Outward Remittance Through Credit Card, FEMA

[Gurmeet Singh Rohra]

Hi Team,

Please guide regarding statutory compliance needs to be followed in order to regularise payments already made to foreign companies / foreign individuals through credit card.

Regards,

Gurmeet

Mob No.7875199229

Posts / Replies

[YAGAY AND SUN]

You may find following text useful:-

RBI/FED/2015-16/4 FED Master Direction No. 8/2015-16 January 1, 2016

3.4. International Credit Cards/International Debit Cards/Store value cards etc. by Authorised Dealers in India:
3.4.1. International Credit Cards (ICC)
i. The restrictions contained in Rule 5 of the Foreign Exchange Management (Current Account Transactions) Rules, 2000 will not be applicable for use of International Credit Cards (ICCs) by residents for making payment towards expenses, while on a visit outside India.
ii. Residents can use ICCs on internet for any purpose for which exchange can be purchased from an Authorised Dealer in India, e.g. for import of books, purchase of downloadable software or import of any other item permissible under Foreign Trade Policy (FTP).
iii. ICCs cannot be used on internet or otherwise for purchase of prohibited items, like lottery tickets, banned or proscribed magazines, participation in sweepstakes, payment for call-back services, etc., since no drawal of foreign exchange is permitted for such items/activities.
iv. There is no aggregate monetary ceiling separately prescribed for use of ICCs through internet.
v. Resident individuals maintaining foreign currency accounts with an Authorised Dealer in India or a bank abroad, as permissible under extant Foreign Exchange Regulations, are free to obtain ICCs issued by overseas banks and other reputed agencies. The charges incurred against the card either in India or abroad, can be met out of funds held in such foreign currency account/s of the card holder or through remittances, if any, from India only through a bank where the card holder has a current or savings account. The remittance for this purpose should also be made directly to the card issuing agency abroad, and not to a third party. The applicable limit will be the credit limit fixed by the card issuing banks. There is no monetary ceiling fixed by the Reserve Bank for remittances, if any, under this facility.

Use of ICC for payment in foreign exchange in Nepal and Bhutan is not permitted.
vii. ADs may issue ICCs to NRIs/PIOs, without prior approval of the Reserve Bank, subject to the condition that charges on the use of ICCs should be settled by the concerned NRIs/PIOs only out of inward remittances or balances held in their Non-Resident External (NRE) Accounts/ Foreign Currency Non-Resident (FCNR) Accounts.