India · Customs & Currency Rules Guide · Last checked 19 October 2026

India Cash Declaration Rules: What You Can Carry In and Out

India does not cap how much foreign currency you can bring in, but it does ask you to declare above set amounts, and it treats Indian rupees under separate rules. The details matter most at the airport, where the wrong channel can turn a paperwork step into a seizure. This guide sets out what the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian customs sources say, shows how to check your own cash against the limits, and is plain about what we could not confirm.

An earlier version of this page said that non-residents cannot carry Indian rupee notes across the border at all, that residents can carry up to 25,000 rupees in or out, that Indian residents are capped at USD 3,000 in foreign cash per trip, and that an undeclared amount risks a penalty of up to three times the sum. When we checked, the foreign currency thresholds and the penalty ceiling held up. The rupee claim for non-residents did not: RBI's own FAQ says non-residents may bring up to 25,000 rupees through an airport. The USD 3,000 figure is a limit on buying foreign notes for a trip, not on carrying them, and it has exceptions. Those claims have been replaced below. Where a detail rests on a single source, we say so. Everything was last checked on 19 October 2026.

The short version

• Foreign currency coming into the country is not capped. You must declare it on a Currency Declaration Form (CDF) if the notes exceed USD 5,000, or if notes, bank notes and traveller's cheques together exceed USD 10,000.
• RBI added the CDF to its regulations by an amendment notified on 23 February 2026, published in the Gazette the following day.
• Indian rupees: RBI's FAQ, updated on 28 November 2025, says a resident returning from abroad may bring in up to 25,000 rupees in notes, and a non-resident may bring in up to 25,000 rupees only when coming in through an airport. Citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh are treated differently.
• A resident who is going abroad may buy foreign notes and coins up to USD 3,000 per visit, with exceptions for a few destinations. The rest may be on a card, traveller's cheques or a draft.
• Failing to declare when you should can lead to seizure, penalty and, in serious cases, prosecution, according to the sources we could read.
• We found no RBI source on how many rupees a person may take out of India to somewhere other than Nepal or Bhutan.

Bringing foreign currency into India

The Reserve Bank's amendment of 23 February 2026 inserted the CDF into the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations. The text of the annex says that a declaration is not required where the amount of foreign exchange brought in as currency notes, bank notes or traveller's cheques does not exceed USD 10,000 or its equivalent, or where the foreign currency notes alone do not exceed USD 5,000 or its equivalent. In other words, you declare when either limit is passed.

RBI's FAQ gives the same two thresholds. The customs page of the Mumbai airport's operator repeats them: declare if foreign currency notes exceed USD 5,000, or if all foreign exchange including currency exceeds USD 10,000. The page has no date.

The regulation text, RBI's FAQ and the airport operator's page agree on the two thresholds, which is why we treat them as confirmed. A fourth page, on a travel-rules website that rates itself as low confidence, says the limits conflict between its own sources, and we did not rely on it.

What the CDF asks of you, according to the annex instructions:

• You show the form to an authorised bank or money changer when you convert foreign exchange into rupees.
• If you do not convert all of what you declared, you keep the form and show it to customs when you leave, so you can take the unused balance out.
• The form does not need the details of every traveller's cheque or note.
• Foreign tourists do not need to give an address.

The practical implication is the second one. If you declare a large amount on arrival and do not spend it, the stamped form is what supports taking it back out.

How to declare

Indian airports have a green channel for passengers with nothing to declare, and a red channel for passengers with dutiable goods or items that must be declared, according to the airport operator's page. All passengers fill in a customs card and hand it in at the exit.

Declaration can also be made in advance. Indian Customs launched a mobile app called ATITHI on 4 November 2019 for iOS and Android, so that travellers can file a customs declaration (including currency) before arriving. NRI Information, a guide updated on 29 September 2026, says a declaration can be made through ATITHI, the CDF in the red channel, or verbally, and suggests getting a stamped copy. This is not an official source, so check the current options with customs.

Indian rupees

This is the part most people get wrong, and the answer is less strict than the previous version of this page said.

• Residents returning from abroad. RBI's FAQ says a resident may bring in Indian notes up to 25,000 rupees when returning from anywhere outside India, other than Nepal and Bhutan.
• Non-residents. The same FAQ says a non-resident, who is not a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh and is not going to or from those countries, may bring in up to 25,000 rupees only when coming in through an airport.
• Nepal and Bhutan. For people going to or from these two countries, other than citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh, RBI's circular of 8 December 2025 allows notes of 100 rupees or less in any amount and higher notes up to 25,000 rupees in total. The circular replaced one of March 2019.
• Declaration. The airport operator's page says you declare Indian currency exceeding 25,000 rupees.

So the old claim that non-residents may not carry rupees at all is not what RBI's FAQ says. A travel-rules site we read says non-residents may not export rupees and that rupees above 25,000 will be confiscated, and uses both 'export' and 'import' and we set it aside.

The old page also said residents may carry 25,000 rupees 'out' of India. RBI's FAQ does not address taking rupees out, and the December 2025 circular only deals with Nepal and Bhutan. We could not confirm the outbound limit for other destinations, so we do not state one.

Demonetised notes are a separate trap. One guide updated on 29 September 2026 and not from an official source says that the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, withdrawn on 8 November 2016 are no longer legal tender, and that holding more than ten of them is an offence under the 2017 Act. Check the Act before carrying old notes.

Residents taking cash abroad

The old page said Indian residents are 'capped at USD 3,000 per trip' for carrying foreign cash. RBI's FAQ describes it differently.

• A resident going abroad, other than the exceptions below, may buy foreign currency notes and coins only up to USD 3,000 per visit.
• The balance of the travel money may be held as store value cards, traveller's cheques or bankers' drafts.
• Travellers to Iraq and Libya may draw up to USD 5,000 in cash. Travellers to Iran, Russia and other CIS republics may draw up to USD 250,000 in cash.

The distinction is important. The rule limits how much foreign cash you can buy for a trip, which is not the same as a limit on carrying. The wording tells you what the bank may sell you, and the sources we could read do not spell out what happens if you hold more from an earlier trip. If you plan to buy currency at the airport, our guide to exchanging before or after security explains where RBI rules place counters in Indian departure and arrival halls.

The Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) is separate. HSBC India's FAQ page, which has no date, says it allows residents to send up to USD 250,000 per financial year, April to March, abroad, and lists private visits among the permitted purposes. The page does not say if cash or forex cards count towards the limit, and we found no source that says so. Tax collected at source on overseas spending is covered in our guide to credit cards versus cash, where the sources conflict.

When you return

RBI's FAQ also says unspent foreign notes and traveller's cheques must generally be surrendered within 180 days of return, with residents allowed to keep up to 2,000 USD for future use or to credit to a resident foreign currency account. Keep this in mind if you bought your USD 3,000 and did not spend it.

What happens if you do not declare

The sources we could read describe a mix of consequences.

• The page of the Mumbai airport operator says that using the green channel while carrying dutiable, prohibited or restricted goods can lead to seizure, confiscation, prosecution, arrest and penal action.
• Section 13 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, as reproduced on a legal website, says a person who contravenes the Act is liable on adjudication to a penalty up to three times the sum involved where it can be quantified, or up to 2 lakh rupees where it cannot, with a further penalty of up to 5,000 rupees per day for a continuing contravention.
• A travel-rules website that rates itself low confidence gives a range of fines and the same three-times figure. We did not rely on its numbers.

Our reading, which is not a sourced fact, is that a missing declaration is a problem even if the money is lawful, because the rule is about informing the authorities. This is not legal advice. If you are carrying a large amount, ask customs or a lawyer before you travel.

A worked example, with made-up numbers

The figures below are invented, and are only to show how the two limits work:

• A visitor arrives with USD 4,000 in notes and USD 7,500 in traveller's cheques. The notes are below 5,000, but the total of 11,500 is above 10,000, so a declaration is needed.
• Another visitor arrives with USD 5,500 in notes only. The notes are above 5,000, so a declaration is needed.
• A third arrives with USD 4,900 in notes and USD 5,000 in traveller's cheques. The notes are below 5,000 and the total of 9,900 is below 10,000, so no declaration is needed under the thresholds above.

Now a resident planning a trip. They buy USD 3,000 in notes for a single visit and plan to spend the rest of their budget by card. The notes are within the per-visit figure. If they return with USD 2,400 unspent, that is USD 400 above the USD 2,000 that residents may keep, so on RBI's FAQ wording the extra 400 would need to be surrendered or credited within 180 days.

How to check yourself before you fly

This section is our advice, based on the sources above. It is not a sourced fact.

• Add up everything: notes, bank notes and traveller's cheques, in dollars or the equivalent. Do this twice: once for notes alone and once for the total.
• If either number is above the limit, plan to declare. Use ATITHI in advance if it works, or go to the red channel.
• Keep the stamped form. You need it for the bank or money changer and for taking unspent money back out. Photograph it with your phone as well, so that you still have the details if the paper copy is lost during the trip.
• Bring foreign currency or a card, not a stack of rupees, if you are a visitor.
• If you are a resident, ask your bank how much foreign cash it can sell you for a trip, and keep the receipt.

What we could not confirm

• The date on which the CDF requirement took effect. The notification says it took effect on Gazette publication, which was 24 February 2026.
• How many rupees a resident or non-resident may take out of India to destinations other than Nepal or Bhutan.
• What happens in practice if a resident holds more than USD 3,000 in foreign notes from previous trips.
• Whether the LRS limit counts cash bought for travel.
• The current penalty amounts that customs applies in practice. We found the statutory ceiling only.
• Whether ATITHI is still available in the form launched in 2019. The 2026 guide we saw mentions it, but we did not open the app.
• Whether the airport operator's customs page is current. It shows no date.

A simple plan

1. Count your foreign cash and traveller's cheques and compare with USD 5,000 and USD 10,000.
2. Decide whether to declare in advance through ATITHI, or at the red channel.
3. If you are a visitor, do not plan around rupees. If you carry some, stay within 25,000.
4. Keep the stamped form and any receipts.
5. If you are a resident, buy no more than USD 3,000 in foreign notes for a trip, and use a card or draft for the rest.

FAQ

Is there a limit on foreign currency I can bring into India?
There is no cap. You must declare it on a Currency Declaration Form if the notes exceed USD 5,000, or if notes, bank notes and traveller's cheques together exceed USD 10,000.

Can a foreign tourist carry Indian rupees into India?
RBI's FAQ says a non-resident, other than a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, may bring in up to 25,000 rupees when coming in through an airport.

How much foreign cash can an Indian resident buy for a trip?
Up to USD 3,000 per visit for most destinations, with different limits for Iraq, Libya, Iran, Russia and other CIS republics.

What if I forget to declare?
Customs can seize the money, and the law allows a penalty of up to three times the sum involved. In serious cases prosecution is possible.

Sources and how we checked them

Checked on 19 October 2026. Where we call something confirmed, at least two of these sources agree. Several are not official sources.

• Reserve Bank of India, official, Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Currency) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, notification of 23 February 2026.
• Reserve Bank of India, official, FAQ on miscellaneous foreign exchange facilities, last updated 28 November 2025.
• Taxmann, tax publisher, RBI introduces Currency Declaration Form, 1 March 2026.
• WIRC of ICAI, professional body, FEMA newsletter on circular 18/2025-26 of 8 December 2025, January 2026.
• Mumbai International Airport (CSIA), airport operator, customs on arrival page (undated).
• Taxguru, tax news site, ICEDASH and ATITHI launch, 4 November 2019.
• NRI Information, guide, Indian currency rules for travellers, updated 29 September 2026.
• Goods Across Borders, travel-rules website, India cash rules, last verified 5 July 2026 (rated low confidence on the page).
• Know Your GST, legal website, Section 13 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act.
• HSBC India, bank, Liberalised Remittance Scheme FAQ (undated).

Editorial note: The counter, rate and airport information in this guide is editorial and is not paid for. Rates and fees change, so confirm the final rate at the counter before exchanging.