Many of my NRI readers ask me frequently, should I open an NRI saving account in India? Is it must for an NRI to open NRE or NRO account? Can I continue my existing Saving account in India? etc. Well, If you are going abroad for short term let's say less than 6 months then you don't need to open an NRE or NRO savings account and you can continue to maintain your existing Resident Saving account in India, but you are going overseas for long term e.g. more than 6 months you must inform your bank about your NRI status and subsequently then will convert your Resident Saving account to an NRO (Non-Resident Ordinary) account.
What NRI (Non Resident Indians) should know about NRE Saving Account and Fixed Deposit
The NRE account stands for the Non-Resident External account and I strongly believe, every NRI who has any interest in India must open this account. It has some excellent features which are not available to other types of account e.g. interest earned on NRE account is tax-free in India and not only that, both principal and interest are fully repatriable to overseas. You don't need to ask for permission or worry about paperwork, if you need money in overseas, you can always transfer from your NRE bank account.
What happens to bank account, Fixed Deposit, and Insurance Policy When you become NRI?
One of the most common doubt among new NRIs are about their bank accounts e.g. what happens to their bank account, Fixed deposit, Demat accounts like ICICI Direct, brokerage accounts, and insurance policies when they become non-resident Indian? Well, once your residential status changed from resident Indian to non-resident there are certainly few changes in your financial accounts. For example, your resident account needs to be converted into NRO account. You also become eligible to open NRE (Non-resident external) account. Similarly, once you become NRI you need to inform your bank about your fixed deposits, brokerage accounts, and insurance policies.
How to deposit Indian Rupees to NRE Account? Can you transfer from Saving, NRO or another NRE Account?
If you know about NRI banking facilities and different accounts they can open in India i.e. NRE, NRO, FCNR, and RFC then you know that there are different rules to deposit money on these accounts, but it's not clear to many Non-resident Indians. Most of the doubt comes from the fact that NRE account is a Rupee saving account but you cannot deposit Indian Rupees into It. There are some strict rules to deposit funds into NRE saving accounts. Some of the common questions many NRI friends ask me is that is it possible to transfer money to NRE account from India? or how to transfer money from savings account to NRE account, or can you deposit Indian rupees to NRE account etc. The short answer to this question is No, you cannot deposit Indian rupees into NRE account, nor can you transfer funds from your saving accounts to NRE account.
Can You Open a Joint NRE or NRO account (savings and fixed deposit)?
Yes, you can open a joint NRE or NRO savings, current or fixed deposit and FCNR fixed deposit account, but who you can use as joining partner depends on upon what type of account you are opening and citizenship of other account holders. For example, if you are opening an NRO (Non Resident Ordinary) savings, fixed deposit or current account then you can open it jointly with any resident Indian or NRI. It means you can open NRO account jointly with your parents, spouse or your siblings, of course, if they are staying in India or any NRI e.g. your wife and children which are staying abroad with you.
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