A Non-Resident Indian (NRI) or Person of Indian Origin (PIO) can invest and maintain a term deposit in foreign currency in an account called FCNR (Foreign Currency Non-Resident Account). They can also earn interest from this term deposit. Only a few foreign currencies are accepted as deposit in FCNR Fixed Deposit accounts. The list of currencies that are accepted are:
Euro
BP (British Pound)
USD (US Dollar)
AUD (Australian Dollar)
JPY (Japanese Yen)
CAD (Canadian Dollar)
These accounts are not savings accounts rather they are fixed deposits accounts.
FCNR term deposits rates
As per the SBI (State Bank of India) website the updated FCNR rates of interests on investing deposit in different currencies are:
PERIOD
GBP
USD
JPY
AUD
CAD
EURO
5 Years
1.90%
3.29%
0.05%
2.82%
2.45%
0.15%
4-5 Years
1.82%
3.25%
0.05%
2.70%
2.39%
0.10%
3-4 Years
1.71%
3.16%
0.05%
2.34%
2.31%
0.01%
2-3 Years
1.56%
3.04%
0.05%
2.14%
2.18%
0.01%
1-2 Years
1.34%
3.09%
0.02%
1.97%
2.04%
0.01%
1 Year
1.34%
3.09%
0.02%
1.94%
2.04%
0.01%
Some of the advantages of maintaining term deposits in FCNR are:
A deposit in an FCNR account is maintained in foreign currency which eliminates the problem of dealing with constant fluctuation of currency conversion rates.
The maturity term of these deposits ranges from 1 to 5 years.
The interest rates earned on these deposits are regulated by the RBI and are the same in all banks across the country although the rates of interest are generally higher than those provided by the countries wherein the NRI is residing.
How does an NRI or PIO transfer funds to an FCNR account?
In an FCNR account held by an NRI or PIO, money can only be deposited by overseas held funds. The different ways in which they can fund the account is:
The PIO or NRI can transfer funds from their overseas account to the FCNR account. This can be done via wire transfer, cheque transaction or online banking.
Funds can be transferred from an existing NRE account.
When an NRI or PIO visits the country, foreign currency notes or travelers cheques can be used to fund the FCNR account.
FCNR (Foreign Currency Non-Resident) account can be only be opened by a PIO or NRI.
As the name states, a Foreign Currency Non-Resident account can only be opened with foreign currencies which eliminates the risk of fluctuating conversion rates.
An interest is paid on the FCNR account. It is controlled by the RBI and is the same across all banks.
The FCNR is not a savings account but is a term deposit. The term should have a minimum maturity of 1 year and a maximum maturity period of 5 years.
This account also has a nomination facility. The nominee can be any NRI, PIO or resident Indian.
The NRI or PIO can even apply for a loan facility against an FCNR account but these loans can't be used for real-estate, agricultural activities, or re-lending.
The currency available in the account can be changed to another currency but the cost incurred due to the difference in the value of the currencies is to be beared by the account holder.
The interest earned on these accounts are completely tax free and so is the principal. Although these accounts are subjected to wealth tax.
Frequently asked questions
Can an FCNR holder transfer funds from a third party account? Â
Funds can be transferred from a third party account only if the person who sends money to the FCNR account and the person who receives the money from the account are the same.
What is the consequence when an FCNR account holder’s fixed deposit matures and he or she forgets about it?
In this case, most banks will automatically renew the fixed deposit account and the account holder will keep earning the interest on it although there is an option to stop the automatic renewal. The account holder can open the account with the bank under non-renewal mode and give additional instructions as to what the bank should do on maturity of the term deposit.
Can an NRI or PIO open an FCNR account as a joint account with another person who is a resident of India?
Yes, an NRI or PIO cannot open an FCNR account as a joint account with another person who Is a resident of India.
Is an FCNR account holder liable to protection against fluctuation in the value of the Indian currency?
Since any funds in an FCNR account are to be maintained in the respective foreign currency and conversions into Indian rupee is not allowed, FCNR account holders are not affected by fluctuation in the Indian currency.
Is interest earned on an FCNR account taxable?
No, interest earned on an FCNR account is not taxable.
Can loans related to an FCNR account be paid through local resources? Â
Yes, loans related to an FCNR account can be paid through local resources.
What happens to the FCNR account of the NRI when he or she returns to India?
For an NRI returning to India, he or she can wait till the time the FCNR account matures and then convert it into an RFC account. Â
Is there an exchange loss when a returning NRI transfers funds from an FCNR account to an RFC account?
No, there is no exchange loss when a returning NRI transfers funds from an FCNR account to an RFC account.
Can funds be withdrawn from the FCNR account before the deposit has matured?
Yes, a withdrawal is allowed from the FCNR account before the term has matured at the    discretion of the bank but there is a penalty charge levied for the withdrawal. For premature withdrawals concerning FCNR accounts, no interest is to be paid by the bank to the account holder and further money may be charged by the bank to cover swap costs.
Banks who were offered a swap facility from the RBI to attract foreign currency non-resident (FCNR-B) scheme in September 2013 will not get a similar facility if they decide to rollover the deposits when these mature later this year.
RBI governor Raghuram Rajan the country had attracted around $32 billion of deposits with two maturities over a period of about two months. There could be an impact on either liquidity or the forex markets. However RBI is prepared for such a change.
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I am doing Fixed Deposit with ICICI BANK and its been around 5years. They haven't been paying good interest and its more or less same like other banks as I used to hold my salary account with ICICI, I have decided to be with one bank. There is no locking period and its flexible. They do give good support and the app is user friendly. Even deposit account can be opened through i-mobile or net banking itself.
I had a Fixed Deposit in State Bank of India, I have completed the tenure before 3months ago. I have no issues with the customer service. They are given me 7% interest rate for 2years. There is no profit and processing fee. I got an online access, where I can check the interest rate anytime on the YONO app or else SBI online.
I have invested some money through FD. My salary account is in SBI so i have a zero ATM charges and the limit is not actually set by SBI. They do have short term FDs which is pretty good. I have invested the money of Rs. 60000 and the interest rate is 10.01% for the tenure period of 16 months. There is no lockin period. There is no hassle to getting the money back.
I have invested the money in Dena bank through Fixed deposit and the growth is not that much good. They are not taking any hidden charges. Only because of the Government undertaken bank, i have selected them. They are providing a interest rate of 6% per annum. I have invested the money of Rs. 2 lakhs. There is a lockin period of 1 year.
I have opt for fixed deposit for the tax saving purpose because I have chosen five years tenure with AXIS Bank, still its going on. Only once I Invested my money it has the locking period of five years. I have option to check my transactions through mobile app. But I have concern about the interest rate is very lesser for this FD.
I had fixed deposit with SBI then I withdrawn the amount, I done Rs. 3 lakhs of investment on my daughter name then I taken the liquidity to purchase the land, at the time I struggled a lot to take that money because the process was difficult to withdrawn the money after seven months of tenure.
I had a Fixed Deposit with Union Bank of India and its closed 18 to 19 months due to personal reasons. I am doing investment but my experience is not good with FD account. In my home town, there is no other banks so just decided to go with this bank. The returns are good.
I have one FD with HDFC, I deposited Rs. 1 lakh, I was opt for 45 days of tenure. Finally I got 6.25% of interest for 45 days. It won't cover the tax, if we need tax benefits we should go for five years term. I can track the details through netbanking, on the maturity date the amount credits automatically in the account. Even the notification can customized.
HSBC staff wrongly pre closed my fixed deposit .. and calculated the interest rates wrongly and when asked them for clarification never got back .. even after following up with them repeatedly for more than 3 months.. would highly recommend not using their services.
Was this review helpful?
4
A V kumar
, visakhapatnam
Reviewed on Aug 24, 2019
I do have a Fixed deposit account with SBI and it was carried out by Mom and even I have account for my daughter. Its still running and they have Google application separately to access online. The returns are good. I am doing monthly investment and it was opened quite a long may be 4 years.
I just opened a Fixed Deposit with ICICI BANK and have not done any survey on this. I am account holder with them so it was easy to do FD account even they are providing 7% interest rate. The process is very user friendly and never faced any hassle. I could access this account via online.
In post office rate of interest is higher for the fixed deposit when compared to the bank, I invested Rs. 5000 on monthly basis its comes in a year Rs. 60,000 after 5 years I got Rs. 3.75,000 I got Rs. 75,000 extra. The service is not comfortable if we have any relative who working there it would supportive or else difficult.
I have FD with SBI, I have opt for one year term there is no such limitation for depositing the money. The interest rate is good for the FD, the online banking is convenient to take liquidity. They resolve the queries on time. Its most safe and secured.
I have selected state bnak of indis fixed deposit amount 1 lakhs , Tenure 5 years and Rate of interest 8 percentage after renewal fixed deposit 6 percentage is very less .while document directly bank . Customer service is not good and responsive.
I activated FD account with Kotak, I have been maintaining this account since when I opened saving account, I converted Rs. 5000 for one year. They are providing interest around 7.6% per annum, the online netbanking and mobile app is very convenient for deposit to FD.
I have invested my FD with ICICI BANK and also have a 3in1 account with them. The interest rate is pretty good. Recently started before 6months, I can do premature withdrawal and also have selected a locking period of 3 years. The customer service is good and overall am satisfied with this bank.
My Post office branch is located in own campus hence there is no queue. I opened the fixed deposit, I made one time investment for five years its has tax exemption. They are providing 7% of interest for per annum. I believe it has online access as well.
Chosen my fixed deposit from State bank of India. I have invested the money of Rs. 57000 and SBI is a most popular bank all over the India and offering all the facilities compared to bank. Since i have a salary account with them, its easy to transfer the money. They are providing the interest rate of 6.5%.
Union of India fixed deposit is same as other investment. Being an existing customer I have opt for one year of fd, the online banking feature is good to open and closing the account, they was no charges for the liquidity of fund before the maturity.
Chosen my fixed deposit from state bank of India because the given rate of interest is high. They are not deducting any service charges. I have invested the money of Rs. 1 lakhs and there is no lockin period and i have chosen the plan for 1 year and they are giving a interest rate of 6.75%.
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