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How do I move from the US to India? Start by mapping each household member’s citizenship, US immigration status, Indian-origin or OCI eligibility, purpose and length of stay, employment or study plans, and dependents. Then secure the correct Indian visa or qualifying OCI status, build separate US and Indian tax calendars, confirm banking and remittance arrangements with an authorized bank, and plan baggage and shipments under current customs rules. A visa controls entry and permitted activities; tax residence is determined separately under US and Indian law.
1. Build a household status map before booking travel
There is no single “move to India” application for an entire family. Each traveler can have a different legal route. Create a spreadsheet for every person before you submit applications or sell property.
| Question to record | Why it changes the plan |
|---|---|
| Passport and citizenship | India’s visa and OCI rules are nationality- and document-specific. |
| US status | US citizenship, a green card, or another immigration status affects departure obligations and continuing US tax filing. |
| Indian ancestry or family connection | It may support an OCI application, but eligibility and exclusions must be checked against current Ministry of Home Affairs criteria. |
| Purpose of stay | Tourism, employment, study, business, family visits, and other activities use different permissions. |
| Expected duration and entries | Validity, permitted entries, and possible registration requirements depend on the granted visa and stay. |
| Employment, school, or dependents | A worker’s authorization does not automatically cover a spouse, child, or other dependent; each person needs the appropriate status. |
Keep copies of passports, prior Indian visas, birth and marriage records, name-change documents, proof of address, employment or school letters, and any Indian-origin records. Use a secure digital folder plus an offline copy. A travel document organizer is useful for the physical set you carry through airports and immigration counters.
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A foreign national generally needs a valid passport and one of three things: a regular visa, an eligible eVisa, or qualifying OCI status. Apply through the official Indian visa or OCI government portals and follow the instructions of the Indian Mission with jurisdiction over your US residence. Do not infer that a visa issued for one purpose allows another activity.
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Regular visas for longer or purpose-specific stays
The regular visa provisions include an employment-visa route and supporting employment documentation. If you will work for an Indian employer, perform an assignment, or otherwise conduct activity that requires work authorization, use the correct regular route and verify the employer, contract, qualification, salary, and document requirements with the responsible Indian Mission. An approval for entry as a visitor is not work authorization.
The Bureau of Immigration’s visa provisions state that registration is compulsory for a visa longer than 180 days. The exact obligation can also depend on the visa category and the conditions printed on your grant. Read the grant carefully and comply with any registration or reporting instruction rather than relying on a general travel blog.
eVisa: convenient categories with a critical work restriction
India’s eVisa portal lists limited categories and states that employment is not allowed on an eVisa. Do not use an eVisa to take a job, work for an Indian entity, or carry out activity that requires an employment visa. If your purpose changes after arrival, obtain authoritative advice before undertaking the new activity; leaving and reapplying may be necessary.
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OCI: a long-term status for some people of Indian origin
Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is a distinct immigration status, not Indian citizenship. Review the Ministry of Home Affairs eligibility, exclusions, application process, and miscellaneous-services requirements as they stand when you apply. Indian ancestry, an Indian-born parent or grandparent, or marriage to an Indian citizen does not by itself guarantee eligibility; the current criteria and documentary proof control.
- An OCI holder does not receive an Indian passport.
- OCI does not confer voting rights or eligibility for Indian government employment.
- Specified activities and benefits remain subject to OCI rules, notifications, and any registration or reporting conditions.
- Carry the foreign passport and OCI record as required for travel, and check validity and name details before departure.
US State Department country information also describes OCI as limited status rather than citizenship. Treat an OCI card as permission with defined privileges, not as a substitute for a passport or an unrestricted work permit.
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Compare routes before applying
| Route | Best fit | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Regular visa | Purpose-specific stays such as employment or other activities not covered by eVisa categories | Purpose, documents, validity, entries, permitted activity, and any registration condition |
| eVisa | Eligible limited categories described on the official eVisa portal | Category scope, validity, entry rules, and the explicit prohibition on employment |
| OCI | Eligible people of Indian origin seeking the privileges defined by OCI rules | Eligibility, exclusions, documents, passport requirements, and limits on citizenship-like rights |
3. Make a tax calendar for both countries
Moving your body and moving your tax residence are different events. A US citizen or US resident alien generally continues to file US income-tax returns on worldwide income while living in India. Departure does not cancel that obligation. India applies its own residence tests for the relevant tax year, so you can be resident under one country’s rules, both countries’ rules, or neither in a particular period.
US filing and foreign-income provisions
Track the dates you leave and enter the US, where you work, where your home is available, and where your family lives. Keep pay statements, equity-compensation records, business books, retirement-account statements, foreign tax receipts, and evidence of housing costs.
The Internal Revenue Service says the foreign earned income exclusion and foreign housing provisions require a foreign tax home and satisfaction of a qualifying residence or physical-presence test. The tests are not automatic. As the IRS explains in its “Foreign earned income exclusion – bona fide residence test” guidance: “You do not automatically acquire bona fide resident status merely by living in a foreign country or countries for one year.” Bona fide residence is fact-specific, while the physical-presence route depends on documented days outside the US. Establishing an Indian home alone does not prove either test.
Foreign income tax paid may potentially qualify for a US foreign tax credit or, in some circumstances, a deduction under US rules. The choice depends on the income, tax, source, and filing facts. Ask a qualified adviser before claiming an exclusion or credit, particularly if you have stock compensation, a private business, rental property, retirement accounts, trusts, or a green card.
Indian residence: count days under the correct year’s law
India’s Income Tax Department describes a principal test of 182 days in India during the relevant tax year. It also describes a 60-days-in-the-year plus 365-days-in-the-preceding-four-years test. Exceptions and modified thresholds apply to specified Indian citizens and people of Indian origin, so a day count without your status and circumstances can be misleading.
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Use the law that applies to the tax year. The Income Tax Department states that the Income Tax Act, 2025 applies to tax years beginning on or after 1 April 2026; earlier tax years remain governed by the Income Tax Act, 1961. Label your travel log with the tax year, not just the calendar year, and preserve boarding passes or other reliable travel records. The 182-day and 60-plus-365 figures are legal thresholds, not estimates of how long a typical mover stays.
Run a dual-country tax checklist
- Record every day physically present in India and the US, including partial travel days according to the method your adviser uses.
- Identify your US citizenship, green-card, or resident-alien status for each filing year.
- Apply the Indian residence test for that year, including any Indian-citizen or person-of-Indian-origin exception.
- Map each income item to its payer, work location, source, and tax withheld.
- Collect foreign tax payment evidence before filing a US credit claim.
- Ask for advice on equity awards, business income, property sales, retirement plans, and any period in which both countries treat you as resident.
4. Prepare banking, accounts, and transfers
Do not close US accounts or send your life savings until you know how your status affects account eligibility, reporting, currency conversion, and permitted transfers. RBI and FEMA rules can differ by account type and customer status; an official remittance notification does not create one universal plan for every relocating person.
Questions for an authorized Indian bank
- Which account type is available to a nonresident, returning Indian, OCI holder, or new resident in your circumstances?
- Which credits and debits are permitted, and when must the account be redesignated after a change of status?
- What identity, address, tax-residency, and source-of-funds documents are required?
- What transfer limits, intermediary-bank charges, exchange-rate spreads, and settlement times apply?
- Which US reporting forms or Indian tax records will be needed for interest, investments, or remittances?
Obtain written instructions from the bank and keep wire confirmations, exchange-rate records, sale documents, loan statements, and evidence of tax paid. Separate recurring living transfers from a one-time asset transfer so that you can explain the source and purpose of each payment. Never assume that an account designed for one residency category remains correct after you become resident in India.
Stage your cash flow
- Maintain enough US liquidity for final rent, insurance, tax payments, and unexpected travel.
- Open or confirm the Indian account before sending a large transfer, subject to the bank’s onboarding and verification.
- Send a test transfer, confirm the credited amount and beneficiary details, then schedule larger transfers.
- Archive statements from both institutions and reconcile fees, conversion rates, and tax withholding.
5. Decide what travels as baggage and what ships
Checked baggage and a commercial household-goods shipment are different customs situations. Make two inventories: one for luggage you accompany and one for goods packed by a mover. Include serial numbers and estimated values for electronics, jewelry, cameras, computers, and other high-value items. Photograph valuable goods and keep purchase records where available.
Use current customs rules, not a blanket duty-free assumption
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) publishes international-traveler resources and a 2026 Baggage Rules guide. Review the rules that apply to your traveler category, arrival, item type, value, and documentation. Household effects are not automatically duty free simply because you are relocating from the US. The treatment of accompanied baggage, unaccompanied baggage, and a freight shipment can differ.
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CBIC’s ATITHI tool supports traveler declarations, but it is not a substitute for resolving a shipment’s classification, valuation, or documentation with customs and the carrier. Ask the mover for written terms covering:
- packing method and inventory responsibility;
- marine or transit insurance, exclusions, and claims deadlines;
- origin pickup, port or airport handling, customs documentation, storage, and destination delivery;
- what happens if customs asks for an invoice, permit, or physical inspection; and
- demurrage, storage, redelivery, and cancellation charges.
Remove prohibited or restricted items before packing. For prescription medicines, food, plants, animal products, weapons, and unusually valuable goods, obtain category-specific guidance rather than relying on a mover’s informal assurance.
6. Follow a practical timeline
Six to twelve months before departure
- Complete the household status matrix and decide whether each person needs a regular visa, eligible eVisa, or OCI.
- Check passport validity, blank pages, name consistency, and civil documents.
- Ask an Indian Mission, the official visa portal, or the MHA OCI process about current requirements.
- Discuss tax residence, equity compensation, property, retirement accounts, and business arrangements with advisers in both countries.
- Get bank guidance before changing account registrations or moving investments.
- Obtain mover quotations that distinguish baggage from a household shipment.
One to three months before departure
- Submit applications with scans that meet the portal’s specifications and retain application numbers and receipts.
- Confirm employment or school documentation and dependent applications.
- Choose what to sell, donate, carry, store, or ship; finalize a numbered inventory.
- Arrange insurance, prescriptions, medical records, school records, powers of attorney, and document backups.
- Set up a travel document organizer containing passports, visas, OCI records, supporting letters, and customs paperwork.
Departure week
- Carry original passports and status documents in hand luggage, not in the shipment.
- Download account statements, tax records, insurance certificates, and mover contacts for offline access.
- Photograph luggage and sealed boxes, record serial numbers, and retain the signed inventory.
- Leave enough US funds and phone access for final bills, tax notices, and two-factor authentication.
Within 72 hours before arrival
The Indian Bureau of Immigration portal says foreign nationals and OCI holders can submit an e-Arrival Card within 72 hours before arrival. The e-Arrival Card is arrival information, not a visa. Verify the current requirement on the official portal and complete it with the passport details used for travel.
At arrival and after landing
- Present the passport and the visa or OCI record that matches the traveler and purpose.
- Declare goods when required and keep the customs acknowledgement with your shipment papers.
- Complete any registration or reporting required by the visa grant; a visa longer than 180 days is identified in the visa provisions as requiring registration, subject to the applicable conditions.
- Store scans of entry records, passport stamps, visa pages, OCI documents, bank confirmations, and customs receipts.
- Start the Indian day-count log on the date you enter and update it for every trip.
7. Common planning errors and how to prevent them
Using the easiest-looking visa for the wrong activity
An eVisa may be convenient, but the official FAQ says employment is not allowed. Match the purpose to the category before buying a ticket or signing an employment start date.
Assuming OCI equals citizenship
OCI is not an Indian passport, does not provide voting rights or Indian government employment rights, and depends on eligibility and continuing documentation. Confirm the limits before making citizenship or employment plans.
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Stopping US tax filings after leaving
US citizens and resident aliens generally remain subject to US worldwide-income rules abroad. Keep filing calendars and tax records even when all current work is performed in India.
Counting days without identifying the tax year
The 182-day and 60-plus-365 tests must be applied with their exceptions and the law in force for that tax year. The 1 April 2026 transition to the Income Tax Act, 2025 makes year labeling especially important.
Promising duty-free entry for every household item
Customs treatment depends on the route, item, value, traveler category, and current rules. Obtain a written, itemized answer for unusual or high-value goods instead of relying on a general relocation allowance.
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Account designations and permitted transactions can change with residency. Have the receiving bank confirm the account and documentation first, then retain a complete transfer trail.
8. A compact decision framework
| Decision | Evidence to gather | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Entry permission | Passport, purpose, duration, employment or study letter, Indian-origin documents | Apply for the matching regular visa, eligible eVisa, or OCI through the official authority. |
| US tax position | Citizenship or green-card status, travel log, income and foreign-tax records | Maintain US filing and evaluate exclusion or credit rules with their required tests. |
| Indian tax position | India day count, citizenship or Indian-origin status, tax year | Apply the relevant 1961 Act or 2025 Act rule and its exceptions. |
| Money movement | Account status, source-of-funds records, transfer purpose, bank instructions | Use the account and remittance path confirmed by an authorized bank. |
| Belongings | Itemized inventory, values, route, insurance, customs documents | Separate baggage from shipment and check current CBIC treatment. |
| Arrival compliance | Visa grant, OCI record, e-Arrival Card requirement, entry records | Submit arrival information when required and complete any registration or reporting. |
9. What to keep in your permanent relocation file
- Current and expired passports, visas, OCI records, and application receipts.
- Birth, marriage, divorce, adoption, and name-change documents used to prove relationships.
- Employment, school, housing, insurance, and medical records.
- US returns, Indian returns, withholding certificates, foreign-tax receipts, and day-count logs.
- Bank onboarding records, transfer confirmations, statements, and source-of-funds evidence.
- Inventories, invoices, insurance certificates, bills of lading, customs declarations, and delivery records.
- Emergency contacts for the Indian Mission, banks, insurer, mover, employer, school, and medical providers.
The safest plan is conditional rather than generic: secure permission for the activity you will actually perform, calculate each country’s tax position for the correct year, obtain bank and customs instructions for your own facts, and keep an auditable record from departure through arrival.
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