Repatriable vs Non-Repatriable: Meaning, Rules and Limits for NRIs

You’ve probably seen these words on a bank form, a broker’s account-opening screen or a Reddit thread: repatriable, non-repatriable. Here’s what they mean for your money.

• NRE and FCNR money is repatriable. You can send it out of India in full, whenever you want.

• NRO money is non-repatriable, which sounds worse than it is. It can still go abroad, up to USD 1 million a financial year, once tax is paid and the paperwork is done.

Which bucket your money falls into depends on where it came from: money earned abroad, or money earned or inherited in India. The table below maps every common case: bank deposits, shares and mutual funds, property, PPF, EPF, NPS and inheritance.

Repatriable meaning: money you can send abroad freely

Repatriable means you can convert the money to foreign currency and send it out of India with no annual cap. Non-repatriable means you can use the money freely in India, and send it abroad only through your NRO account, up to USD 1 million a financial year, after tax.

Repatriation itself simply means moving money or the proceeds of an asset from India to a bank account abroad. On bank and broker forms, you’ll see the same idea as “repatriation basis” and “non-repatriation basis”.

Non-repatriable does not mean that your money is permanently locked in India. It means you need to meet the conditions that apply to that money before you send it abroad.

Your money in India, mapped: what’s repatriable and what isn’t

The pattern is simple: money that came from abroad stays repatriable, and money earned or acquired in India goes out through NRO. Where the answer depends on how you paid, the original funding route decides it, not the account you hold today.

NRE, FCNR and NRO accounts: repatriation rules and limits

Is an NRE account repatriable?

Yes. NRE balances and interest can be sent abroad in full, with no annual cap. An NRE account holds foreign earnings you’ve sent to India, converted into rupees, which is why the money can go back out freely.

FCNR(B) deposits

Fully repatriable, and the money never converts to rupees. You deposit in a foreign currency and take it back in the same currency.

Is an NRO account repatriable?

Yes, with conditions. NRO accounts hold Indian-source money such as rent, dividends, pension and savings from before you moved abroad. Two rules apply:

• Current income (rent, dividends, pension, interest) can be sent abroad once tax is paid. RBI lists it as a separate permitted remittance, so it does not use up your USD 1 million.

• Everything else in NRO (old savings, sale proceeds, inherited money) can go abroad up to USD 1 million per financial year.

The USD 1 million NRO limit: what counts and what doesn’t

The limit is per person, per financial year (1 April to 31 March). It resets every April.

What counts:

• NRO balances

• Proceeds from selling assets bought in rupees or inherited

• Transfers from NRO to NRE. Moving money into NRE does not reset or bypass the limit. We cover that process in our NRO to NRE transfer guide.

What doesn’t count:

• Current income, once tax is paid

• Anything already in NRE or FCNR

Don’t confuse it with LRS. The USD 250,000 Liberalised Remittance Scheme limit applies to Indian residents, not NRIs. If a resident parent wants to send you money abroad directly, that goes under their LRS limit. See our LRS guide.

Rental income and the proceeds from selling the property that earned the rent are different kinds of money, so their repatriation rules shouldn’t be mixed up.

Repatriable vs non-repatriable demat accounts: the funding route decides

Whether share and mutual fund money can leave India depends on the money you used to buy the investment.

• NRE (PIS) route: you invest on a repatriation basis. Sale proceeds go back to NRE and can leave freely.

• NRO (non-PIS) route: you invest on a non-repatriation basis. Sale proceeds go to NRO and leave within the USD 1 million limit.

Before you invest, decide which account will fund the purchase and where the sale proceeds will land. Don’t assume that switching your demat account later changes the repatriation status of an investment you already hold.

We’re Zerodha’s official NRI onboarding partner. If you’re setting up to invest in Indian shares, you can open your NRI demat account from your phone.

Property, inheritance and gifts: what decides whether the money can leave

Property bought with foreign money

If you paid in foreign exchange or from an NRE or FCNR account, you can repatriate up to the amount you paid, for up to two residential properties. Anything above that, such as the appreciation, goes through NRO within the USD 1 million limit.

Property bought in rupees, or inherited

Sale proceeds go to NRO and can be sent abroad within the USD 1 million limit. The bank will ask for proof of how you acquired the property, along with proof of tax paid on the sale.

For the full process, see our guide to repatriating sale proceeds of Indian property.

Inheritance and gifts from family in India

Money or assets you inherit go through NRO, within the USD 1 million limit, with documents such as the will or succession certificate. If a resident relative wants to gift you money abroad, they can send it directly under their own LRS limit instead.

PPF, EPF and NPS: what NRIs can take out

Being allowed to hold an account, to withdraw from it and to send the money abroad are three separate questions. For each of these, the withdrawal rules come first and the repatriation rules apply after.

PPF: You can’t open a new PPF account as an NRI. An account opened while you were a resident can run until maturity but can’t be extended. The maturity amount goes to your NRO account and can be sent abroad within the USD 1 million limit.

EPF: Once you’re eligible to withdraw, for example after leaving employment in India, the money is paid into your Indian bank account and can be sent abroad from NRO within the USD 1 million limit. Withdrawals before five years of continuous service attract TDS.

NPS: NRIs can stay in NPS. What decides repatriation is how you funded it: contributions from NRE or FCNR are repatriable, and contributions from NRO are not. At exit, part of the corpus comes out as a lump sum and the rest goes into an annuity, under PFRDA’s exit rules.

What non-repatriable costs you: tax, Form 145/146 and time

Sending your own money from India to an overseas account isn’t new income. But the money underneath may come from taxable interest, capital gains or a property sale, and that tax has to be settled first.

• Tax: NRO interest has TDS at 30% plus surcharge and cess, which your country’s tax treaty with India may lower. Gains on shares and property are taxed in India before the money goes. The amount you can send is often lower than the gross balance.

• Forms: For remittances made on or after 1 April 2026, Form 145 replaces Form 15CA and Form 146 replaces Form 15CB.

  • Form 145 is your declaration of the remittance and the tax on it.

  • Form 146 is a Chartered Accountant’s certificate. It’s needed for taxable remittances above ₹5 lakh in a year, unless you have a certificate from your tax officer.

• Documents: Expect to show bank statements, proof of where the money came from, sale documents for investments or property, and proof of tax paid.

For the step-by-step bank process, see our guide to transferring funds from your NRO account to your overseas account.

When the money lands: tax in the US, UK and UAE

Indian rules decide whether and how the money leaves. The tax rules where you live are a separate question.

Repatriation of funds from India to the USA

If you’re a US tax resident or citizen, moving your own money between accounts isn’t a taxable event just because it crosses a border. Income and gains on that money may still be taxable in the US.

You may also need to report:

• FBAR: required if your foreign accounts add up to more than USD 10,000 at any point in the calendar year.

• Form 8938: required if your foreign financial assets cross the applicable threshold.

• Form 3520: required if you receive more than USD 100,000 in gifts or inheritance from a non-resident alien or foreign estate.

These are reporting rules, not a tax on the transfer itself. Check the IRS guidance before moving large sums.

Repatriation of funds from India to the UK

Moving money from India to the UK doesn’t by itself decide how it’s taxed. Your UK tax residence, the source of the funds and when the income or gains arose all matter.

The UK replaced the remittance-basis regime with the foreign income and gains (FIG) regime from 6 April 2025. New UK residents can claim relief on eligible foreign income and gains for their first four years of UK tax residence, if they were non-UK resident for at least ten consecutive tax years before that.

If you used the remittance basis before April 2025, foreign income and gains from before that date may be taxed differently. Check the UK government’s FIG regime guidance before assuming money brought into the UK is tax-free.

Repatriation of funds from India to the UAE

The UAE has no personal income tax, so nothing is taxed when the money arrives. The real cost is on the Indian side: TDS on interest and gains, and the paperwork to send the money.

Two things help:

• The India-UAE tax treaty can lower TDS on income like interest. You’ll need a UAE tax residency certificate to claim it.

• Documents for your UAE bank: UAE banks can ask where large incoming transfers came from. Keep your Indian bank statements and Form 145/146 copies ready.

Keeping your money repatriable from day one

If you’ll want your money abroad later, choose the route before you fund an account or make an investment.

• Overseas earnings: send them to an NRE account so they stay repatriable.

• Money you want to keep in foreign currency: use an FCNR(B) deposit.

• Indian shares: invest through the NRE (PIS) route if you’ll want the sale proceeds abroad.

• Indian-source income: it will sit in NRO. Plan your withdrawals around the USD 1 million limit.

Moving money into NRE doesn’t change the status of money that started out in NRO. If you’re moving back to India, an RFC account lets you keep foreign currency without converting it.

If your next step is investing in Indian listed shares, you can open your NRI demat account with us from your phone.

Repatriable vs non-repatriable: questions NRIs ask

Can I transfer money from my NRO account to a family member’s account in India?

Yes. That’s a domestic transfer, so the USD 1 million limit doesn’t apply. Gifting rules may apply depending on the relationship.

What happens to my NRE and FCNR money if I move back to India?

Your NRE account has to be converted to a resident account or an RFC account. FCNR deposits can usually run until maturity.

Is there a limit on how many times I can repatriate in a year?

No. The limit is on the total amount from NRO (USD 1 million per financial year), not on how many transfers you make. Each transfer needs its own paperwork.

Can I repatriate from NRO to a country other than the one I live in?

Usually yes, to an account in your own name abroad. Check with your bank before you start, because it will ask for the beneficiary’s details.