HomeCirculars › RBI/2009-10/324

RBI Launches Online ODI Reporting from March 2, 2010

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2009-10/324 · issued 24 Feb 2010 · ~2 min read
Quick answerFrom March 2, 2010, AD Category-I banks must file Parts I-III of Form ODI online via RBI's Secured Internet Website for UIN generation, remittance reporting, and APRs. Physical forms continue for approval route and closure/disinvestment cases. Banks retain physical copies for potential RBI submission.

What changed

RBI operationalises online reporting for Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) in phases from March 2, 2010, replacing the earlier all-physical system. Part I (Sections A-D), II, and III of Form ODI must now be filed online for automatic route UIN generation, remittance reporting, and Annual Performance Reports. Physical forms remain mandatory for approval route applications and closure/disinvestment/winding-up transactions.

What it means for you

Banks must shift to online filing for most ODI transactions, reducing paperwork and enabling real-time UIN generation and data access. The centralised unit/nodal office of each AD Category-I bank is responsible for online submissions, while physical forms are still needed for approval route and closure cases. This streamlines compliance but requires banks to ensure data validity and maintain physical records for RBI if demanded.

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

Who it affects

AD Category-I banks, Centralised units/nodal offices of AD banks, Indian parties making overseas direct investments, Customers and constituents of AD banks involved in ODI

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What transactions must still be reported in physical form?

Applications under the approval route and transactions related to closure, disinvestment, winding up, or voluntary liquidation of overseas JVs/WOSs (Part IV of Form ODI) must continue to be submitted physically to RBI, in addition to online filing of Part I.

When can we report subsequent remittances online?

Subsequent remittances under the automatic route and remittances under the approval route should be made and reported online in Part II only after receiving the UIN confirmation letter from RBI.

Who is responsible for online reporting within the bank?

The centralised unit or nodal office of each AD Category-I bank is responsible for filing online reports. Banks must ensure the validity of all information reported.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2009-10/324 A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.36 February 24, 2010 To All Category – I Authorised Dealer Banks Madam / Sir, Overseas Investment Application - Online Reporting of Overseas Direct Investment in Form ODI Attention of Authorised Dealer Category - I (AD Category - I) banks is invited to A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 68 dated June 1, 2007, revising the reporting package on Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) by the Indian Parties. Further, it was also mentioned in the circular that the ODI forms would be received on-line by the Reserve Bank, in due course. 2.  Accordingly, it has been decided to operationalise the on-line reporting system in a phased manner, with effect from March 2, 2010, to simplify the existing reporting framework. The new system would enable on-line generation of the Unique Identification Number (UIN), acknowledgment of remittance/s and filing of the Annual Performance Reports (APRs) and easy accessibility to data at the AD level for reference purposes. 3. As per the plan, initially, Part I (Sections A to D), II and III of form ODI  should be filed on-line in the Overseas Investment Application for allotment of UIN, reporting of subsequent remittances, filing of APRs, etc. AD Category –I banks would continue to receive the ODI forms in physical form, as stipulated in the A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 68 dated June 1, 2007 , which should be preserved, UIN wise, for onward submission to the Reserve Bank, if specifically required. Transactions in respect of Mutual Funds, Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS) and Employees Stock Options Scheme (ESOPS) are also required to be reported on-line in the Overseas Investment Application. 4. The on-line reporting would be required to be made by the Centralized Unit/Nodal Office of AD Category - I banks. The Overseas Investment Application would be hosted on the Reserve Bank's Secured Internet Website (SIW) https://secweb.rbi.org.in and a link would be made available for accessing the Application on the main page of the website. AD Category – I banks would be responsible for the validity of the information reported on-line. The detailed operational guidelines for accessing the Overseas Investment Application are being communicated to the AD Category - I banks separately. 5. The application for overseas investment under the approval route would continue to be submitted to the Reserve Bank in physical form as hitherto, in addition to the on-line reporting of Part I as contemplated above, for approval purposes. Further, the transactions relating to closure / disinvestment/ winding up/ voluntary liquidation of the overseas Joint Ventures/Wholly Owned Subsidiaries (JVs / WOSs) under the automatic and approval routes (Part IV of form ODI) would continue to be submitted to the Reserve Bank in physical form as is being done at present. 6. As per the new reporting system, AD Category – I banks would be able generate the UIN on-line under the automatic route. However, subsequent remittances under the automatic route and remittances under the approval route should be made and reported on-line in Part II, only after receipt of the letter, confirming the UIN from the Reserve Bank. 7. AD Category - I banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their constituents and customers concerned. 8.  The directions contained in this Circular have been issued under Section 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/2009-10/324 · issued 24 Feb 2010. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
🧰 Tools — save, print, templates & related

💬 Banker Discussion

Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.

Loading comments…
BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 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=5510&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.
Public beta — plain-English informational summaries. Always verify against the official RBI source (circular number cited on every page) before making compliance, credit, treasury, audit, or operational decisions. · Join our WhatsApp channel ↗