Skip to main content

Export / Import of Currency and Possession / Retention of Foreign Currency

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has updated the guidelines on export and import of currency.

What are the guidelines on export and import of Indian currency?

Transferor Transfer from Transfer to Nature of currency Maximum limit
Person resident in India India Countries other than Nepal and Bhutan Currency notes of Government of India (GoI) and RBI notes ₹25000 per person
Commemorative coins 2 coins
Person resident in India gone out of India on temporary visit, on his return Countries other than Nepal and Bhutan India Currency notes of GoI and RBI notes ₹25000 per person
Person resident outside India (not citizen of Pakistan / Bangladesh) visiting India India Any country Currency notes of GoI and RBI notes ₹25000 per person
Any country India
Person (not citizen of Pakistan / Bangladesh) India Nepal and Bhutan Currency notes of GoI and RBI notes in denominations up to ₹100 No limit
Nepal and Bhutan India
India Nepal and Bhutan Notes in denominations above ₹100 ₹25000
Nepal and Bhutan India

Person

 India Nepal and Bhutan Currency notes of Nepal or Bhutan No limit
Nepal and Bhutan India

  • Commemorative coin includes coin issued by GoI Mint to commemorate any specific occasion or event and expressed in Indian currency.
  • No person shall take or send out of India the Indian coins which are covered by the Antique and Art Treasure Act, 1972.

What are the guidelines on import and export of foreign exchange?

Transferor Transfer from Transfer to Nature of currency Maximum limit
Person Any country India Foreign exchange in any form other than currency notes, bank notes and travellers cheques No limit
Foreign exchange (other than unissued notes)* No limit
Authorised person India Any country Foreign currency acquired in normal course of business No limit
Person India Any country Cheques drawn on foreign currency account

Foreign exchange obtained from an authorised person

Currency in the safes of vessels or aircrafts brought into India or taken on board a vessel or aircraft with the permission of RBI.

No limit
Person India Any country Foreign exchange possessed

Unspent foreign exchange brought back to India while returning from travel abroad and retained 		No limit
Person resident outside India India Any country Unspent foreign exchange Not exceeding the amount brought in and declared on arrival in India
* Subject to the condition that such person makes, on arrival in India, a declaration to the Custom authorities in Currency Declaration Form (CDF). However, such declaration is not required where the aggregate value of the foreign exchange in the form of currency notes, bank notes or traveller's cheques does not exceed US$ 10,000 or its equivalent and / or the aggregate value of foreign currency notes does not exceed US$ 5,000 or its equivalent.

What are the limits for possession or retention of foreign currency?

Possession by Nature of currency Maximum limit
Authorised person Foreign currency and coins, within the scope of his authority No limit
Any person Foreign coins No limit
Person resident in India Foreign currency notes, bank notes and foreign currency travellers' cheques
  • acquired while on a visit to any place outside India by way of payment for services not arising from any business in or anything done in India
  • acquired from any person not resident in India and who is on a visit to India, as honorarium or gift or for services rendered or in settlement of any lawful obligation
  • acquired by way of honorarium or gift while on a visit to any place outside India
  • represents unspent amount of foreign exchange acquired from an authorised person for travel abroad
 US$ 2000 or its equivalent
Person resident in India but not permanently resident Foreign currency in the form of currency notes, bank notes and travellers cheques, acquired, held or owned by him when he was resident outside India and, brought into India No limit

  • Not permanently resident means a person resident in India for employment of a specified duration (irrespective of length thereof) or for a specific job or assignment, the duration of which does not exceed 3 years.


References

Reserve Bank of India. (2015, December 29). 'Foreign Exchange Management (Export and import of currency) Regulations, 2015'. Retrieved from https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=10255&Mode=0

Reserve Bank of India. (2016, February 04). 'Foreign Exchange Management (Possession and Retention of Foreign Currency) Regulations, 2015'. Retrieved from https://rbi.org.in/scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Mode=0&Id=10271

Reserve Bank of India. (2025, December 08). 'Export and Import of Indian Currency to or from Nepal and Bhutan'. Retrieved from https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=13215&Mode=0


Follow at - Telegram   Instagram   LinkedIn   X   Facebook

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) 2025-30

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has published National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) 2025-30. Financial Inclusion The Committee on Financial Inclusion (Chairman: Dr C Rangarajan, RBI, 2008) defined financial inclusion as “the process of ensuring access to financial services, timely and adequate credit for vulnerable groups such as weaker sections and low-income groups at an affordable cost”. The Committee on Medium-Term Path to Financial Inclusion (Chairman: Shri Deepak Mohanty, RBI, 2015) viewed financial inclusion as, “convenient access to a basket of basic formal financial products and services that should include savings, remittance, credit, government-supported insurance and pension products to small and marginal farmers and low income households at reasonable cost with adequate protection progressively supplemented by social cash transfers, besides increasing the access of small and marginal enterprises to formal finance with a greater reliance on technology to cut costs an...
Post a Comment
Read more

RBI’s Monetary Policy (December 05, 2025): In A Nutshell

The bi-monthly monetary policy of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was announced on December 05, 2025. Here are some of the highlights of the monetary policy announcement. Rates   Change Rate Policy repo rate Reduced by 25 bps 5.25% Standing deposit facility (SDF) rate 5.00% Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate 5.50% Bank rate 5.50% Monetary policy stance Monetary policy stance unchanged as ‘neutral’. Domestic Economy  Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth accelerated to 8.2% in Q2, buoyed by strong spending during the festive season which was further facilitated by the rationalisation of the goods and services tax (GST) rates.  Real GDP growth for 2025-26 is projected at 7.3%. For the first time since the adoption of flexible inflation targeting (FIT), average headline inflation for a quarter at 1.7% in Q2, breached the lower tolerance threshold (2%) of the inflation target (4%). It dipped further to an all-time low of 0.3% in October 2025. The underlying inflation pressu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 – Part-II – Section 17 to 19

The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 provides the statutory basis of the functioning of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In a series of articles, we will briefly go through the provisions of RBI Act, 1934. This is the second article in the series.  Section 17 – Business which the Bank may transact RBI shall be authorized to carry on and transact the several kinds of business hereinafter specified, namely – 17(1) – Accept deposit without interest from the Central / State Government, local authorities, banks and any other persons. 17(1A) – Accept deposit, repayable with interest, from banks or any other person under the Standing Deposit Facility Scheme, as approved by the Central Board, for the purposes of liquidity management.   Bills of Exchange (B/E) & Promissory Note (PN) Bearing 2 or more good signatures, one of which shall be of B/E & PN arising out of Maturing within 17(2)(a) Purchase, sale and rediscou...
Post a Comment
Read more

Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 – Part-V – Section 45B to 45JA

The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 provides the statutory basis of the functioning of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In a series of articles, we will briefly go through the provisions of RBI Act, 1934. This is the fifth article in the series.  Chapter IIIA - Collection and Furnishing of Credit Information Section 45B – Power of Bank to collect credit information RBI may collect credit information from banking companies and furnish it to any banking company in accordance with section 45D. Section 45C – Power to call for returns containing credit information RBI may direct any banking company to submit statements relating to credit information. Section 45D – Procedure for furnishing credit information to banking companies A banking company may apply to RBI to provide credit information. RBI shall furnish the requested credit information without disclosing the names of the banking companies which have submitted the information. RBI may levy fees of up to Rs.25 for furnishing credit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 – Part-IV – Section 42 to 45

The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 provides the statutory basis of the functioning of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In a series of articles, we will briefly go through the provisions of RBI Act, 1934. This is the fourth article in the series.  Section 42 – Cash reserves of scheduled banks to be kept with the Bank 42(1) – Every bank included in the Second Schedule shall maintain with RBI an average daily balance at a percent (notified by RBI) of its total demand and time liabilities in India. 42(1A) – RBI may direct every scheduled bank to maintain with RBI, in addition to the balance prescribed under Section 42(1), an additional average daily balance at a rate (specified by RBI). 42(1C) – RBI may specify any transaction or class of transactions to be regarded as liability in India of a scheduled bank. If any question arises as to whether any transaction or class of transactions shall be regarded as liability in India of a schedule bank, the decision of RBI thereon shall be fina...
Post a Comment
Read more