etc under RBI guide lines ?
can a money be transfer from one NRI account to other NRI account?
if an NRI is taking salary in NRO account, will it become taxable in India considering received in India provision?
The article is thought-provoking and contains a wealth of information. May I ask a question please/ u/s 90(2) of the Indian Income Tax Act, an NRI can have the option of choosing to be governed either by the provisions of particular DTAA or those of Indian Income Tax Act, whichever is beneficial to NRI. I am an Australian and my country’s tax rules as compared to those of India in respect of my taxable Income is more beneficial. Hence if I choose to be governed by Aust Tax rules, I can transfer my fund from NRO to Australia by giving the undertaking that I will follow Australian Tax rules after the transfer is effected. Thus I can overrule the provisions of submitting documents as stated in the article. Am I correct to understand please/
Can i give my NRE a/c number to get my TDS refund amount from Income Tax