How to Invest Through GIFT City Step by Step
There is no single investment route for everyone. Your route depends first on whether you are a Resident Indian, NRI/OCI, foreign investor or institution and second on the product you want to access.
Resident Indian
Resident individuals can use RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) for permitted current and capital account transactions. The LRS limit is USD 250,000 per resident individual per financial year, subject to applicable FEMA rules. RBI's July 2024 circular expanded IFSC use: authorised persons may facilitate LRS remittances for permissible IFSC financial services/products and for permissible transactions in other foreign jurisdictions through a Foreign Currency Account (FCA) held in IFSC.
Simple flow: Resident Indian → LRS → authorised bank → IFSC Foreign Currency Account / permitted fund route → eligible IFSC financial product.
Resident Indian checklist
- Check how much of your USD 250,000 annual LRS limit has already been used.
- Confirm that the intended transaction/product is permitted.
- Use the authorised banking route and required LRS declaration/Form A2 process.
- Check whether an IFSC FCA is required/useful for the selected route.
- Check TCS cash-flow implications under the current Income-tax rules.
- Check product minimum, currency, fees, liquidity and risk.
- Retain remittance, allotment and tax records.
Compiled from official material published by RBI Remittances to IFSCs under LRS, 10 July 2024, RBI Master Direction, Liberalised Remittance Scheme. Figures carry the period stated by the publishing authority. Always verify current requirements before acting.
NRI / OCI
NRIs/OCIs are not using the resident-individual LRS route simply because they are investing from abroad. Their onboarding generally starts with the FME/fund's eligibility rules, KYC/AML/FATCA/CRS checks and the permitted subscription bank route. For India-focused IFSC funds, IFSCA has specifically facilitated NRI/OCI participation through IFSC-based FPI structures.
Simple flow: NRI / OCI → eligible IFSC fund → KYC & tax declarations → permitted foreign-currency remittance → unit allotment → ongoing tracking.
Compiled from official material published by IFSCA NRI/OCI facilitation circular facilitating investments by NRIs and OCIs into Indian securities through schemes or funds in an IFSC (2 May 2024). Figures carry the period stated by the publishing authority. Always verify current requirements before acting.
TCS for Resident Indians understand it as cash flow, not investment cost
For LRS remittances other than specified education/medical categories, the Income Tax Department's 2026 TCS guidance shows a 20% standard TCS rate, with the LRS threshold having been raised to ₹10 lakh. TCS is tax collected at source and is generally available as tax credit/adjustment subject to the taxpayer's circumstances; it should not be described as a fund fee. Because tax law changes, GIFTCity360 shows the current threshold/rate with a verification date rather than hard-coding it permanently.
Compiled from official material published by Income Tax Department Tax Collection at Source (2026). Figures carry the period stated by the publishing authority. Always verify current requirements before acting.
The universal 8-step process
Resident Indian, NRI, OCI, foreign individual, family office or institution.
India equity, global feeder, private credit, alternatives, venture/private equity, real estate/infrastructure, multi-asset, etc.
Does the fund accept your investor type and country? Is it retail or restricted? Are there U.S./Canada or other country restrictions?
Use the latest offer/placement document. Do not infer the minimum from the strategy name.
Management/performance fees, dealing frequency, lock-in, redemption notice, gates, currency, benchmark and risk.
KYC, AML, FATCA/CRS, source-of-funds and subscription documents as required.
Resident Indians: LRS/FCA where applicable. NRIs/foreign investors: the FME-specified cross-border bank route.
Store allotment confirmation; monitor NAV, holdings, notices, performance methodology and redemption rules.
What should I compare before investing?
- Investment objective and actual portfolio mandate
- Inbound vs outbound/global exposure
- Fund structure and regulatory category
- FME / investment manager
- Minimum investment and additional-subscription minimum
- Base/dealing currency
- NAV frequency and valuation policy
- Benchmark and performance period
- Fees and expenses
- Liquidity, lock-in, redemption notice and gates
- Portfolio holdings / concentration / geography / sectors
- Tax treatment relevant to your status and country
- Official documents and last-updated date
How-to-Invest FAQs
Do I need a GIFT City bank account?
Not in every case. Resident Indians can open an IFSC FCA for permissible LRS purposes; the actual fund subscription route depends on the FME and bank.
Can I invest directly from India?
Resident individuals can remit for permitted IFSC financial products under LRS, subject to the USD 250,000 annual limit and applicable rules.
Can NRIs use LRS?
LRS is a resident-individual scheme. An NRI investing from abroad generally follows the fund's non-resident onboarding/remittance route.
How long does onboarding take?
There is no universal timeline. It depends on KYC completeness, bank/FME checks and the fund's dealing cycle.
Where do I see all available funds?
Use GIFTCity360 Marketplace for the broad universe and Funds for products with deeper tracked data.
Where to look next
Explore GIFT City Funds
Browse every live IFSC fund NAV, strategy, currency, minimum and documents.
Browse the Marketplace
Asset managers and schemes operating out of GIFT IFSC, grouped by strategy.
NRI / OCI Investing
Eligibility, documents, minimums, US NRI warnings and the 7-step journey.
GIFT City Taxation
How returns are taxed by vehicle and by where the investor is resident.
Educational summary only. Fund terms, tax positions, LRS limits and regulatory requirements change read the offer document and consult a qualified adviser before investing.