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Remittance & 15CA/CB

Moving your money from India to the Gulf, clearing the NRO repatriation paperwork

The funds are sitting in your NRO account in India and the bank keeps asking for a chartered accountant's certificate before it will let them leave the country.

You live and work in the Gulf, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat, Kuwait or Bahrain, and you have money in India you want to bring across: proceeds from a property you sold, rent that has built up, a maturing deposit, money you inherited, or savings you want to consolidate near you. The bank in India will not simply wire it out. It wants Form 15CA and a chartered accountant's Form 15CB first, confirming the funds are clean and the tax is paid. For someone abroad with no time to chase a branch in India, that certificate is the single thing standing between you and your own money. A practising Indian CA issues it and walks the remittance through, entirely remotely.
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Last reviewed: 14 June 20266 min readReviewed by Preetesh Maloo, CA

The short answer

An NRI can repatriate up to USD 1 million per financial year from NRO funds in India, covering property sale proceeds, rent, interest, dividends and inherited money, without needing RBI approval. Where the remittance crosses ₹5 lakh in the year, the bank requires Form 15CB, a certificate from a practising CA confirming the remittance is tax-paid, together with your Form 15CA declaration filed with the Income Tax Department. All applicable India tax (including any TDS and capital-gains tax) must be settled first. Salary you earn in the Gulf is not taxed in India; the paperwork is only about taking India-sourced money out cleanly.

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Related situations

Why the bank won't just send your money

Money in an NRO account is treated as India-sourced, and the rules require a bank to confirm two things before it sends any of it abroad: that you are within your annual limit, and that the tax on it has been dealt with. The instrument for that confirmation is a chartered accountant's certificate, Form 15CB, backed by your own declaration, Form 15CA.

Form 15CB is where a CA reviews the source of the funds. A sale, rent, a deposit, an inheritance, checks that the right tax (including any TDS under Section 195) has been deducted or paid, and certifies that the remittance is compliant. Form 15CA is the declaration you file online with the Income Tax Department, referencing that certificate. Only then does the bank process its own Form A2 and release the money. The certificate is required once the remittance crosses ₹5 lakh in a financial year, which most meaningful transfers do.

The USD 1 million a year limit, and what counts

You can take out up to USD 1 million per financial year (April to March) from your NRO funds, and that headroom covers the usual sources together, property sale proceeds, accumulated rent, interest and dividends, maturing deposits, and money you have inherited. There is no RBI approval needed below that ceiling; above it, prior RBI approval is required and takes longer.

The limit does not carry forward, so an unused part of one year's USD 1 million does not add to the next. For a large property sale that exceeds the ceiling in one go, the transfer can be planned across financial years, or taken above the limit with RBI approval. We map out which route fits your amount and your timeline.

Source of funds in your NRO accountRepatriable up to USD 1M / FYNeeds Form 15CA + 15CB
Property sale proceedsYesYes
Rent, interest, dividendsYesYes
Inherited moneyYesYes, with inheritance proof
Maturing FD / savingsYesYes

Gulf-specific: your salary is fine, the India money is the point

A common worry for Gulf NRIs is whether bringing money out will somehow create an India tax bill on their overseas earnings. It will not. Salary and income you earn in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait or Bahrain is not taxed in India. India taxes an NRI only on India-sourced income.

What the repatriation paperwork deals with is purely the India-sourced money already in your NRO account, and whether the India tax on that, for example the capital-gains tax on a sale, or TDS on rent and interest, has been paid before the funds leave. Because there is no personal income tax in most of the Gulf, there is usually no foreign credit to worry about either; the whole exercise is making sure the India side is clean and the certificate is in order. That is exactly what we certify.

What's involved

What the CA actually does

  1. 1

    We check the source and settle any India tax first

    We confirm where the money came from. A sale, rent, a deposit, an inheritance, and make sure the right India tax (capital gains, or TDS under Section 195) has been deducted or paid, because the certificate cannot be issued until it has.

  2. 2

    We issue Form 15CB and file your Form 15CA

    A practising CA reviews the documents and issues Form 15CB certifying the remittance is tax-compliant, and we file the matching Form 15CA declaration with the Income Tax Department so the bank has everything it needs.

  3. 3

    We hand the bank a clean remittance pack

    We assemble the 15CA/15CB, the source-of-funds documents and the inheritance or sale proof where relevant, so your bank can complete its Form A2 and release the money without coming back for more.

  4. 4

    We plan transfers above the annual limit

    Where the amount is more than USD 1 million in a financial year, we map out whether to stage it across years or take it above the ceiling with RBI approval, so a large sale or inheritance still reaches your Gulf account in an orderly way.

What to have ready

Documents you'll typically need

  • NRO account statement showing the funds
  • Source proof. The sale deed, rent record, FD maturity, or inheritance / will papers
  • Evidence the India tax was paid (capital-gains tax, TDS challans)
  • PAN and passport / OCI card
  • Details of the overseas (Gulf) account receiving the money

References on this page

  • FEMA, up to USD 1 million per financial year repatriable from NRO accounts (no RBI approval below that)
  • Form 15CB, practising CA's certificate that the remittance is tax-compliant
  • Form 15CA, remitter's declaration filed with the Income Tax Department before transfer
  • Form A2. The bank's outward-remittance application
  • Section 195, TDS already deducted at source on NRO income before repatriation

Frequently asked questions

Common questions

No. Moving your own money out of India is not itself taxed. The 30% you may have heard about is the TDS India deducts on NRO interest, not a charge on the transfer, and much of it comes back when you file your return or apply your treaty rate. Repatriating the principal, your own already-taxed money, carries no tax, only the paperwork of Form 15CA and 15CB and the one-million-dollar yearly limit.

Up to USD 1 million per financial year (April to March) from your NRO funds, combining sources like property sale proceeds, rent, interest and inherited money. No RBI approval is needed below that; above it, prior RBI approval is required and we plan the transfer accordingly.

Because NRO money is treated as India-sourced, the bank must confirm the tax on it is settled before sending it abroad. Form 15CB is the CA's certificate that the remittance is tax-compliant; Form 15CA is your matching declaration to the Income Tax Department. The certificate is required once the remittance crosses ₹5 lakh in a financial year.

No. India taxes an NRI only on India-sourced income; your Gulf salary is not taxed in India. The repatriation paperwork only concerns the India-sourced money already in your NRO account and whether the India tax on that has been paid.

Yes, within the same USD 1 million per year limit, with proof of the inheritance. The will, succession certificate or legal-heir documents, alongside the 15CA/15CB. We check the India tax position on the inherited assets and certify the remittance so the bank can release it.

Yes. The source review, the Form 15CB certificate, the Form 15CA filing and the coordination with your bank are all handled remotely. You send scans of the documents and we deal with the certification and the remittance pack from India.

Amounts above USD 1 million in a financial year need prior RBI approval, which takes longer. For a large property sale or inheritance we map whether to stage the transfer across financial years or to seek approval, so the funds still reach your Gulf account in an orderly, compliant way.

The exceptions that change the answer

Where the general rule stops applying to you

Every rule below has a carve-out, a cut-off date or a condition that flips the answer. These are the ones that decide real cases.

NRO account: what it costs and what it caps

Right now: Interest taxed at 30% plus surcharge and cess; repatriation capped at USD 1 million a financial year

Where it works differently

A TRC and Form 10F (Form 41 from 1 Apr 2026) are furnished
The treaty rate applies to the interest, commonly 10-15% under Article 11 instead of 30% plus surcharge.
s.90(2). This is the single largest recurring recovery item for most NRIs.
Remitting out
Form 15CA is needed, plus Form 15CB from a CA where the remittance is chargeable and above Rs 5 lakh in the year.
Rule 37BB.
Joint holders
The USD 1 million ceiling is per person per financial year, so joint holders each have their own.
FEMA 13(R).

Commonly got wrong

  • NRO interest is taxed at 30%. Incomplete. Surcharge and 4% cess sit on top, and a treaty can cut it to 10-15%.30% plus surcharge and cess by default, but 10-15% under most treaties if you hold a TRC and file Form 10F.

TDS on NRO account interest

Right now: 30% plus surcharge and cess

Where it works differently

A valid TRC and Form 10F (Form 41 from 1 Apr 2026) are furnished
The treaty rate applies, commonly 10-15% under Article 11.
s.90(2) gives the more beneficial of treaty or Act.
No PAN is furnished
s.206AA imposes at least 20%, but Rule 37BC allows escape by furnishing name, address, TIN and TRC. Courts have also held s.206AA cannot override a treaty rate.
Rule 37BC + settled case law.
Claiming the treaty rate at source
The s.115A(5) filing exemption is lost, so an Indian return becomes necessary.
That exemption requires TDS at not less than the s.115A rate.
The account is NRE or FCNR instead
Interest is exempt and no TDS applies, while the holder is a FEMA non-resident.
s.10(4)(ii) and s.10(15)(iv)(fa).

Commonly got wrong

  • NRO interest TDS is 30%. Incomplete. Surcharge and 4% cess sit on top, so the effective rate is higher.30% plus surcharge and cess, around 31.2% at the base level.
  • You can file Form 15G/15H to stop NRO TDS. Those are resident-only declarations. An NRI filing one makes a false declaration.Use Form 13 (Form 128 from 1 April 2026), or claim the treaty rate with a TRC.

Form 15CB requirement threshold

Right now: Rs 5,00,000 in the financial year, where the remittance is chargeable to tax

Where it works differently

The remittance is not chargeable to tax
Part D of Form 15CA only. No 15CB.
Rule 37BB structure.
The remittance falls in the specified exempt list
No Form 15CA at all.
Rule 37BB(3) specified list.

Commonly got wrong

  • Every outward remittance needs Form 15CB. Only where chargeable to tax and above Rs 5 lakh in the year.Form 15CB is needed only where the remittance is chargeable to tax AND exceeds Rs 5 lakh in the financial year. Otherwise Part D of Form 15CA is enough.

Related

If this matched your situation, these go further

Selling your Indian property from the US, cutting the TDS and not paying tax twiceRepatriation unblock (15CA / 15CB)Form 13 lower-TDS certificate (property sale)DTAA TDS recoveryInherited Indian property tax15CA / 15CB filing

Money stuck in your NRO account? Let's get it to the Gulf.

Tell us where the funds came from and how much you want to move. A practising Indian CA will scope the 15CA/15CB and the remittance on a free call, no obligation.

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No card, no obligation. All certification and filing work is handled by ICAI-registered practising Chartered Accountants.