How do I bring money from India to the US?

First, which account is the money in?

The Reserve Bank of India sets different rules for each kind of account a non-resident holds, and the account decides almost everything about the transfer. These rules come from RBI's FAQ on accounts held by non-residents (as on 16 January 2025) and its Master Direction on Remittance of Assets (updated 29 June 2026).

• NRE account or FCNR(B) deposit. Money you brought into India from abroad, plus its interest. Both are repatriable: you can send the balance back abroad without a yearly cap.
• NRO account. Money that arose in India: rent, dividends, pension, the proceeds of selling property or shares, an inheritance, and balances from your old resident account. Current income, such as this year's rent, can be sent abroad. Beyond that, an NRI or a Person of Indian Origin can remit up to USD 1 million per financial year (April to March), counting NRO balances and other eligible assets together. A transfer from NRO to NRE uses the same USD 1 million facility.

The USD 1 million facility comes from the Remittance of Assets rules, not from the Liberalised Remittance Scheme. RBI's FAQ describes that scheme as one for resident individuals. If a branch treats an NRI's NRO repatriation as an LRS remittance, ask it to check the Remittance of Assets direction.

The paperwork on the Indian side

For money leaving an NRO account, expect three kinds of document.

1. Proof of where the money came from. RBI's direction asks for documentary evidence of how you acquired the assets: the sale deed and the buyer's payment record for a property, the will, succession certificate or probate for an inheritance, contract notes for shares, and statements showing the deposit's history.
2. Your undertaking to the bank that the remittance comes from your own legitimate receivables in India, not from borrowing or from another person's NRO account (RBI's Remittance of Assets FAQ).
3. The Indian income tax forms. From 1 April 2026, under the Income-tax Rules, 2026, the remitter's statement is Form 145, which replaced Form 15CA, and the Chartered Accountant's certificate is Form 146, which replaced Form 15CB (incometax.gov.in, Form 145 user manual). Form 145 is filed before the money is sent. When the remittance is chargeable to tax and the year's total exceeds ₹5 lakh, it needs either a Form 146 from a Chartered Accountant or a certificate from the tax officer. Banks, CAs and forum posts often still say "15CA and 15CB"; they mean these forms.

In practice the CA checks that Indian tax on the money has been paid or deducted, for example the capital gains tax on a property sale, and certifies it. That is why repatriating sale proceeds starts with settling the Indian tax on the sale, not with the bank.

The bank process and timing

• Start with the bank that holds the NRO account. Ask for its repatriation checklist in writing: which forms, whether it accepts them online or only at a branch, and whether it needs originals of the source documents.
• Know your remaining limit. The USD 1 million counts across all your banks for the financial year. A large sale near March can be split across two financial years.
• Send to an account in your own name in the US. Keep the bank's advice showing the rupee amount, the rate and the dollars sent.
• Compare the conversion, not just the fee. The exchange rate the bank applies is usually the larger cost. The Library chapter "NRE and NRO Accounts and Bringing Money Over" covers how to compare.

The US side: moving it is not income

The United States does not tax you for moving your own money. A transfer of principal you already owned is not income when it arrives, and a large transfer from your own account is not a gift. What the US taxes is what created the money:

• Interest on NRE, NRO and FCNR deposits is part of a US resident's worldwide income in each year it was earned, whether or not India taxed it.
• A sale of property, shares or mutual funds is taxed in the US in the year of the sale, in dollars, with a foreign tax credit for Indian tax on the same gain. Indian mutual funds also bring the PFIC rules.
• A gift or inheritance from a nonresident alien is not taxable income to you, but if it totals more than USD 100,000 in a year from a nonresident individual or foreign estate, you report it on Form 3520 (IRS, Instructions for Form 3520). The penalty for not filing is 5% of the gift for each month, up to 25%.

Two reports follow the money while it sits in India. Every Indian account counts toward the FBAR, which is required once all your foreign accounts together exceeded USD 10,000 at any time in the year, valued at their highest balance (FinCEN, FBAR instructions). Larger holdings may also need Form 8938. A balance that passed briefly through an NRO account on its way to you still counts at its peak. Your US bank may also ask where a large incoming wire came from; the same Indian paperwork answers it.