NRI lending and borrowing money

Can an individual resident Indian borrow money from his closerelatives outside India?

Yes, an individual resident Indian can borrow a sum not exceeding USD 250,000 or its equivalent from his close relatives³ staying outside India, subject to the conditions that:

1. the minimum maturity period of the loan is one year;
2. the loan is free of interest; and
3. the amount of loan is received by inward remittance in free foreign exchange through normal banking channels or by debit to the NRE/FCNR(B) account of the NRI.

Can an individual resident lend money to his close relative NRI / PIO?

Yes, an individual resident can lend money by way of crossed cheque /electronic transfer within the overall limit prescribed under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, to meet the borrower’s personal or business requirements in India, subject to conditions. The loan should be interest free and have a maturity of minimum one year and cannot be remitted outside India.

Can an individual resident repay loans of close relative NRIs to banks in India?

Yes, where an authorised dealer in India has granted loan to a non-resident Indian such loans may also be repaid by resident close relative (relative as defined in Section 6 of the Companies Act, 1956), of the Non-Resident Indian by crediting the borrower's loan account through the bank account of such relative.