Can I keep my PPF account after becoming an NRI?

The prevailing position is that a PPF account opened while you were resident can generally be held to its original maturity after you become an NRI — you are not forced to close it. What you cannot do is open a fresh PPF account as a non-resident, and the account is generally not eligible for the usual extension at maturity. Because the wording has shifted over the years, we confirm the current position against your dates.

Can I keep contributing to my PPF or SSY as an NRI?

For a PPF account you opened while resident, yes — the prevailing position is that you can continue contributing within the usual annual limits, paid from your NRE or NRO account, right up to the account's original maturity. What you cannot do is open a fresh PPF or take the five-year extension a resident gets at the end of the term. SSY broadly follows similar logic but has its own conditions tied to the girl child and guardian, so we confirm it on its own facts.

Can I open a new PPF or Sukanya Samriddhi account now that I'm an NRI?

Generally no. PPF, SSY, NSC and post-office schemes are resident-eligibility small-savings schemes, so a non-resident is not meant to open a fresh one. The questions worth asking are all about accounts you already hold from your resident days, not new ones.

What happens to the money when these schemes mature?

Maturity proceeds are typically credited to your NRO account. From there they can be repatriated through the usual USD 1 million-a-year route once the tax position is in order, which often needs a Form 15CA and a CA's Form 15CB depending on the amount.

Is Sukanya Samriddhi treated the same as PPF for an NRI?

Broadly similar, but not identical — SSY has its own conditions tied to the girl child's residency and the guardian, so it is worth checking specifically rather than assuming it mirrors PPF. We look at the SSY account on its own terms before advising.

Does my country of residence change any of this?

The FEMA and scheme-eligibility side follows from being a non-resident, not from which country. What your country affects is how the interest and maturity proceeds are taxed at home and how the DTAA applies, so we factor that in when planning the maturity and repatriation.

Can I keep my PPF or Sukanya Samriddhi running, and still pay into it, as an NRI?

For a PPF you opened while resident, you can hold it to its original maturity and keep contributing within the usual annual limits (paid from NRE or NRO) — contrary to a common belief. What you cannot do is open a fresh PPF as an NRI or take the five-year extension at maturity. SSY follows similar small-savings logic but has its own conditions tied to the girl child's and guardian's residency — confirm it on its own facts rather than assuming it mirrors PPF. Because the contribution rules have shifted over the years, we check the current position against your account and dates.

FEMA & RBI

PPF, Sukanya Samriddhi and post-office schemes after you become an NRI

You opened these as a resident, you've since moved abroad, and now you're not sure which ones an NRI is even allowed to keep.

Before you moved abroad you did the sensible resident things — a PPF account for the tax-free interest, a Sukanya Samriddhi account for a daughter, maybe a post-office recurring deposit or an NSC. Now you're an NRI, and you've read conflicting things online about whether you can keep contributing, whether the accounts have to close, and what happens to the money. These are resident-only small-savings schemes, so the rules genuinely differ from one to the next, and getting it wrong either forfeits interest or quietly breaches the scheme's terms.

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Last reviewed: 10 June 20268 min readReviewed by Preetesh Maloo, CA

The short answer

Most small-savings schemes — PPF, Sukanya Samriddhi (SSY), NSC, post-office deposits — are meant for residents, so an NRI generally cannot open a fresh one. For accounts you already held as a resident the position is more nuanced: the prevailing rule for PPF is that an existing account you opened while resident can be held to its original maturity and you can keep contributing within the usual annual limits (from NRE or NRO funds) right up to that maturity — what you cannot do is open a fresh PPF or take the five-year extension a resident gets. SSY broadly follows a similar logic but has its own conditions around the girl child and guardian. The safe approach is to check each scheme individually against your specific account and dates, then plan the maturity and repatriation — rather than assume one rule fits all of them.

References on this page

PPF / SSY / NSC and post-office schemes — resident-eligibility small-savings schemes
Existing PPF held on becoming non-resident — prevailing position: hold to maturity, no extension
No fresh resident small-savings account to be opened by a non-resident
Maturity proceeds of such schemes credited to the NRO account; repatriation via the USD 1M route

These schemes were built for residents

PPF, Sukanya Samriddhi, NSC, the various post-office deposits — these are government small-savings schemes designed for residents of India. Eligibility is tied to being resident, which is why an NRI generally cannot walk in and open a fresh one. The complication is almost never about opening a new account; it is about what happens to an account you opened legitimately as a resident and then carried into NRI life.

Because each scheme has its own rulebook, the honest answer is that they do not all behave the same way. Some let an existing account run to its natural maturity; some restrict contributions once you are non-resident; some are simply not meant to continue. Treating them as one block — "can NRIs have PPF, yes or no" — is what leads people astray. The useful question is scheme by scheme: this account, opened on this date, with my status having changed on that date, what is allowed now.

PPF: hold to maturity and keep contributing, but no new account and no extension

The prevailing position for PPF is reasonably settled. If you opened a PPF while resident and later became an NRI, you can hold it to its original maturity and keep contributing within the usual annual limits — funded from NRE or NRO funds — right up to that date. What you cannot do: open a fresh PPF account as an NRI, or take the five-year extension residents enjoy at the end of the term.

At maturity the proceeds are credited to your NRO account, from where they can be repatriated through the normal route.

Because the wording has shifted over the years, we confirm the current position against your specific account and dates rather than relying on a blanket statement.

Sukanya Samriddhi and the post-office schemes

Sukanya Samriddhi (SSY), opened for a daughter while you were resident, broadly follows a similar logic to PPF: an existing account is generally allowed to continue under its terms, while the scheme is not designed for fresh accounts by non-residents, and status changes affecting the girl child or the guardian can matter. Because SSY has its own conditions around the child's residency, this is one to check specifically rather than assume it mirrors PPF exactly.

For NSC and post-office deposits the general theme is the same — they are resident schemes, an existing holding is usually allowed to run to maturity, and fresh resident investing is off the table for a non-resident. The maturity proceeds, like PPF, are routed to your NRO account.

Scheme	Fresh account as NRI?	Existing account
PPF	No	Contribute to original maturity, no extension
SSY	No	Generally continues; check conditions
NSC / post-office	No	Usually runs to maturity

The table is a guide, not a ruling — each line has conditions, which is exactly why we look at your actual accounts before advising.

A worked example: a PPF and an SSY carried into NRI life

Sneha opened a PPF in 2016 and a Sukanya Samriddhi account for her daughter in 2018. In 2021 she moved to London and became non-resident, but kept paying into both out of habit.

The PPF can run to its original maturity — she can keep contributing within the annual limit, paid from her NRO account, right up to that date; the account cannot be extended at maturity. The SSY needs its own check given the conditions tied to her daughter's residency.

No drama, but tidying matters: confirming contributions are within the limit and from the right account, mapping each maturity date, and making sure proceeds land in NRO so repatriation later is straightforward. The value is in not forfeiting interest by closing something early, and not breaching the scheme's terms by trying to extend the PPF the way a resident would.

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What's involved

What the CA actually does

1
We check each scheme against your status-change date
PPF, SSY, NSC and post-office holdings do not follow one rule. We take each account you hold, line it up against the date you became non-resident, and tell you what is allowed for that specific scheme rather than a blanket answer.
2
We tell you what to hold, keep funding, or let mature
For an existing PPF you can hold it to its original maturity and keep contributing within the annual limit until then — what you cannot do is open a fresh one or take the five-year extension. We confirm the position account by account, so you neither forfeit interest by closing early nor breach the terms by trying to extend what cannot be extended.
3
We plan the maturity and where the proceeds land
We map each maturity date and make sure the proceeds are credited to your NRO account, set up so that repatriating them later through the USD 1 million route is clean rather than a scramble.
4
We line up the tax and repatriation side
We check how the interest and proceeds sit in your Indian return and how your country of residence taxes them, so the maturity money moves out without a 15CA / 15CB hold-up — which we can handle when the time comes.

What to have ready

Documents you'll typically need

PPF passbook / statement and the account opening date
Sukanya Samriddhi passbook and the daughter's details
NSC certificates or post-office deposit receipts
Passport / visa showing when you became non-resident
Your NRO account details for routing maturity proceeds
PAN and overseas address proof

Your destination country can change the details

Requirements differ from one consulate, university and visa route to the next — how recent the figures must be, how long funds must have been held, and which certificates are mandatory. We assemble the documents around the exact checklist you're applying under. To see how India's tax treaty with your country of residence affects related filings, set your country below or compare all 31 countries.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions

If this matched your situation, these go further

Your old resident bank account is still running after you became an NRI Still trading on a resident demat account after moving abroad Moving money from your NRO account to NRE or abroad — 15CA, 15CB and the USD 1 million route Repatriation unblock (15CA / 15CB)Switch your NRI CA (free audit)NRE / NRO / FCNR chooser Am I NRI yet?

Holding PPF, SSY or post-office schemes after becoming an NRI?

Tell us which schemes you hold and when you moved abroad. A practising CA will tell you what to keep, what to stop, and how the money comes out — on a free call, no obligation.

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