You've got money in an NRO account and you want it in your overseas bank. On paper it's simple. In practice, most NRIs make the same three mistakes and get sent back to the branch twice. Here's the exact stack: the forms, the limits, the inherited-funds rules, and how to pick a CA who's done this before.
Moving money from an NRO account to your overseas bank is governed by FEMA (the bank side) and the Income Tax Act (the tax certification side). You need both sets cleared before the money leaves India.
| Form | What it is | Who files it |
|---|---|---|
| Form A2 | FEMA declaration for any outward remittance. Captures purpose code, amount, beneficiary details. | You, at the bank |
| Form 15CA | Online declaration on the income tax portal stating the nature of the remittance and the tax already paid or exempt. | You, online |
| Form 15CB | Certificate from a Chartered Accountant confirming the tax position. Required when the taxable part of a single remittance crosses Rs 5 lakh in a financial year. | Your CA |
| Bank remittance app | Internal bank form. Every bank has its own. HDFC, SBI, ICICI, Kotak all use slightly different versions. | You, at the bank |
| Purpose code | Not a form. A 4-digit RBI code classifying the remittance. Most NRO-to-overseas remittances use S1301 (family maintenance and savings). | Bank fills in |
File Form 15CA online first (you'll need 15CB ready if required). Then walk into the bank with 15CA acknowledgement + 15CB + FormA2 + bank's own form + supporting documents. If you flip the order, the bank will ask you to come back.
Form 15CA has four parts. The one you file depends on the amount and whether the remittance is taxable:
If your remittance is a mix of Part C and Part D items (for example, FD principal plus inherited PPF), most CAs split it into two separate 15CA filings.
This is the single most confused rule in NRI finance. Banks get it wrong. CAs get it wrong. Even a lot of the first-page Google results get it wrong.
The Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) with its USD 250,000 annual cap applies only to resident Indians remitting money out. If you're an NRI, you're under a different RBI window entirely: USD 1 million per financial year from your NRO account.
If you've inherited property worth Rs 5 crore and want to liquidate it, you can't repatriate it in one shot. At today's rates, USD 1M is roughly Rs 8.5 crore, so a Rs 5 crore estate fits in one year. But if you have Rs 15 crore to move, you're looking at two or three financial years of remittances. Plan the timing before you sell.
Compare FX providers before you remit. Bank wires lose 1.5–3% vs market.
Compare FX rates →Inherited money is repatriable. But the bank will ask for a complete paper trail, and missing one document will stall the entire remittance.
Under Section 10(11) of the Income Tax Act, any sum received from a PPF account on the death of the holder is fully exempt from income tax. This means the 15CA for the PPF portion goes under Part D (non-taxable remittance) and does not need a 15CB. Your CA should split your 15CA filings accordingly.
The principal amount of a fixed deposit inherited through a death claim is not taxable (it's capital, not income). The interest that accrued before death was taxed at the original holder's slab. The interest that accrues after death, while the FD sits in the nominee's account, is taxable in the nominee's hands. TDS certificates for each year will be your evidence.
If you're repatriating the sale proceeds of inherited property, add: the sale deed, capital gains computation, TDS certificate from the buyer (1% under Section 194-IA), and the title chain showing inheritance. The CA will compute long-term capital gains with indexation and issue 15CB accordingly.
Most CAs in India have never filed a 15CB for an NRI repatriation. They'll figure it out, but you'll pay in delays and stress. Pick someone who's done it before.
| Remittance type | Fee range | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Simple NRO current income repatriation | Rs 3,000 to 7,000 | 3–5 days |
| NRO FD maturity + principal | Rs 5,000 to 12,000 | 5–7 days |
| Inherited funds (PPF, FD, property) | Rs 10,000 to 25,000 | 7–14 days |
| Property sale proceeds (LTCG involved) | Rs 15,000 to 40,000 | 10–21 days |
The best CAs will bundle the 15CA filing, 15CB certificate, and coordination with your bank into one fee. Some will even meet the bank with you. If you're doing a complex or multi-FY plan, this is worth paying for.
The bank, not you, picks the purpose code. If they pick the wrong one, the remittance gets flagged by RBI later. Confirm before signing FormA2. For NRO-to-overseas by an NRI, the standard code is S1301.
If you're remitting FD maturity (taxable portion under Part C) and inherited PPF (Part D) in one wire, most banks will reject. File two separate 15CAs and send two wires — even on the same day.
Your CA must be an active chartered accountant with an updated portal registration. If their registration lapsed, the 15CB is invalid and you'll have to redo it.
If you file 15CA in late March but the wire goes out in April, the bank may treat it as next year's remittance against the USD 1M limit. If you're near the cap, time the wire carefully or wait for the new financial year.
Banks deduct TDS at 30% on NRO FD and savings interest. Your 15CB CA will ask for Form 16A for each year of the FD's life to confirm TDS was deducted. Get these before you book the appointment.
If you moved to NRI status but your account is still flagged "resident" in the bank's system, the repatriation cannot be processed via the NRO window. Update residential status with the bank first — this can take 2–4 weeks at some banks.
Repatriating NRO funds is not hard, but it is unforgiving about sequence. File 15CA before the wire. Split taxable and non-taxable. Get 15CB from a CA who's done it before. Keep the TDS certificates. Watch the financial-year clock. Do that, and the money moves in 2–3 business days.
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