Laws and sections by number or title, due dates, pages, and updates.
Foreign entities establish branch offices, liaison offices, or project offices in India through designated Authorised Dealer Category-I banks or the Reserve Bank of India. The applicant entity must satisfy specific financial track record and net worth criteria, or submit a letter of comfort from a parent company. Designated banks process applications, perform due diligence, and obtain unique identification numbers before issuing approvals. Offices must submit annual activity certificates, register with local police authorities when applicable, and comply with permitted activity scopes. The framework sets clear rules for opening bank accounts, remitting profits or surplus funds, transferring assets, and closing operations.
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Ask about this master direction
RBI/FED/2015-16/6
FED Master Direction No.10/2015-16
January 01, 2016
(
Updated as on May 18, 2021
)
(
Updated as on March 29, 2019
)
(
Updated as on February 28, 2019
)
(
Updated as on May 10, 2018
)
(Updated as on May 17, 2016)
To,
All Authorised Dealer Category – I banks
Dear Madam / Sir,
Master Direction - Establishment of Branch Office (BO)/ Liaison Office (LO)/ Project
Office (PO) or any other place of business in India by foreign entities
Establishment of branch office/ liaison office / project office or any other place of business in India by foreign entities is regulated in terms of Section 6(6) of Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 read with 1 Notification No. FEMA 22(R)/2016-RB dated March 31, 2016. These Regulations are amended from time to time to incorporate the changes in the regulatory framework and published through amendment notifications.
Within the contours of the Regulations, Reserve Bank of India also issues directions to Authorised Persons under Section 11 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999. These directions lay down the modalities as to how the foreign exchange business has to be conducted by the Authorised Persons with their customers/constituents with a view to implementing the regulations framed.
This Master Direction consolidates the existing instructions on the subject of “Establishment of branch office/ liaison office / project office or any other place of business in India by foreign entities” at one place. Reporting instructions can be found in Master Direction on reporting (Master Direction No. 18 dated January 1, 2016).
It may be noted that, whenever necessary, Reserve Bank shall issue directions to Authorised Persons through A.P. (DIR Series) Circulars in regard to any change in the Regulations or the manner in which relative transactions are to be conducted by the Authorised Persons with their customers/ constituents. The Master Direction issued herewith shall be amended suitably simultaneously.
Yours faithfully,
(Ravinder Singh Amar)
Chief General Manager
INDEX
| Sr. No | Contents |
|---|---|
| 1. | General criteria |
| 2. | Procedure for applying |
| 3. | Opening of bank account by BO/LO/PO |
| 4. | Annual Activity Certificate by BO/LO/PO |
| 5. | Extension of validity period of the approval of LO and PO |
| 6. | Registration with police authorities |
| 7. | Application for additional offices and activities |
| 8. | Extension of fund and non-fund based facilities |
| 9. | Remittance of profit/surplus |
| 10. | Closure of BO/LO/PO |
| 11. | Transfer of assets of BO/LO/PO |
| 12. | Guidance note for the AD Category-I bank |
| 13. | Annex A- Format of the Letter of Comfort |
| 14. | Annex B- Form FNC |
| 15. | Annex C- Permitted activities for a branch office and liaison office in India of a person resident outside India |
| 16. | Appendix |
Master Direction - Establishment of Branch Office (BO) / Liaison Office (LO) / Project Office (PO) in India by foreign entities
i. Applications from foreign companies (a body corporate incorporated outside India, including a firm or other association of individuals) for establishing BO/ LO/ PO in India shall be considered by the AD Category-I bank as per the guidelines given by Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
ii. An application from a person resident outside India for opening of a BO/LO/PO in India shall require prior approval of Reserve Bank of India and shall be forwarded by the AD Category-I bank to the General Manager, Reserve Bank of India, Central Office Cell, Foreign Exchange Department, 6, Sansad Marg, New Delhi - 110 001 who shall process the applications in consultation with the Government of India, in the following cases:
(a) The applicant is a citizen of or is registered/incorporated in Pakistan;
(b) The applicant is a citizen of or is registered/incorporated in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran, China, Hong Kong or Macau and the application is for opening a BO/LO/PO in Jammu and Kashmir, North East region and Andaman and Nicobar Islands;
(c) 2 The principal business of the applicant falls in the four sectors namely Defence, Telecom, Private Security and Information and Broadcasting.
However, prior approval of Reserve Bank of India shall not be required in cases where Government approval or license/permission by the concerned Ministry/Regulator has already been granted. Further, in the case of proposal for opening a PO relating to defence sector, no separate reference or approval of Government of India shall be required if the said non-resident applicant has been awarded a contract by/ entered into an agreement with Ministry of Defence or Service Headquarters or Defence Public Sector Undertakings.
The term “permission” used in the Government of India Notification dated January 21, 2019 does not include general permission, if any, available under Foreign Direct Investment in the automatic route, in respect of the above four sectors.
(d) The applicant is a Non-Government Organisation (NGO), Non-Profit Organisation, Body/ Agency/ Department of a foreign government. However, if such entity is engaged, partly or wholly, in any of the activities covered under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA), they shall obtain a certificate of registration under the said Act and shall not seek permission under FEMA 22(R) 3.
iii. The non-resident entity applying for a BO/LO in India should have a financially sound track record viz:
For Branch Office — a profit making track record during the immediately preceding five financial years in the home country and net worth of not less than USD 100,000 or its equivalent.
Net Worth [total of paid-up capital and free reserves, less intangible assets as per the latest Audited Balance Sheet or Account Statement certified by a Certified Public Accountant or any Registered Accounts Practitioner by whatever name called].
For Liaison Office — a profit making track record during the immediately preceding three financial years in the home country and net worth of not less than USD 50,000 or its equivalent.
iv. An applicant that is not financially sound and is a subsidiary of another company may submit a Letter of Comfort (LOC) (Annex A) from its parent/ group company, subject to the condition that the parent/ group company satisfies the prescribed criteria for net worth and profit.
i. The application for establishing BO / LO/ PO in India may be submitted by the non-resident entity in Form FNC (Annex B) to a designated AD Category - I bank (i.e. an AD Category – I bank identified by the applicant with whom they intend to pursue banking relations) along with the prescribed documents mentioned in the Form and the LOC, wherever applicable. The AD Category-I bank shall after exercising due diligence in respect of the applicant’s background, and satisfying itself as regards adherence to the eligibility criteria for establishing BO/LO/PO, antecedents of the promoter, nature and location of activity of the applicant, sources of funds, etc., and compliance with the extant KYC norms grant approval to the foreign entity for establishing BO/LO/PO in India. The AD Category-I banks may frame appropriate policy for dealing with these applications in conformity with the FEMA Regulations and Directions.
ii. However, before issuing the approval letter to the applicant, the AD Category-I bank shall forward a copy of the Form FNC along with the details of the approval proposed to be granted by it to the General Manager, Reserve Bank of India, CO Cell, New Delhi, for allotment of Unique Identification Number (UIN) to each BO/LO. After receipt of the UIN from the Reserve Bank, the AD Category-I bank shall issue the approval letter to the non-resident entity for establishing BO/LO in India. This is in order to enable the Reserve Bank to keep, maintain and upload up-to-date list of all foreign entities which have been granted permission for establishing BO/LO in India, on its website.
