Master Circular on Nomination for Relief/Savings Bonds
Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2010-11/37 · issued 01 Jul 2010 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI consolidated all nomination rules for Relief/Savings Bonds into a single master circular, effective July 1, 2010. Agency banks must follow updated procedures for nominations, variations, and cancellations, including for NRI nominees on 8% Savings Bonds.
The rule, in the simplest words
A person who owns a Relief/Savings Bond (except special paper bonds) can name one or more people to get the bond money if they die.
The naming (nomination) must be done before the bond's end date (maturity).
If you name more than one person and one dies, the others still get the money.
You can change or cancel a nomination by writing to your bank branch.
For 8% Savings Bonds, you can name a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) as a nominee, but money sent to them follows special rules.
How it plays out — a real example
An agency-banking (government business) officer in Indore is helping a customer who holds a 8% Savings Bond. The customer wants to name his son, who lives abroad as an NRI, as the nominee. The officer explains that this is allowed, but reminds the customer that any interest or maturity payments sent to the son must follow the bank's rules for sending money to NRIs. The officer then issues an 'Acknowledgement of Nomination' form to confirm the change.
What changed
RBI issued a revised master circular that consolidates all previous instructions on nomination facility for Relief/Savings Bonds, updated as of June 30, 2010. The circular clarifies that sole or joint holders (except for promissory notes or bearer bonds) can nominate one or more persons, and for 8% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2003, NRIs can be nominees. It also specifies that nominations must be made before bond maturity and that agency banks must issue an acknowledgement of nomination.
What it means for you
Banks acting as agents for Relief/Savings Bonds now have a single reference document for nomination procedures, reducing confusion from multiple circulars. They must ensure proper registration of nominations, variations, and cancellations, and handle NRI nominee cases per applicable FEMA regulations. This streamlines operations but requires banks to update their internal processes and staff training to align with the consolidated rules.
What you must do
Update internal manuals and staff training materials to reflect the consolidated nomination rules from this master circular.
Ensure agency branches issue 'Acknowledgement of Nomination' for all valid nominations received.
Verify that nominations for 8% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2003 comply with NRI remittance regulations when nominees are NRIs.
Implement procedures to automatically cancel nominations upon bond transfer or upon holder's request for substitution/cancellation.
Maintain a register of all nomination-related circulars referenced in the master circular for detailed clarifications.
Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).
Can I nominate an NRI for my 8% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2003?
Yes, the master circular allows sole or joint holders of 8% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2003 to nominate an NRI. However, remittance of interest or maturity proceeds to the NRI nominee will be governed by FEMA regulations applicable to NRIs.
What happens if a nominee is a minor?
If the nominee is a minor, the bond holder(s) can appoint a person (who is not a minor) to receive the bond proceeds on behalf of the nominee in the event of the holder's death during the nominee's minority.
When does a nomination automatically get cancelled?
A nomination is automatically cancelled if the holder applies for substitution or cancellation and it is registered by the bank, or if the bond certificate is transferred to another party.
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2010-11/37
DGBA.CDD No. H – 10175 / 13.01.299 / 2010-11
July 1, 2010
Ashadha 10, 1932 (S)
The Chairman / Managing Director
State Bank of India and Associate banks
17 Nationalized banks
Axis Bank Ltd / ICICI Bank Ltd / IDBI Bank / HDFC Bank Ltd /
Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd
Dear Sir/Madam
Master Circular on Nomination facility in Relief / Savings Bonds
The Department of Government and Bank Accounts, Central Office, RBI has been issuing instructions relating to nomination facility for Relief/Savings bond holders from time to time. In order to enable Agency Banks to have all the current operative instructions on the above subject at one place, a revised Master Circular on ‘Nomination facility in Relief/Savings Bonds’ has been prepared which is updated upto 30th June every year. Accordingly, the amended circular giving the updated position upto 30.06.2010 is enclosed . You may also access the circular on our website www.rbi.org.in
Please acknowledge receipt.
Yours faithfully,
(Indira Nanu)
General Manager
Relief Bond / Saving Bond Schemes
Nomination facility
A sole holder or all the joint holders (investors) of a Relief/Savings Bond other than in the form of promissory note or bearer bond may nominate one or more persons who in the event of death of the sole holder/all the joint holders, as the case may be, would be entitled to the Relief/Savings Bond and to the payment thereon, provided that the person or each of the persons nominated is himself / herself competent to hold a similar bond.
The nomination should be made before maturity of the bond.
When nomination has been made in favour of two or more nominees, in the event of the death of either or any of them, the surviving nominee or nominees, as the case may be, shall be entitled to the Relief/Savings Bond and payment thereon.
A nomination made by the holder(s) of a Relief/Savings Bond may be varied or cancelled by making a fresh nomination in the prescribed manner and intimated the same in writing to the designated branch of the authorised public/private sector bank.
If the nominee is a minor, the holder(s) of the Relief/Savings Bond may appoint any person, not being a minor, to receive the proceeds of a Relief/Savings Bond on behalf of the nominee in the event of his/her/their death during the minority of the nominee.
The investor(s) may make separate nomination for each investment in a BLA (subject to (ii) above).
Agency Banks to issue ‘Acknowledgement of Nomination’.
In case of 8 % Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2003 (currently the only bond in respect of which subscription is open), the sole holder or all the joint holders can also nominate a Non-resident Indian (NRI) as his/her/their nominee(s) and remittance of interest payment and/or maturity value, as the case may be, will be governed by the regulations as applicable to NRIs.
Exceptions – No nomination is permissible in the following cases:-
(a) When the BLA is held by an adult on behalf of a minor;
(b) When the holder has no beneficial interest in the BLA but holds it in an official or fiduciary capacity.
Cancellation of Nomination : A nomination previously made will stand automatically cancelled -
if the holder(s) applies to the Agency banks for substitution or cancellation of the nomination and the substitution and cancellation is duly registered by the office;
if the holder(s) transfers the Certificate to another party.
The various circulars issued by this Department based on which the above Master Circular is prepared are listed below:
Ref. Memorandum of Procedure Page 3 Ref.CO.DT.13.01.201/4087/2000-01 dt.16-2-2001 Ref.CO.DT.13.01.201/4854/2000-01 dt.19-3-2001 Ref.CO.DT.13.01.298/H-3410/2003-04 dt.20-12-2003 Ref.CO.DT.13.01.299/H-3426/2003-04 dt.20-12-2003 Ref. DGBA.CDD. No.H-2173/13.01.299/2008-09 dated 2-09-2008 (In case detailed clarifications are required on specific issues, the circulars indicated above may please be referred to.)
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2010-11/37 · issued 01 Jul 2010. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
Ensure agency branches issue 'Acknowledgement of Nomination' for all valid nominations received.
📜 Compliance
Update internal manuals and staff training materials to reflect the consolidated nomination rules from this master circular.
Verify that nominations for 8% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2003 comply with NRI remittance regulations when nominees are NRIs.
Implement procedures to automatically cancel nominations upon bond transfer or upon holder's request for substitution/cancellation.
Maintain a register of all nomination-related circulars referenced in the master circular for detailed clarifications.
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template
Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (Agency banks handling Relief/Savings Bonds (SBI, associate banks, nationalized banks, Axis, ICICI, IDBI, HDFC, Stock Holding Corporation), Operations staff processing bond nominations, Compliance teams at authorized banks, Investors holding Relief/Savings Bonds), your first concrete step on “Master Circular on Nomination for Relief/Savings Bonds” is: “Update internal manuals and staff training materials to reflect the consolidated nomination rules from this master circular.” (RBI issued this 01 Jul 2010).
Circular: RBI/2010-11/37 -- Master Circular on Nomination for Relief/Savings Bonds
Issued: 01 Jul 2010
Action required: Update internal manuals and staff training materials to reflect the consolidated nomination rules from this master circular.
Action required: Ensure agency branches issue 'Acknowledgement of Nomination' for all valid nominations received.
Action required: Verify that nominations for 8% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2003 comply with NRI remittance regulations when nominees are NRIs.
Action required: Implement procedures to automatically cancel nominations upon bond transfer or upon holder's request for substitution/cancellation.
Action required: Maintain a register of all nomination-related circulars referenced in the master circular for detailed clarifications.
Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.
💬 Banker Discussion
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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=5776&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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