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Repatriating funds from India: a founder's checklist

Moving money out of India is mostly a documentation exercise. The order you do it in decides how long it takes.

May 30, 2026 6 min readJoog Hitesh & Associates

Repatriation questions usually arrive late, once a sale has closed or a property has been sold. Starting the paperwork earlier shortens the wait considerably and keeps your bank comfortable.

Establish the source

Banks need to see where the funds came from. Sale proceeds, rental income, inherited assets and dividends each carry their own supporting set, and the account they sit in matters as much as the amount.

Settle the tax first

  • Withholding on capital gains applies before remittance, so compute the gain early.
  • A lower deduction certificate can reduce cash locked up in excess withholding.
  • Treaty relief needs a tax residency certificate from your country of residence.

The certificates

Forms 15CA and 15CB accompany the remittance, with the accountant certificate confirming the tax position. Accurate figures here prevent the bank sending the file back.

Assemble the documentation while the transaction is still fresh. Reconstructing a paper trail two years later costs far more than preparing it once.

Keep the trail

Retain the return, the certificates and the bank advice together. Future remittances move faster when the history is already tidy.

We handle this end to end for NRI clients, including the capital gains computation that sits underneath it.