Once you move to the UAE for work you are a person resident outside India under exchange control law. Resident accounts must be redesignated as NRO, agricultural land cannot be bought, and investments must follow the non-resident route. Lapses can be regularised and compounded with the Reserve Bank, which closes the contravention on payment of a moderate amount.
- Document route
- Indian Embassy or Consulate attestation
- Time difference
- 1.5 hours behind IST
- Handled in India at
- Authorised dealer bank, RBI and ED
- Travel to India
- None
How it works from the UAE
We review how each account, deposit, property and investment is held and paid for. Accounts are redesignated with the bank; prohibited holdings are transferred to an eligible resident; missed filings are completed. A compounding application then sets out the facts, and after a short hearing the Reserve Bank fixes the amount.
Separately from exchange control, UAE residents should watch the income tax deemed-residence rule for Indian citizens with Indian income above fifteen lakh rupees who are not taxed elsewhere. It does not tax your UAE salary, but it changes your return status. A UAE tax residency certificate supports treaty claims.
What is different for NRIs in the UAE
- Regularise before a property sale or large remittance, when banks check hardest.
- Loans to friends in India must follow permitted terms.
- A summons from the Enforcement Directorate must always be answered.
Step by step from the UAE
Free review call
With only ninety minutes between Dubai and India, calls happen in normal office hours. We read your papers on a FEMA question first, so the call is about your options and not a repeat of the facts.
Authority from UAE
Where a representative must act for you in India on a FEMA question, you sign before the consular officer at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate in Dubai, generally through the outsourced attestation centre. We draft the document and send signing instructions.
Work in India
In India, we map each transaction against the FEMA rules, regularise what can be regularised and file a compounding application where required. Updates for clients in the UAE go by email and WhatsApp with scans of whatever is filed.
Result and handover
At the end you receive a written opinion or the compounding order, and corrected bank records. Originals are couriered to your address in the UAE if you need them.
The law in full
This page covers what changes when you handle a FEMA question from the UAE. For the Indian law, the complete document checklist, common mistakes and more questions, read our main page on FEMA Compliance & RBI Notices. For other matters, see all legal services for NRIs in the UAE or the Tax, Banking & FEMA practice area.
Questions from NRIs in the UAE
Is it illegal to keep my old savings account in India after moving to Dubai?
It should be redesignated as NRO. Continuing it as a resident account is a contravention that can be regularised.
What is the penalty for a FEMA violation?
Up to three times the amount involved in adjudication; compounding amounts for unintentional lapses are far lower.
Can I invest in Indian shares from the UAE?
Yes, through the portfolio investment route with a designated bank account, within the applicable limits.