Overseas Investment: AD Banks to Hold Evidence Documents
No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2008-09/155 · issued 05 Sep 2008 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI has shifted the responsibility for holding share certificates or evidence of overseas investment from itself to AD Category-I banks. Banks must now monitor and retain these documents and submit a certificate with the APR (Part III of Form ODI).
What changed
Previously, Indian parties had to submit share certificates or evidence of foreign investment to the RBI Regional Office within six months. Now, these documents must be submitted to and retained by the designated AD Category-I bank, which must verify their bonafides and submit a certificate to RBI with the APR.
What it means for you
This simplifies compliance for Indian parties by reducing direct interaction with RBI. For AD banks, it adds a monitoring and verification responsibility, requiring them to ensure timely receipt and authenticity of investment evidence, and to report via the APR. Banks must update internal processes to handle document retention and certification.
Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.
What banks were required to do at the time
Update internal procedures to accept and retain share certificates or evidence of overseas investment from Indian parties.
Verify the bonafides of all such documents received from customers.
Submit a certificate to RBI along with the APR (Part III of Form ODI) confirming receipt and verification of documents.
Inform all relevant customers and constituents about the new document submission process.
Who it affects
AD Category-I banks, Indian parties making overseas investments
❓ Common questions
Regulatory timeline
Decoded by BankPulse2026-06-19 12:40 IST
Status change: withdrawn05 Aug 2026, 04:00 IST
Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).
What documents must AD banks now retain?
Share certificates or any other document serving as evidence of investment in a foreign entity, where share certificates are not issued.
What is the deadline for submitting evidence to the AD bank?
Within six months from the date of remittance, capitalization due date, or the date the amount was allowed to be capitalized, or such further period as RBI may permit.
How does the AD bank report this to RBI?
By submitting a certificate along with the APR (Part III of Form ODI) as per AP (Dir Series) Circular No. 68 dated June 1, 2007.
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2008-09/155
A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 14
September 05, 2008
To
All Category - I Authorised Dealer Banks
Madam / Sir,
Overseas Investment – Rationalisation
Attention of the Authorised Dealer Category - I (AD Category - I) banks is invited to Notification No.FEMA120/RB-2004 dated 7th July, 2004 [Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of any Foreign Security) Regulations, 2004] (the Notification), as amended from time to time.
2. In terms of Regulation 15 of the Notification ibid, an Indian party which has acquired foreign security in terms of Regulations in Part I of the Notification shall receive share certificates or any other document as an evidence of investment in the foreign entity to the satisfaction of the Reserve Bank within six months, or such further period as Reserve Bank may permit, from the date of effecting remittance or the date on which the amount to be capitalised became due to the Indian Party or the date on which the amount due was allowed to be capitalised. The documentary evidence of investment is required to be submitted to the Regional Office concerned of Reserve Bank.
3. With a view to further simplifying the procedure, it has been decided that, henceforth, such share certificates or any other document as an evidence of investment in the foreign entity should not to be submitted to the Reserve Bank. The share certificates or any other document as evidence of investment where share certificates are not issued shall, henceforth, be submitted to and retained by the designated AD Category – I bank, who would be required to monitor the receipt of such documents and satisfy themselves about the bonafides of the documents so received. A certificate to this effect should be submitted by the designated AD Category – I bank to the Reserve Bank along with the APR (Part III of Form ODI) as annexed to AP (Dir Series) Circular No 68 dated June 1, 2007.
4. AD Category - I banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their constituents and customers concerned.
5. The directions contained in this circular have been issued under Sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999) and is without prejudice to permissions/approvals, if any, required under any other law.
Yours faithfully,
(Salim Gangadharan)
Chief General Manager-in-Charge
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2008-09/155 · issued 05 Sep 2008. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 05 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly). Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=4445&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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