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India has a wide range of well-networked Banks in almost all cities and towns. There are national as well as multi-national banks that provide facilities such as ATMs, telebanking and netbanking.

A foreign national desirous of opening an account in a bank must follow the eligibility norms as laid by the Reserve Bank of India.

Eligibility - One needs to be a foreign national temporarily residing in India, on account of his employment / profession, and holding a valid foreign passport. In addition, one must hold a valid business / employment visa and an employer's certificate / approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in case he is self employed.

Type of Account - As an individual one can open a Rupee Savings or Time Deposit Account.

Form QA 22 - Form QA 22 is a declaration of all sources of deposit to the account. As per RBI guidelines, form QA 22 needs to by duly completed by all persons authorized to operate the account.

The following need not complete form QA 22:

a. Officials of Foreign Embassies, Consulates, Trade Representations, Other Foreign Government Establishments and the UNO in India b. Foreign nationals of non-Indian origin permanently resident in India c. Foreign nationals of Indian origin other than those residing in India for employment of specified duration d. Foreign born wives of Indian nationals and of persons of Indian origin resident in India

Remittances Account - For salaried employees, recurring outward remittances up to 75% of net salary, for family maintenance, etc. are permitted from the account. Self employed professionals and personnel of foreign diplomatic mission in India can also remit funds but need approval from the RBI.

Closure - On closure of the account, funds can be given to the person in Indian Rupees or remitted overseas with prior approval from the RBI.

If one ceases to be a resident of India, but still wishes to keep the account open, it will be maintained as an ordinary non-resident Rupee (NRO) account.

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