How much currency can you carry to India? | Guide Carrying Currency Through Indian Airports

This article explains the Indian Customs limit on the amount of cash (Indian and Foreign currency) you can carry in and out of India with you..

This article explains the Indian Customs limit on the amount of cash (Indian and Foreign currency) you can carry in and out of India with you.

While Indian residents can exchange or deposit the money in banks, the options for NRIs are limited. The most suitable option is to either take the money with them or send with someone who is travelling to India soon.

The next question is how much money they can take by hand. Unfortunately, there is lot of confusing information online, including some official websites, which are not updated in the past one year (since announcement of new rules during early 2016). Even RBI and Customs website have pages which are not updated.

Importing Indian Currency

• As RBI norms, passengers (excluding citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh) coming to India may carry Indian currency up to Rs. 25,000.

The information you see on most websites – like Rs 7500, Rs 10000 etc – are old limits. For those who need to see official confirmation from government, see the RBI notification:

Detailed explanation from Reserve Bank of India Notification

“Any person resident outside India, not being a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, and visiting India …. may bring into India currency notes of Government of India and Reserve
Bank of India notes up to an amount not exceeding Rs.25,000 (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand only) per person”

Exporting Indian Currency

• As RBI norms, passengers (excluding citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh) may take out of India (other than to Nepal and Bhutan), Indian currency up to Rs. 25,000.

Detailed explanation from Reserve Bank of India Notification

“Any person resident in India …. may take outside India (other than to Nepal and Bhutan) currency notes of Government of India and Reserve Bank of India notes up to an amount not exceeding Rs.25,000 (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand only) per person.”

“Any person resident outside India, not being a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, and visiting India …. may take outside India currency notes of Government of India and Reserve Bank of India notes up to an amount not exceeding Rs.25,000 (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand only) per person”

Importing Foreign Currency

Any person can bring into India, from a place outside India, foreign currency without any limit.

However the currency must be declared by filing CDF (Currency Declaration Form) in the following cases:

• the aggregate value of foreign currency notes is in excess of USD 5000 or equivalent OR
• the aggregate value of foreign exchange in the form of currency notes, bank notes or traveller’s cheques is in excess of USD 10,000 or its equivalent.

Detailed explanation from Reserve Bank of India Notification

“A person …. may bring into India from any place outside India without limit foreign
exchange (other than unissued notes) subject to the condition that such
person makes, on arrival in India, a declaration to the Customs authorities in
Currency Declaration Form (CDF). It shall not be necessary to make such
declaration where the aggregate value of the foreign exchange in the form of
currency notes, bank notes or travelers cheques brought in by such person at
any one time does not exceed US$10,000 (US Dollars ten thousand) or its
equivalent and/ or the aggregate value of foreign currency notes brought in by
such person at any one time does not exceed US$ 5,000 (US Dollars five
thousand) or its equivalent”

Exporting Foreign Currency

• There is no limit to carry foreign exchange from India to any country.

However the currency must be declared by filing CDF (Currency Declaration Form) if :

• the aggregate value of foreign currency notes is in excess of USD 5000 or equivalent OR
• the aggregate value of foreign exchange in the form of currency notes, bank notes or traveller’s cheques is in excess of USD 10,000 or its equivalent.

Detailed explanation from Reserve Bank of India Notification

“any person may take out of India … a. foreign exchange possessed by him in accordance with the Foreign Exchange Management (Possession and Retention of Foreign Currency) Regulations, 2000 ; b. unspent foreign exchange brought back by him to India while returning from travel abroad and retained in accordance with the Foreign Exchange Management (Possession and Retention of Foreign Currency) Regulations, 2000”

“any person resident outside India may take out of India unspent foreign exchange not exceeding the amount brought in by him and declared in Currency Declaration Form (CDF).”

Conclusion

To sum up the complicated rules :

a) Passengers can bring up to Rs 25,000 and take out Rs 25,000 in Indian currency.

b) Passengers can bring in or take out unlimited foreign currency, but has to fill up declaration form if total cash amount is more than USD 5000 or total is more than USD 10,000.

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