Asia · South Asia
India
There is no Indian golden visa and there is no Indian dual citizenship — OCI is a lifelong visa dressed in the language of citizenship, and the distinction has cost families their Indian status.
Tax position
- Income tax (top)
- 30% plus surcharge and 4% cess — an effective top rate of roughly 39% under the new regime (the surcharge was capped at 25% rather than 37% under the new regime, reducing the old ~42.7% peak)
- Capital gains
- 12.5% long-term on most assets and 20% short-term on listed equity (rates restructured in the July 2024 Budget, with indexation withdrawn for most assets); an exemption applies to the first INR 1.25 lakh of listed equity LTCG
- Wealth tax
- none — abolished in 2015
- Inheritance tax
- none — estate duty abolished in 1985. Periodically rumoured to return; nothing enacted
- Special regime
- Residents but Not Ordinarily Resident (RNOR) status shelters foreign income for a limited transition period for returning NRIs — typically 2–3 years. This is the key planning window for anyone repatriating to India.
- Territorial
- No — worldwide income taxed
- CFC rules
- No
- Exit tax
- No
- CRS
- Participating
1 route into India
Is India actually right for your family?
We will tell you if it is not. That is the whole service.