Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: Foreigners visiting India cannot take any Indian currency while leaving the country, a senior official from the Indian Embassy in Muscat has said.
However, Indian expatriates are allowed to carry Rs 25,000 (OMR150) while leaving India. “They can also bring Indian currency up to Rs 25,000 every time they visit India,” the official said.
This clarification comes after a message started circulating on social media that every Non-Resident Indian (NRI) and foreigner leaving India will have to compulsorily change Indian rupees in their possession into a foreign currency before they board the flight. “This is not correct. Only the foreigners have to change their currency before boarding flights,” the official clarified.
He also said any foreigner violating the rule could be penalised. “It is not a new rule. It has been there for quite a sometime,” the official clarified, adding that the rule also applies to Omani businessmen, who have business interests in India.
It’s a common practice among local Omanis to carry some amount of Indian currency with them when they leave the country, mainly for the convenience of not having to visit exchange houses for Indian rupees when they return the next time. “I didn’t know such a rule existed as I visit India very often,” said an Omani national.
According to embassy officials, in case these travellers have Indian currency notes in their possession before boarding the flight, Indian customs officials can act against these foreigners at the airports.
“Even legal cases can be slapped against them. So it is better to change it to U.S. dollars or any other foreign currency before boarding the flight,” the official said.
For Indian expats, the Reserve Bank of India has been increasing the limit of Indian currency that can be carried overseas in a phased manner for residents.
For instance, in 2009, it had increased the limit from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500 per person. Then, in 2013, it further increased the limit to Rs 10,000 per person and now it is Rs 25,000.
