Singapore NRIs · Dividend Tax
Dividend tax on Indian shares for NRIs in Singapore
Dividends from Indian companies are withheld at the non-resident rate before they reach you in Singapore — here's the treaty position and how to reclaim any excess.
India-Singapore key facts: dividend tax
| Default Section 195 rate | 20% |
| India-Singapore DTAA treaty rate | 15% |
| Your saving via the treaty | 5% |
| Treaty article / basis | Article 10 — 15% for individual Singapore residents (the 10% sub-rate applies only when the beneficial owner is a company holding ≥25% of the dividend-paying Indian company's capital) |
| Your TRC issuing authority | IRAS (Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore) |
Rates reflect India's domestic Section 195 withholding and the India-Singapore treaty. Surcharge and cess apply on top where relevant.
How it works on the India side
Since the 2020 shift back to classical dividend taxation, dividends from Indian companies are taxable in the shareholder's hands and the company deducts TDS before paying. For a non-resident the default is Section 195 at 20% (plus surcharge and cess). Whether a treaty rate is available depends on the specific treaty — for many countries the lower dividend rate is written only for companies holding a large stake in the Indian payer, which means individual portfolio investors stay at the domestic rate.
Where a lower individual rate does apply, you claim it with Form 10F and a Tax Residency Certificate lodged with the company or broker, and any quarter withheld at the higher rate before your paperwork was on file is reclaimed through your Indian return. Where no lower rate applies, the dividend still goes on your return, and the real relief sits on your home-country side as a foreign tax credit for the Indian tax already paid.
What changes because you live in Singapore
Singapore levies no capital-gains tax and doesn't tax unremitted foreign income, so on the gains side the India-side tax is usually the whole story. One genuine edge case to watch: Indian listed equity bought before 1 April 2017 is grandfathered under the treaty's Third Protocol — those gains are exempt in both India and Singapore — while post-April-2017 holdings are taxed in India. The same folio can hold both treatments depending on when each lot was bought.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions from Singapore NRIs
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Dividend Tax sorted, by an Indian CA who works with Singapore NRIs
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