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• The Scheme is available to all resident individuals including minors.  In case of remitter being a minor, the Form must be countersigned by the minor’s natural guardian.

• Remittances under the Scheme can be consolidated in respect of family members subject to individual family members complying with its terms and conditions. However, clubbing is not permitted by other family members for capital account transactions such as opening a bank account/investment/purchase of property, if they are not the co-owners/co-partners of the overseas bank account/ investment/property. Further, a resident cannot gift to another resident, in foreign currency, for the credit of the latter’s foreign currency account held abroad under LRS.

• All other transactions which are otherwise not permissible under FEMA and those in the nature of remittance for margins or margin calls to overseas exchanges/ overseas counterparty are not allowed under the Scheme.

• The permissible capital account transactions by an individual under LRS are: 

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1. opening of foreign currency account abroad with a bank;

2. purchase of property abroad;

3. making investments abroad- acquisition and holding shares of both listed and unlisted overseas company or debt instruments; acquisition of qualification shares of an overseas company for holding the post of Director; acquisition of shares of a foreign company towards professional services rendered or in lieu of Director’s remuneration; investment in units of Mutual Funds, Venture Capital Funds, unrated debt securities, promissory notes;

4. setting up Wholly Owned Subsidiaries and Joint Ventures (with effect from August 05, 2013) outside India for bonafide business subject to the terms & conditions stipulated

5. extending loans including loans in Indian Rupees to Non-resident Indians (NRIs) who are relatives as defined in Companies Act, 1956.

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• The limit of USD 2,50,000 per Financial Year (FY) under the Scheme also includes/subsumes remittances  for current account transactions (viz. private visit; gift/donation; going abroad on employment; emigration; maintenance of close relatives abroad; business trip; medical treatment abroad; studies abroad)  available to resident individuals under Para 1 of Schedule III to Foreign Exchange Management (Current Account Transactions) Amendment Rules, 2015 dated May 26, 2015. Release of foreign exchange exceeding USD 2,50,000, requires prior permission from the Reserve Bank of India.

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1. Private visits: For private visits abroad, other than to Nepal and Bhutan, any resident individual can obtain foreign exchange up to an aggregate amount of USD 2,50,000, from an Authorised Dealer or FFMC, in any one financial year, irrespective of the number of visits undertaken during the year. Further, all tour related expenses including cost of rail/road/water transportation; cost of Euro Rail; passes/tickets, etc. outside India; and overseas hotel/lodging expenses shall be subsumed under the LRS limit. The tour operator can collect this amount either in Indian rupees or in foreign currency from the resident traveller.

2. Gift/donation: Any resident individual may remit up-to USD 2,50,000 in one FY as gift to a person residing outside India or as donation to an organization outside India. 

3. Going abroad on employment: A person going abroad for employment can draw foreign exchange up to USD 2,50,000 per FY from any Authorised Dealer in India. 

4. Emigration: A person wanting to emigrate can draw foreign exchange from AD Category I bank and AD Category II up to the amount prescribed by the country of emigration or USD 250,000. Remittance of any amount of foreign exchange outside India in excess of this limit may be allowed only towards meeting incidental expenses in the country of immigration and not for earning points or credits to become eligible for immigration by way of overseas investments in government bonds; land; commercial enterprise; etc. 

5. Maintenance of close relatives abroad: A resident individual can remit up-to USD 2,50,000 per FY towards maintenance of close relatives [‘relative’ as defined in Section 6 of the Indian Companies Act, 1956] abroad. 

6. Business trip: Visits by individuals in connection with attending of an international conference, seminar, specialised training, apprentice training, etc., are treated as business visits. For business trips to foreign countries, resident individuals can avail of foreign exchange up to USD 2,50,000  in a FY irrespective of the number of visits undertaken during the year.​However, if an employee is being deputed by an entity for any of the above and the expenses are borne by the latter, such expenses shall be treated as residual current account transactions outside LRS and may be permitted by the AD without any limit, subject to verifying the bonafides of the transaction. 

7. Medical treatment abroad: Authorised Dealers may release foreign exchange up to an amount of USD 2,50,000 or its equivalent per FY without insisting on any estimate from a hospital/doctor. For amount exceeding the above limit, Authorised Dealers may release foreign exchange under general permission based on the estimate from the doctor in India or hospital/ doctor abroad. A person who has fallen sick after proceeding abroad may also be released foreign exchange by an Authorised Dealer (without seeking prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India) for medical treatment outside India. In addition to the above, an amount up to USD 250,000 per financial year is allowed to a person for accompanying as attendant to a patient going abroad for medical treatment/check-up.

8. Facilities available to students for pursuing their studies abroad: AD Category I banks and AD Category II, may release foreign exchange up to USD 2,50,000 or its equivalent to resident individuals for studies abroad without insisting on any estimate from the foreign University. However, AD Category I bank and AD Category II may allow remittances (without seeking prior approval of the Reserve Bank of India) exceeding USD 2,50,000 based on the estimate received from the institution abroad.

 

• Remittances under the Scheme can be used for purchasing objects of art subject to the provisions of other applicable laws such as the extant Foreign Trade Policy of the Government of India.

• The Scheme can be used for outward remittance in the form of a DD either in the resident individual’s own name or in the name of beneficiary with whom he intends putting through the permissible transactions at the time of private visit abroad, against self-declaration of the remitter in the format prescribed. 

• Individuals can also open, maintain and hold foreign currency accounts with a bank outside India for making remittances under the Scheme without prior approval of the Reserve Bank. The foreign currency accounts may be used for putting through all transactions connected with or arising from remittances eligible under this Scheme.

• Banks should not extend any kind of credit facilities to resident individuals to facilitate capital account remittances under the Scheme.

• The Scheme is not available for remittances for any purpose specifically prohibited under Schedule I or any item restricted under Schedule II of Foreign Exchange Management (Current Account Transaction) Rules, 2000, dated May 3, 2000, as amended from time to time.

• It is mandatory to have PAN card to make remittances under the Scheme for capital account transactions. However, PAN card need not be insisted upon for remittances made towards permissible current account transactions up to USD 25,000. 

• Investor, who has remitted funds under LRS can retain, reinvest the income earned on the investments. At present, the resident individual is not required to repatriate the funds or income generated out of investments made under the Scheme. However, a resident individual who has made overseas direct investment in the equity shares; compulsorily convertible preference shares of a JV/WoS outside India, within the LRS limit, shall have to comply with the terms and conditions prescribed by the overseas investment guidelines

• Facility to grant loan in rupees to NRI/ PIO close relative under the Scheme Resident individual is permitted to lend to a Non-resident Indian (NRI)/ Person of Indian Origin (PIO) close relative [‘relative’ as defined in Section 6 of the Indian Companies Act, 1956] by way of crossed cheque/ electronic transfer.

• A resident individual can make a rupee gift to a NRI/PIO who is a relative of the resident individual [‘relative’ as defined in Section 6 of the Companies Act, 1956] by way of crossed cheque /electronic transfer. The amount should be credited to the Non-Resident (Ordinary) Rupee Account (NRO) a/c of the NRI / PIO and credit of such gift amount may be treated as an eligible credit to NRO a/c. The gift amount would be within the overall limit of USD 250,000 per FY as permitted under the LRS for a resident individual. It would be the responsibility of the resident donor to ensure that the gift amount is within the LRS limit and all the remittances made by the donor during the financial year including the gift amount have not exceeded the limit prescribed under the LRS.

 

Source – Reserve Bank of India