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Indian exporters should arrange foreign payments through a route their Authorised Dealer (AD) bank confirms is permitted for the destination country, transaction type and currency. Before accepting payment, agree how the bank will identify the export and handle any third-party payer; after funds arrive, reconcile the credit with the export records and check the applicable reporting status. Do not rely on an older export-payment deadline without confirming the current rule with the AD bank: RBI’s 2025 directions say they supersede earlier Master Directions, but the displayed issuance date is incomplete.

How do I receive foreign payments as an Indian exporter?

Start with your AD bank—the bank authorised to handle the relevant foreign-exchange transaction. The permitted receipt route depends on factors including the destination country, transaction type, currency and payment arrangement. RBI’s Foreign Exchange Management (Manner of Receipt and Payment) Regulations, 2016, amended through March 4, 2020, provide for receipts in freely convertible currency and certain rupee mechanisms. They also contain special treatment or restrictions for specified cases, including ACU countries, Nepal and Bhutan. A payment in rupees is not automatically acceptable just because the buyer is abroad.

  1. Before invoicing, ask the AD bank to confirm the route. Give it the destination country, whether the export is goods, software or services, the invoiced and expected settlement currencies, and the proposed payment method. Ask whether an online payment gateway or another intermediary is acceptable for that transaction.
  2. Make the payment instructions match the transaction. Keep the contract and invoice clear about the buyer, invoiced currency, payment instructions, any third-party payer and who bears fees. Consistent records help the bank match the incoming credit to the export.
  3. Ask about costs and conversion before choosing. Request the provider’s current bank and intermediary charges, foreign-exchange spread and conversion timing. These terms vary by provider; the RBI materials cited here do not establish which route is cheapest or fastest.
  4. Confirm how the receipt will be recorded. Ask what documents the bank needs to identify the invoice and what current steps apply to the export reporting record and any eBRC.

If a gateway collects the money, confirm the complete flow with the AD bank rather than assuming that the gateway alone settles the export-compliance requirements. The older RBI Master Direction refers to a separate RBI notification for export-related gateway receipts; verify the current requirements for the gateway and transaction.

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Can the buyer’s parent company or another third party pay?

Not automatically, but the payer does not always have to be the buyer. RBI directions allow AD banks to permit third-party receipts for exports of goods and software, subject to the applicable conditions. The exporter must declare third-party proceeds in the appropriate export declaration. This is not a blanket approval for every payer, transaction or export type.

  • Before accepting payment, tell the AD bank who will send the funds and how that party relates to the buyer.
  • Ask which supporting documents and declaration details the bank requires for this transaction.
  • Keep the invoice, contract, payer details and remittance information consistent enough to explain why the funds came from someone other than the buyer.

What should I do when the money arrives?

Keep the bank credit advice and remittance details, then match the receipt to the export. Check the amount, currency and payer against the invoice and contract, and account for any deductions. Retain the shipping or service records and relevant export declaration alongside the payment evidence. If there is a mismatch or an unexpected payer, contact the AD bank and provide the explanation and documents it requests.

What is EDPMS?

EDPMS is the RBI export monitoring system used for export-realisation records and follow-up on export bills. The older RBI Master Direction assigns AD banks a role in updating realisation data in EDPMS and monitoring outstanding export bills. Ask your bank how the current process applies to your export and check that the receipt is associated with the correct transaction.

What is eBRC, and how do I get it?

An eBRC is an electronic Bank Realisation Certificate associated with export proceeds. Under the older RBI Master Direction, AD banks generate eBRC using EDPMS data. Reconcile the eBRC record with the export and receipt details, and ask the AD bank about any missing or incorrect entry. Because RBI’s 2025 directions say they supersede earlier Master Directions, confirm the current process with your bank rather than treating the older workflow as definitive.

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How long do I have to receive export payment in India?

The current deadline cannot safely be stated from the available RBI text alone. The older RBI Master Direction states nine months from export for general proceeds and fifteen months from shipment for goods sent to an overseas warehouse. RBI’s 2025 Export and Import of Goods and Services directions page says it supersedes earlier Master Directions and takes effect on the first day after nine months from issuance, but the displayed issuance date is incomplete (“XX April XX, 2025”). That prevents confirming the effective date from the page text and does not establish which deadline applies to a particular export now.

Before relying on either historical period, ask your AD bank to confirm the operative rule for the export type, shipment or export date, and transaction circumstances. Do this early enough to act before the bank’s applicable deadline.

What if payment is late, short, or disputed?

Contact the AD bank before the applicable realization deadline. Explain what is outstanding or disputed and ask whether the matter requires an extension, write-off, adjustment or referral to RBI. Do not assume an older extension procedure remains available under the current directions.

Prepare the relevant records so the bank can assess and reconcile the case:

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  • the invoice and contract, including payment and fee terms;
  • the export declaration, shipping records or service-delivery records, as applicable;
  • buyer correspondence explaining the delay, dispute, deduction or part-payment;
  • bank credit advice and remittance details for any amount already received; and
  • a written account of the amount still due and why the receipt is late or short.

The older RBI Master Direction describes extensions of up to six months at a time subject to conditions and EDPMS reporting, as well as RBI approval for cases outside delegated conditions. Those are historical provisions, not a safe statement of the current procedure: ask the AD bank to check the applicable 2025 directions and explain the steps for your case.

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What to compare when choosing a payment route

When more than one route is genuinely available, compare the practical and compliance consequences rather than choosing on an unverified claim of speed or low cost.

  • Eligibility: whether the destination country, transaction type and currency are covered by the route.
  • Settlement: how the invoice currency relates to the currency received and converted.
  • Payment path: which bank or intermediary handles the funds and whether the named payer is the buyer or a third party.
  • Records: what declarations and documents are needed, and how the credit will be matched to EDPMS and eBRC records under the current process.
  • Costs: bank charges, intermediary deductions, foreign-exchange spread and conversion timing, confirmed directly with the provider.
  • Exceptions: how partial payments, refunds and disputes are handled.

For a transaction-specific decision—especially a third-party receipt, overdue bill or short realization—use the AD bank handling the export as the first point of confirmation.

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