How Much USD Can I Carry From India?

Are you wondering how many US dollars you can carry from India without facing any restrictions? Perhaps you're curious if there's a limit to much cash you can carry on an international flight.

Fortunately for you, you're generally quite free to carry as much USD (or another foreign currency) as you like from India. However, you should be mindful that, in some instances, you may be required to declare the cash upon arriving at your destination.

In this guide, we answer the question of how many dollars you can carry from India, the alternatives to carrying cash when travelling abroad like the BookMyForex Travel Card, and what the declaration requirements are in the US, Canada, and the UK.

How Many Dollars Can I Carry From India?

Strictly speaking, there's no limit to the amount of US dollars you can carry into, or out of, India. There is one catch, however — all foreign exchange exceeding $5,000 in cash or $10,000 in cash and traveller's checks combined will need to have been declared in India.

Because in order to carry USD out of India, the cash forex will need to have been brought into the country at some stage, the customs rules apply here still. Here's how the RBI puts it when it comes to bringing foreign banknotes into India:

"You can bring into India foreign exchange without any limit. If, however, the value of foreign currency in cash exceeds US$ 5,000 and/or the cash plus TCs exceed US$ 10,000 it should be declared to the customs authorities at the airport in the currency declaration form (CDF), on arrival in India."

However, if you're travelling out of India with cash forex exceeding this amount, it'll presumably have been declared already, meaning India's customs requirements shouldn't affect you in the end.

On the other hand, though, foreign exchange requirements in your destination country could require that the USD (or other foreign currency) that you carry from India will have to be declared on arrival. A few notable countries to which this applies include:

Finally, it's also worth noting that declaring forex is generally quite easy (more on this later). This means that the declaration-free limit isn't a huge restriction in the end, and for all intents and purposes, you're largely free to carry any amount of USD out of India.

How Much USD Can I Carry From India to the USA?

When traveling from India to the USA, there are some important rules about the amount of USD you can carry. If you are bringing currency or monetary instruments totaling more than $10,000, you need to declare it on the Customs Declaration Form (CBP Form 6059B) when you arrive in the United States.

Additionally, you'll have to file a FinCEN Form 105 to comply with the legal requirements. Law enforcement at the federal, state, local, and international level collect this information under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) to fight against money laundering.

Alternatives To Carrying Cash From India

If you'd like to avoid taking stacks of cash forex with you when leaving India, a great alternative is to use a forex card.

Unlike debit and credit cards, forex cards are prepaid cards, meaning you need to load a balance onto them in order to spend. However, they're usually far cheaper to use abroad than debit and credit cards are because they're specialised for overseas spending. Furthermore, because they're PIN-protected, they're also significantly safer than cash.

In India, forex cards are offered at most banks and specialist forex companies and come in two kinds:

1. Single-currency forex card: A prepaid card with a single balance in a desired foreign currency.
2. Multi-currency forex card: A prepaid card with multiple balances in many (up to 22+) different foreign currencies.

In this section, we'll be talking about multi-currency forex cards, but the same principles apply to single-currency forex cards too. Here are some of the key features of multi-currency forex cards:

• Low issuance, cash withdrawal, and reload costs;
• Currency conversion costs can be dodged when spending abroad;
• Comes with global customer support;
• Some cards come with reward points and airport lounge access.

Still, carrying some cash with you could make sense in some instances because it's useful to spend in cash over a card or to use a combination of both in many countries. The good news is that forex cards can help here, too, as many allow low-cost ATM withdrawals from foreign networks overseas.

You can check to see if your bank offers a forex card (most Indian banks do), but the ones we've compared in the table below are the best value-for-money according to our research.

Finally, if you (or somebody you know) lives in the UK, US, or Europe, then the Wise Multi-Currency Account is by far the cheapest forex card for use in dozens of countries across the globe and comes equipped with bank details in several countries too. (Sadly, this product isn't yet available to Indian residents at the time of writing.)

Is There Any Cash Declaration Form in Case I Carry USD From India?

Whether you choose to use a forex card or not, if you decide to carry dollars from India, you may need to declare the cash on arrival in your destination country.

How Much Money Can We Carry in International Flights From India?

The Reserve Bank of India states that Indians travelling abroad cannot take Indian currency notes (Indian rupees) over Rs. 25,000. In addition, as per the list we saw earlier, if you're carrying in more than the declaration-free limit, you'll need to follow the following declaration procedures:

• United States: You'll be required to complete a FinCEN Form 105, which can be printed and completed by hand here or filled in electronically by answering the questions here.
• Canada: Upon arriving in Canada, you'll be required to declare your cash at customs (e.g. with a border services officer or at an inspection kiosk). You can also complete a CBSA Declaration Card, although this isn't mandatory if you plan to speak to somebody at customs.
• United Kingdom: At customs, follow the Goods to Declare or Red Channel signs and notify a customs officer that you wish to declare cash.