How to Open an NRE or NRO Account from the USA (Without Flying to India)

Once you move to the US for work, Indian banking rules treat you as an NRI, and the money you keep in India has to sit in an NRE account, an NRO account, or both. That applies from the day you leave India, whether you're on an H-1B or L-1, hold a green card, or are a US citizen with an OCI card. It covers savings you send home, rent or dividends you earn in India, and the savings account you had before you moved.

You can open either one from the USA without flying to India. You apply online, send your documents by courier, and never have to visit a branch. Which account you need depends on where the money comes from: money you earn in the US goes into an NRE account, and money you earn in India goes into an NRO account.

NRE vs NRO Account: Which One Should You Open?

Open an NRE account for money you bring in from the US, and an NRO account for money you earn in India. Most NRIs in the US end up with both. The NRE holds their US savings. The NRO is often there already, because the savings account they had in India must be converted to one when they leave. It's also where rent, dividends and other Indian income land.

Open an NRE account to send your US earnings home

An NRE (Non-Resident External) account is a rupee account for money you earn abroad. When you send dollars from your US bank, they're converted to rupees and credited to the account. Everything in it, interest included, can go back to the US whenever you want, and the interest is tax-free in India. That makes it the right home for US savings you want to keep, spend or invest in India.

Open an NRO account for income you earn in India

An NRO (Non-Resident Ordinary) account holds money that comes from India: rent from a property, dividends, a pension, interest on fixed deposits or money you inherit. Current income like rent and dividends can go into an NRE account once tax has been paid, if the bank is satisfied it's current income, but in practice most banks route Indian income into an NRO.

The trade-off is that NRO interest is taxable in India, and moving NRO money to the US comes with a yearly cap and paperwork. If you're wondering how it differs from the savings account you already have, read our guide on the difference between an NRO and a savings account.

Why most US NRIs need both accounts

If you send part of your salary home and also have any income in India, you'll need both. Keeping them separate protects your US money: it stays tax-free and freely repatriable in the NRE account instead of getting mixed with Indian income the bank has to tax. For a fuller side-by-side, see NRE vs NRO account: key differences.

Both accounts hold rupees. If you'd rather keep your savings in US dollars at an Indian bank, look at an FCNR deposit instead.

Eligibility for an NRE or NRO Account from the USA

Most Indians in the US can open both accounts, whether they're working on an H-1B, hold a green card, are studying on an F-1 visa or have become US citizens with an OCI card. Under India's foreign exchange law (FEMA), you count as a non-resident from the day you move abroad to work or live there, so you can open these accounts even in your first month in the US.

Which accounts NRIs, OCI cardholders and PIOs can open

NRIs, OCI cardholders and PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) can all open both accounts. Anyone else living outside India can open only an NRO.

NRIs, OCI cardholders and PIOs get the same NRE and NRO accounts on the same terms. Your status only changes the proof you send the bank.

Income tax uses a separate test that counts the days you spend in India. So in the year you move, your bank can already treat you as an NRI while India still treats you as a tax resident for that year.

Opening an NRI account before you move to the USA

You don't have to wait until you land. Since you count as a non-resident once you leave for a job abroad, some banks will open your NRE or NRO account at an Indian branch before you fly, as long as you bring your passport, work visa and an offer letter showing your overseas work address.

Converting Your Indian Savings Account to an NRO Account

If you still have a regular savings account in India, convert it to an NRO account before you open anything new. Some banks, SBI among them, won't open an NRE or NRO account until your resident accounts are converted or closed.

Why your resident account has to become an NRO

A resident savings account is meant for people living in India, so once you become a non-resident, it has to be converted to an NRO account. Leaving it as it is breaches FEMA, and our guide to the penalty for not converting your savings account to NRO explains what that can cost you.

How to convert your savings account from the USA

You convert it by sending your bank a conversion request with proof that you're now an NRI.

The documents are the same set you'd need for a new account (covered in the next section): your passport, visa or OCI card, US address proof, PAN and a FATCA declaration, with copies certified. Any fixed deposits held in that account's name need converting too. Our step-by-step guide to converting resident accounts to NRO walks through the process.

Keeping your existing Indian account as it is

Keeping it as a resident account isn't an option once you're an NRI. You can convert it to an NRO account, or close it and move the balance into a new NRO. Converting is usually simpler if rent, dividends or other payments already land in that account. If you're still unsure where you stand, read can I use my resident Indian account as an NRI?

Documents Required to Open an NRI Account from the USA

You'll need your passport, proof of your US status, a US address proof, your PAN, a photo and a FATCA declaration, with copies certified by someone the bank recognises. The list is almost identical for NRE and NRO accounts, so if you're opening both at the same bank, one set usually covers both.

Documents required for an NRE account

• Passport: your Indian passport, or your US passport if you're an OCI cardholder

• Proof of NRI status: US visa, green card, OCI card or, for students, OPT EAD

• US address proof: usually a driver's licence, utility bill or bank statement (banks differ, see below)

• PAN card: if you don't have one, most banks accept a declaration form in its place, though ICICI Bank makes PAN mandatory when you open remotely

• Photograph: a recent passport-size photo

• FATCA and CRS declaration: a form confirming your tax residence, with your US Taxpayer Identification Number (your SSN or ITIN)

If you need a PAN first, you can apply for one from outside India. Some banks also want your first deposit into the new NRE account to come from your own US bank account, so keep that account ready.

Documents required for an NRO account

The NRO list is the same. If you're converting an existing savings account, you'll fill your bank's conversion request in place of a new application form. If you add a resident in India as a joint holder, the bank will ask for their KYC documents as well.

Notarised and attested documents for US-based NRIs

Because you aren't at a branch, the bank needs someone it trusts to confirm each copy matches the original. That can be an official at an overseas branch of an Indian bank, a bank abroad that works with Indian banks, a notary public, a court magistrate, a judge, or the Indian Embassy or Consulate in the US.

A US notary is on that list, but it's where most applications go wrong. US notaries mainly notarise signatures, and certifying a copy of a document isn't always within their powers: a California notary, for example, can only certify copies of powers of attorney. Banks also differ on whether they'll accept a stamp from a remote online notary. Our guide on whether you can notarise Indian documents online from the US goes into what's accepted, and our NRE and NRO notarisation requirements by bank lists what each bank wants.

The Indian Consulate is a safe option, but it means booking an appointment and travelling to one of a handful of US cities. That's why we built digital notarisation for Indian bank requirements: you get your documents notarised over a video call from your phone, and HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, IDFC First Bank and Kotak accept it for NRE and NRO account opening.

Opening with a US address and US phone number

Your US address is your mailing address for the account, and you prove it with a US document. What counts varies by bank. IDFC First Bank's guide for US applicants accepts a US driver's licence, utility bill or bank statement. HDFC Bank's KYC checklist wants utility bills no older than two months, and accepts US government-issued address proof only from OCI cardholders.

You don't need an Indian mobile number to apply; give your US number on the form. Some banks, including ICICI Bank, also let you use UPI on your NRE or NRO account with that US number. Our guide on how NRIs can use UPI in India covers the setup.

How to Open an NRE or NRO Account Online from the USA

Opening an NRE or NRO account from the US takes four steps. You choose a bank, apply on its website, and send your signed form and certified documents to India. The bank does the last step: it checks your documents and opens the account.

Step 1: Choose a bank and account type

The easiest choice is usually the bank where you already have a savings account. You'll be converting that account to NRO anyway, and dealing with one bank from the US is simpler than dealing with two.

If you're picking a new bank, look at three things: how well its app works from abroad, whether it lets you use UPI with a US number, and how much it expects you to keep in the account. Here's the minimum balance at the leading banks that accept our notarisation:

These figures change, so check the bank's fee page before you apply. Savings accounts also pay little interest. If you plan to leave money untouched for a year or more, a fixed deposit will usually earn more, and our NRO FD rates for 2026 compares the main banks.

Finally, decide which accounts you need: NRE, NRO or both. You can start with savings accounts and add fixed deposits later.

Step 2: Fill the online application

Go to the NRI section of the bank's website and start the application. You'll fill in your passport details, US address, US phone number and tax details, and upload scans of your documents.

When you submit, the bank will still want your signature on paper. Print the completed form, sign it, and keep it with your documents for the next step.

Step 3: Get your documents certified and courier them to India

Next, get copies of your documents certified by a notary, the Indian Consulate or another authority the bank accepts. The documents section above explains who counts.

Then courier the certified copies and your signed form to the address the bank gives you. If you'd rather not arrange an international courier yourself, our document courier picks up from your US address and delivers to India.

Step 4: Activate and fund your account

This step is the bank's. Once your documents arrive, it checks them and opens the account, usually within 2 to 7 working days.

You'll then receive your account number and net banking login. Make your first deposit from a US bank account in your own name, since some banks only accept the first credit from an account you hold abroad.

Opening an NRI account without visiting India

You can do all of this from the US. It just won't be fully paperless, even if the bank's website says "open online". The only paperless way to verify you is video KYC, and that can't be done from outside India. Some banks, like IDFC First Bank, also need an Aadhaar-linked Indian mobile number for it.

So from the US, "online" means an online application plus certified documents sent by courier. If you're visiting India soon, you can open the account at a branch on that trip instead.

How to Transfer Money Between the USA and Your NRE or NRO Account

Money from the US goes into your NRE account by international transfer, and it can go back to the US whenever you like. Money in your NRO account can also reach the US, but only after tax and within a yearly limit.

Sending money from the USA to your NRE account

Send a transfer from your US bank account, or through a remittance service, to your NRE account number and branch IFSC code. The dollars are converted to rupees when they arrive. Keep these transfers going into the NRE account so the money stays tax-free in India and easy to send back. You can also send it through our money transfer service, where your first transfer goes at the Google exchange rate. Our guide to common mistakes when sending money to India covers what to watch for.

Depositing US dollars vs rupees

An NRE account only holds rupees, so every dollar you send is converted. If you want to keep savings in US dollars at an Indian bank, an FCNR deposit holds them without conversion.

You can't deposit rupee cash into an NRE account, even while you're visiting India, because only money from abroad can go in. You can deposit US dollar notes you carry in on a visit, with a currency declaration if the cash is over USD 5,000.

Moving money from your NRO to your NRE account

You can move NRO money into your NRE account within the USD 1 million a year limit, once the tax on it has been paid.

The bank will ask for a tax declaration and a chartered accountant's certificate before it moves the money. These were Forms 15CA and 15CB, and are Forms 145 and 146 under the new income tax rules. Once the money is in your NRE account, it's freely repatriable.

Sending money from your NRO account back to the USA

Current income in your NRO account, like rent, dividends or pension, can be sent abroad once tax is paid. Other NRO balances, such as savings from before you left or money from selling property, can go out up to USD 1 million per financial year, using the same Form 145 and 146 paperwork. Our guide on transferring funds from your NRO account to your overseas account goes through the process step by step.

Your Demat Account After Moving to the USA: NRO, PIS and Non-PIS

If you bought shares or mutual funds before you left India, you can keep them, but they have to move out of your resident demat account into an NRO demat account. The same logic as your savings account applies: once you're an NRI, your investment accounts need NRI status too.

What happens to your resident demat account

You can continue to hold shares you bought as a resident, but only on a non-repatriable basis, which means they sit in an NRO demat and the sale proceeds go to your NRO bank account. You'll also need a new NRI trading account; your resident trading account can't be carried over.

In practice, you open an NRO demat and trading account linked to your NRO bank account, transfer your holdings into it, and close the resident demat. Our guide to why NRIs must convert their resident demat account explains what happens if you don't, and NRI demat account from the US: NRE vs NRO vs resident demat compares the three side by side. We help you open a Zerodha NRI demat account from your phone, as Zerodha's official NRI onboarding partner.

PIS vs non-PIS NRO accounts

The bank account you link to your demat decides what you can buy with it. To buy and sell listed shares on a repatriable basis, using money sent from the US or held in your NRE account, you trade through a designated bank branch that reports your trades. Banks and brokers call this a PIS account (Portfolio Investment Scheme).

A non-PIS NRO account covers everything else. You don't need PIS for IPOs, mutual funds, ETFs or bonds, or to hold shares you bought before you left India. Brokers like Zerodha offer NRE PIS, NRO PIS and NRO non-PIS accounts; our breakdown of Zerodha NRI account types explains which one fits, and what is a Portfolio Investment Scheme for NRIs covers PIS in more detail. If you're deciding which bank account to connect, read should NRIs link their demat to an NRE or NRO account?

Tax on NRE and NRO Accounts for NRIs Living in the USA

The US taxes the interest on both accounts, while India taxes only NRO interest. On top of that, once your Indian balances cross certain limits, you have to report the accounts to the US government every year, even if they earn nothing.

NRE account interest: tax-free in India, taxable in the USA

Interest on an NRE account is exempt from Indian income tax for as long as you count as living outside India under FEMA.

The US doesn't follow India here. As a US citizen or resident, you're taxed on your worldwide income, so NRE interest goes on your US return like interest from a US bank. Since India hasn't taxed it, there's no foreign tax credit to offset it. Our guide to tax on FD interest for NRIs covers NRE fixed deposits in more detail. The exemption ends when you move back to India; see NRE account rules after returning to India.

How NRO account interest is taxed in India

Your bank deducts tax at source (TDS) on NRO interest at 30% plus cess, which works out to 31.2%. It's higher if your Indian income is large enough to attract a surcharge.

As a US tax resident, you can bring that down to 15%, the cap on interest set by Article 11 of the India-US tax treaty. To claim it, give your bank:

1. A US Tax Residency Certificate, which is IRS Form 6166, requested on Form 8802

2. Form 41, filed on India's income tax portal with your TRC attached (this replaced Form 10F)

3. Your PAN

If your total Indian income is low enough that even 15% is too much, you can apply for a lower or nil TDS certificate instead, now on Form 128. Whatever India deducts, you can usually claim as a credit on your US return through Form 1116. The IRS only credits tax you actually owed India, which is another reason to get the TDS down to the treaty rate. Our guides to NRO account tax rules and the India-US DTAA go deeper.

Claiming a refund of TDS on NRO interest

If the bank deducted more tax than you owe, you get the difference back by filing an Indian income tax return, which is the only way to claim a TDS refund. That happens if it deducted 31.2% before you submitted your treaty documents, or if your total Indian income falls below the taxable limit.

If your only Indian income is interest or dividends with TDS already deducted, you aren't required to file. But you'll still have to file to get a refund. Check your Form 26AS and AIS first to see what's been deducted, then read do US NRIs need to file ITR in India? and our guide to the TDS refund for NRIs.

Reporting Indian bank accounts to the IRS (FBAR and FATCA)

You have to report your NRE, NRO and Indian fixed deposit accounts to the US if they cross these limits:

The $10,000 FBAR limit counts the highest balance in every account added together, so an NRE and an NRO account can cross it quickly. Your Indian bank also reports your accounts to India's tax department under FATCA, based on the declaration you sign when opening, and that information is shared with the IRS. Filing on time keeps your US return consistent with what the IRS already receives. Our guide to FATCA and CRS reporting for NRIs explains how that exchange works.

Opening an NRE or NRO Account from the USA: Questions US NRIs Ask

How long does it take to open an NRE account from the USA?

Plan for about two weeks, most of it courier time. Filling the application takes an evening, and certifying your documents can happen the same day. The courier to India usually takes around five days, and once your documents arrive, the bank needs a few more working days to open the account.

Can I open my NRE and NRO accounts with different banks?

Yes. RBI doesn't require you to keep both at the same bank, and you can even hold more than one NRE account. Keeping them at one bank is simply easier: you complete KYC once, and moving money from NRO to NRE is a transfer within the same bank.

Can I open a joint NRE account with my parents in India?

Yes, with a condition. A parent living in India can be a joint holder on your NRE account only on a "former or survivor" basis, and while you're alive they can operate it only as your power of attorney holder. An NRO account can be held jointly with residents on the same "former or survivor" basis. Our guide to managing joint NRO accounts with residents explains how that works day to day.

Should I open an NRE account or a GIFT City account?

They do different jobs. A GIFT City account holds US dollars at an Indian bank's international unit, so your money is never converted to rupees, which suits savings you may bring back to the US. An NRE account holds rupees, which suits money you'll spend or invest in India. Our comparison of a US high-yield savings account vs a GIFT City savings account and our guide on where US NRIs should park their savings help you choose.