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Old 15th May 2022, 02:18   #31
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

I have a question about FBAR filing. If I have investments in stocks in India, do I need to declare it while tax filing in the USA?
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Old 15th November 2022, 22:38   #32
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

Hi guys,

I am now eligible for a foreign citizenship (Germany) but I want to settle here in India in a couple of years and probably run a SW business with other partners.

I would like to know how much hassle would I face when I and my kids settle down here with a German citizenship + OCI card. My spouse would remain as an Indian citizen.

Would there be issues in ownership, GST, etc. if I am a co-owner of a SW company?
Whether my domestic bank account would be handled similar to other domestic accounts?
Can I invest in Indian stock market via an Indian broker (e.g. Zerodha)?
Whether my kids would face issues in school admission, getting documents in govt. offices, etc.?
Would there be a problem with my term insurance and health insurance when switching from NRI to Resident status (with a foreign citizenship)?
Would there be any other issue in our day-to-day activities?

Thanks in advance!

Last edited by gopi_rm : 15th November 2022 at 22:51.
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Old 16th November 2022, 08:04   #33
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

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Originally Posted by gopi_rm View Post
My spouse would remain as an Indian citizen.

Thanks in advance!
I am a foreign citizen living in India with an Indian Wife. Your residence status define this. You would initially be Resident but not normally Resident (there will be some exemptions on your overseas income) but this will go after a while (I think 3 years- get professional advice!)

In answer to your questions

Quote:
Would there be issues in ownership, GST, etc. if I am a co-owner of a SW company?
I tried consulting and when it came to registering for GST, I needed to use my wife's credentials. I dont remember exactly what happened but everything was smooth after that

Quote:
Whether my domestic bank account would be handled similar to other domestic accounts?
It will but a lot of banks end up asking you to write Indian based on residence status as it leads to complicated reporting

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Can I invest in Indian stock market via an Indian broker (e.g. Zerodha)?
I do, once you have an Aadhaar, residence proof, PAN, its easy

Quote:
Whether my kids would face issues in school admission, getting documents in govt. offices, etc.?
Not really, only differences are when it comes to voting and buying agricultural land. You will face higher college fees if you are a foreign citizen. My child could not do CLAT, IIT-JEE etc. We had to apply on the foriegn quota. The fees are about 5 time what an Indian Citizen would pay. (a bit unfair considering one has been residing locally and paying taxes for 20+ years)

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Would there be a problem with my term insurance and health insurance when switching from NRI to Resident status (with a foreign citizenship)?
No - you need to declare that you are resident
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Would there be any other issue in our day-to-day activities?
Avoid public political discussions, expressions and affiliations. Also be careful on any religious activities - be a worshipper but avoid any thing beyond that except emergency relief to all. Also any media related work. The OCI has restrictions on religious and media work. If you fall foul of any government in power for any small reason, the OCI could be revoked!
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Old 16th November 2022, 08:45   #34
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

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The fees are about 5 time what an Indian Citizen would pay. (a bit unfair considering one has been residing locally and paying taxes for 20+ years)
This is patently unfair.

In the 1990s all 5 Star Hotels used to charge a different and higher rate for Foreign passport holders.

And if you look at all our Archaeological sites and monuments and museums, foreigners have to pay a higher entry fee.
I think this is probably just a hangover of the protectionist era.
You may remember in the 1970s and all, since we were so terribly starved of Forex and had very little by way of reserves if one was able to pay in Foreign Exchange, one could get an express delivery of one’s Lambretta or Vespa or Vijay Super scooter or Fiat/Premier or Ambassador car! Even up until the mid to late 1990’s the banks and govt were offering massive returns on FDs and Bonds if purchased in Forex. This was to desperately attract money from the Indian diaspora living abroad.

Last edited by vb-saan : 16th November 2022 at 10:15. Reason: Quote tags fixed
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Old 19th April 2023, 11:53   #35
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

Experts pitch in please. Unique but not so rare situation. I am an Indian citizen. My wife is a Nepali citizen, she is living here since 17 years. We are married for past 11 years. She has been working here since 2010, was a trainee for the first 3 years.

We have been facing constant troubles in whatever we do. Nepalese are not eligible for OCI and PIO. They need not register with FRRO either. They do not require a visa or even a passport, a citzienship document similar to voter id is sufficient to travel, work and stay in India.

But there is a dilemma whenever we touch any Indian Union or state government form where Indian or foreigner mentioned.If we mention Indian it is wrong, if we mention foreigner then visa/frro/pio/oci proof required. We have been dodging this by mentioning Indian resident, after consulting and getting clearance from the signing authority and always adding a passport copy to avoid future trouble.

An RTI to foreign and home ministry came with a reply that Nepali citizens are treated as Indian citizens for all practical purposes including government jobs except for public offices. This has been true for most part except an occasional clerk or equivalent objecting to her status, which get promptly resolved by higher ups on escalation.

To cut the long story short, she decided to bite the bullet and apply for Indian citizenship. The form available in Home ministry website is very simple with only four documents needed, apart from the application form. One document(work permit/visa) is not applicable in her case.

But the place of submission of application and process is very vague. The application needs to be submitted to District collector/Distric Magistrate or Deputy commissioner, but the office personnel are unaware of this function. How to go about it? Anybody with knowledge or experience kindly guide
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Old 19th April 2023, 15:09   #36
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

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Originally Posted by shankar.balan View Post
This is patently unfair.

In the 1990s all 5 Star Hotels used to charge a different and higher rate for Foreign passport holders.

And if you look at all our Archaeological sites and monuments and museums, foreigners have to pay a higher entry fee.
I think this is probably just a hangover of the protectionist era.
Every country in the world does it. The UK and the EU have different rates for university tuition for 'home' students - in some cases less than half of what international students pay. US state universities offer lower rates to state residents. I don't see the big deal. If it's such a problem, getting an Indian passport is quite easy anyway.

I'm happy to have parity on any entry fee the day 'first world' countries have parity on entry requirements at their borders.
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Old 19th April 2023, 20:38   #37
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

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Originally Posted by aadya View Post
Experts pitch in please. Unique but not so rare situation. I am an Indian citizen. My wife is a Nepali citizen, she is living here since 17 years. We are married for past 11 years. She has been working here since 2010, was a trainee for the first 3 years.

To cut the long story short, she decided to bite the bullet and apply for Indian citizenship.
Check out this link, specifically the section on 'Passport Details Exemption for specific persons'

Link: https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic....Note%3A-,I.,II.

Hope this helps.
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Old 20th April 2023, 16:49   #38
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

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Originally Posted by aadya View Post
My wife is a Nepali citizen, she is living here since 17 years. We are married for past 11 years.
Not an expert but somebody who has lots of Nepalese friends from school days. Almost all have their parents enjoying their retired life in Nepal & own property there while kids stay in India and own properties here. Their parents get their pension from Indian govt while living in Nepal.

For all practical purposes, they treat themselves as Indian citizens. Since she is married to a Indian citizen, she can easily apply for citizenship online if you are worried about citizenship. Did you had a look at the below links. Seems like the process is entirely online now.

https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/
https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic....px?formcode=02

Last edited by Aditya : 20th April 2023 at 22:19. Reason: Capitalisation
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Old 20th April 2023, 17:38   #39
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

Something I never knew...

Was talking to a re-found friend in London (someone I never thought would get to know both us put me back in touch!) who is Mauritian. She told me that she had considered settling in India (decided against it). I said, you can't, unless you have Indian parents/grandparents/etc. She said "I can!" It seems Mauritians have a special arrangement with India, and can visit/stay without any visa.

Restricted to Mauritians of Indian origin? I don't know, but it would be a reasonable guess.

Probably doesn't apply to anyone here, but I thought I'd add the information to the mix.
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Old 24th April 2023, 11:24   #40
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

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I am an Indian citizen. My wife is a Nepali citizen,apply for Indian citizenship.
An update on the process: The application process is reasonably defined. Please visit the website quoted in this post. Only the filling of application and fee payment is online. We need to visit relevant office for the submission in person.

The major documents required for citizenship by marriage are:

Application
Scanned copy of the foreign passport
Scanned copy of the spouse's Indian passport
Visa/Work permit
Marriage certificate.

Note: Passport and visa/work permit are not mandatory for Nepalese, but should be presented if available (not to hide the passport). All documents should be scanned and kept in a PDF format with multiple pages in the same PDF for each document. Each PDF should not exceed 1 MB. A scanned copy of a passport size photo is needed - the specifications are mentioned before we upload.

The applicant should have lived in India for 9 years after their marriage, including compulsorily one year preceding the application and a sum total of 6 years in the preceding 8 years. We should fill up the details of the addresses in which the applicant had stayed during those 9 years.

The fee is Rs. 500, and the payment page has some glitches, although most payment methods are accepted. It is not a straightforward and easy payment process. I would advise saving the application at each step. Note down the application number. Once the payment is completed after filling in the details, a new file number is automatically created, which will be the reference number for future communication.

A link directs us to the Ministry of Home Affairs where we need to upload the documents. Once the documents are uploaded, we receive an acknowledgement email and the document is ready to be printed. The official directions state that we need to print three(actually four) copies and submit them to the District Magistrate/Deputy Commissioner/Collector of our place of residence. For Bangalore, the point of contact/submission is the District Magistrate on Kempegowda Road.

There are some additional requirements to be noted. Although the instructions say we need 3 copies, we actually need to submit four copies of the application along with copies of the relevant documents. We also need to submit an official letter addressed to the district magistrate requesting the processing of the application. The letter should include a summary of the application, our contact information, address, mobile number, and email ID.

We need to obtain the signature on the application from an Indian citizen by birth who is not the spouse or an advocate for the applicant. The person providing the signature should be a friend or neighbour with good standing in society. We were told that a police inquiry would be conducted with this person about our whereabouts and details, so they should be reasonably literate to avoid being perturbed by the questioning. The longer we know the person, the better it is, by the look of it.

Regarding submission of the application, it is a typical modern government office with cubicles for various functions. One Mr. Ravi, who appears to be the representative of the District Magistrate, receives and processes the application. The office was visited by my wife, not me. But based on the description she gave, he seems to be knowledgeable, polite, and approachable. No money was demanded or accepted. They have conveyed that the process might take anywhere between one to three years, depending on the backlog and documentation.

By the sound of it, it appears the application would be vetted by the District Magistrates office, then sent to Police commissioner or SP of the zone for verification, then sent to the state Home ministry clearance, then sent to the Union Home ministry for clearance.

"Here are some minor points to consider, though they are not mentioned anywhere:


1.They prefer using a black Pilot pen with waterproof ink for signing.
2.Do not pin or staple the forms together, but separate each set with a transparent sleeve or a slide folder. They tie them with a corner thread in the office.
3.Use good thick bond sheets. We used JK Cedar White 100gsm, as the process takes more than a year and the documents traverse multiple offices. Good quality paper would keep the application neat and pleasing.
4.Dress respectfully (though we may debate this). I feel we are answered better when we are in the right attire.Keep a couple of extra copies handy, just in case.
5.Keep the date beside the signature vacant for them to fill once the application is vetted. The original date of application is default printed.
6.Strike away non-relevant portions in the declaration part. We were told that many applications were returned for correction of these portions alone (for example, it reads like this: "I have/do not have a criminal record" - by default printed, we need to strike the first 'have').

I hope I have covered most of it. Now, our wait has started. We are keeping our fingers crossed and believing the Indian bureaucracy to deliver.
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Old 24th April 2023, 15:59   #41
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Re: Immigrating to India (for a foreigner)

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Originally Posted by aadya View Post
An update on the process: The application process is reasonably defined. Please visit the website quoted in this post. Only the filling of application and fee payment is online. We need to visit relevant office for the submission in person. ... ... ... They have conveyed that the process might take anywhere between one to three years, depending on the backlog and documentation.
Goodness! I'm 71 this summer: I might not live that long!

I have ben dithering with the idea for ages. Where applicable, I think we also have to begin the process of renouncing our existing citizenship before making the application?
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