Regulation 4 - Opening, holding and maintaining Foreign Currency Accounts in India - Foreign Exchange Management (Foreign Currency Accounts by a person resident in India) Regulations, 2015

4. Opening, holding and maintaining Foreign Currency Accounts in India (A) Exchange Earners Foreign Currency Account:- A person resident in India may open, hold and maintain with an authorised dealer in India, a Foreign Currency Account to be known as Exchange Earners Foreign Currency (EEFC) Account, subject to the terms and conditions of the Exchange Earners' Foreign Currency Account Scheme specified in the Schedule I. (B) Resident Foreign Currency Account:- (1) A person resident in India may open, hold and maintain with an authorised dealer in India a Foreign Currency Account, to be known as a Resident Foreign Currency (RFC) Account, out of foreign exchange (a) received as pension or any other superannuation or other monetary benefits from his employer outside India; or (b) realised on conversion of the assets referred to in sub-section (4) of section 6 of the Act , and repatriated to India; or (c) received or acquired as gift or inheritance from a person referred to in sub-section (4) of section 6 of the Act ; or (d) referred to in clause (c) of section 9 of the Act , or acquired as gift or inheritance there from; or (e) received as the proceeds of life insurance policy claims/maturity/surrender values settled in foreign currency from an insurance company in India permitted to undertake life insurance business by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority. (2) The funds in a Resident Foreign Currency Account opened or held or maintained in terms of sub-regulation (1) shall be free from all restrictions regarding utilisation of foreign currency balances including any restriction on investment in any form, by whatever name called, outside India. (3) Resident individuals are permitted to include resident relative(s) as joint holder(s) in their Resident Foreign Currency account on former or survivor basis. However, such resident Indian relative joint account holder shall not be eligible to operate the account during the life time of the resident account holder. Explanation For the purpose of this sub-regulation, the expression relative shall have the same meaning as assigned to it under section 2(77) of the Companies Act, 2013 . (C) Resident Foreign Currency (Domestic) Account (1) A resident Individual may open, hold and maintain with an Authorised Dealer in India a foreign currency account, to be known as Resident Foreign Currency (Domestic) Account, out of foreign exchange acquired in the form of currency notes, bank notes and travellers cheques as under: (a) by way of payment for services not arising from any business in or anything done in India while on a visit to any place outside India; or (b) 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; or (c) by way of honorarium or gift while on a visit to any place outside India; or (d) in the form of unspent amount of foreign exchange acquired by him from an authorised person for travel abroad; or (e) as gift from a relative; Explanation - For the purpose of this sub-regulation, the expression relative shall have the same meaning as assigned to it under section 2(77) of the Companies Act, 2013 . (f) by way of earning through export of goods/ services, or as royalty, honorarium or by any other lawful means; (g) representing the disinvestment proceeds received by the resident account holder on conversion of shares held by him to ADRs/ GDRs under the DR Scheme, 2014 approved by the Government of India. (h) by way of earnings received as the proceeds of life insurance policy claims/ maturity/ surrender values settled in foreign currency from an insurance company in India permitted to undertake life insurance business by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (2) Debits to the account shall be for payments towards a current account transaction in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management (Current Account Transactions) Rules, 2000 and towards a capital account transaction permissible under the Foreign Exchange Management (Permissible Capital Account Transactions) Regulations, 2000 . (3) The account shall be maintained in the form of Current Account and shall not bear any interest. (4) There shall be no ceiling on the balances in the account (D) A Unit in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) A unit located in a Special Economic Zone may open hold and maintain a Foreign Currency Account with an authorized dealer in India provided that, (a) all foreign exchange funds received by the unit in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) are credited to such account, (b) no foreign exchange purchased in India against rupees shall be credited to the account without prior permission from the Reserve Bank, (c) the funds held in the account shall be used for bona fide trade transactions of the unit in the SEZ with the person resident in India or otherwise, (d) the balances in the accounts shall be exempt from the restrictions imposed under Rule 5, except item 1(ii) of the Schedule III, of the Government of India Notification No.GSR.381(E) dated May 3, 2000, as amended from time to time. Provided that the funds held in these accounts shall not be lent or made available in any manner to any person or entity resident in India not being a unit in Special Economic Zones. (E) Diamond Dollar Accounts (DDAs) An Authorized Dealer Category-I bank in India may allow firms and companies who comply with the eligibility criteria stipulated in the Foreign Trade Policy of Government of India, in force from time to time and the directions as may be issued by Reserve Bank of India, from time to time, to open, hold and maintain Diamond Dollar Accounts (DDAs) in India subject to the terms and conditions of the DDA Scheme specified in Schedule II. (F) Exporters A person resident in India, being an exporter who has undertaken a construction contract or a turnkey project outside India or who is exporting services or engineering goods from India on deferred payment terms may open, hold and maintain a Foreign Currency Account with a bank in India, provided that - (a) approval as required under the Foreign Exchange Management (Export of goods and services) Regulations, 2015 has been obtained for undertaking the contract/ project/ export of goods or services, and (b) the terms and conditions stipulated in the letter of approval have been duly complied with. (G) Other cases (1) The Indian agent of a shipping or an airline company incorporated outside India, may open, hold and maintain a Foreign Currency Account with an authorized dealer in India for meeting the local expenses in India of such airline or shipping company: Provided that the credits to such accounts are only by way of freight or passage fare collections in India or from his principal outside India. 1 [ (2) An authorized dealer in India may, subject to the directions as may be issued by the Reserve Bank, allow ship-manning / crew managing agencies in India and re-insurance and composite insurance brokers registered with IRDA to open and maintain non-interest bearing foreign currency accounts in India for the purpose of undertaking transactions in the ordinary course of their business. ] (3) An authorized dealer in India may, subject to the directions as may be issued by the Reserve Bank, allow Project Offices set up in India by foreign companies in terms of Foreign Exchange Management (Establishment in India of Branch or Office or other Place of Business) Regulations, 2000 dated May 3, 2000, as amended from time to time to open, hold and maintain non-interest bearing one or more foreign currency accounts in India for the projects to be executed in India. (4) An Indian company receiving foreign investment under FDI route in terms of Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of security by a Person Resident outside India) Regulations, 2000 dated May 3, 2000, may open and maintain a foreign currency account with an Authorized Dealer in India. Provided that the Indian investee company has impending foreign currency expenditure and the account shall be closed immediately after the requirements are completed and in no case shall be operational for more than six months from the date of opening of such account. (5) An authorized dealer in India may, subject to the directions as may be issued by the Reserve Bank, allow opening temporary foreign currency accounts by organisers of international seminars, conferences, conventions etc. for holding such events in India for the receipt of the delegate fees and payment towards expenses including payment to special invitees from abroad. ********** Notes 1. Substituted vide NOTIFICATION G.S.R. 160(E) dated 27-02-2019 before it was read as (2) An authorized dealer in India may, subject to the directions as may be issued by the Reserve Bank, allow shipmanning/crew managing agencies in India to open and maintain non-interest bearing foreign currency accounts in India for the purpose of undertaking transactions in the ordinary course of their business.