Revised FLA Return Format & E-filing Effective Immediately
No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/613 · issued 20 Jun 2012 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI has revised the annual Foreign Liabilities and Assets (FLA) return format for Indian companies with FDI or overseas investments. An easy-to-fill soft form with validations is now available on the RBI website; returns must be emailed by July 15 every year.
What changed
The annual FLA return format has been revised and a new soft form with built-in validations and user guidance is now available on the RBI website under FEMA Forms. Companies must now fill, validate, and email the return by July 15 each year, instead of submitting a physical copy.
What it means for you
Banks must inform their AD Category-I customers about the revised FLA return format and the new e-filing process. This simplifies compliance for companies, reducing errors through in-built validations, but the July 15 deadline remains unchanged. Banks should ensure their constituents are aware of the updated submission method.
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
Notify all AD Category-I bank customers about the revised FLA return format and e-filing requirement.
Direct companies to download the soft form from RBI website (Forms > FEMA Forms) and email the validated return by July 15.
Advise customers to email queries related to FLA return filing to the designated RBI division.
Monitor that constituents comply with the new e-filing process to avoid non-compliance.
Who it affects
AD Category-I banks, Indian companies with FDI or overseas investments, RBI's DSIM division
Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).
What is the deadline for submitting the revised FLA return?
The annual FLA return must be submitted by July 15 every year, as before. The revised format and e-filing process are effective immediately.
How do companies submit the new FLA return?
Companies must download the easy-to-fill soft form from the RBI website (www.rbi.org.in > Forms > FEMA Forms), fill it with in-built validations, and email the validated form to the Director, External Liabilities and Assets Statistics Division, DSIM, RBI by July 15.
Do the underlying FEMA regulations change with this circular?
No, the circular states that necessary amendments to the relevant FEMA regulations (Notification No. FEMA 20/2000-RB and FEMA 120) will be issued separately. The current circular only revises the return format and submission process.
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2011-12/613
A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.133
June 20, 2012
To
All Category - I Authorised Dealer Banks
Madam / Sir,
Annual return on Foreign Liabilities and Assets
Reporting by Indian Companies – Revised format
Attention of the Authorised Dealer (AD) Category – I banks is invited to A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No.45 dated March 15, 2011 wherein, it was, inter-alia , stipulated that the annual return on Foreign Liabilities and Assets (FLA) is required to be submitted directly by all the Indian companies which have received FDI and/or made FDI abroad (i.e. overseas investment) in the previous year(s) including the current year, to the Director, External Liabilities and Assets Statistics Division, Department of Statistics and Information Management (DSIM), Reserve Bank of India, C-8, 3rd floor, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E), Mumbai - 400 051, by July 15 of every year.
2. The Annual Return on FLA is now modified as attached . An easy-to-fill soft form of the return with guidance to users and in-built validations is now being made available on the RBI website ( www.rbi.org.in → Forms category → FEMA Forms) which can be duly filled-in, validated and sent by e-mail , by July 15 every year. Any queries related to filling of annual return should be e-mailed . These directions will come into force with immediate effect. AD Category-I banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their constituents and customers concerned.
3. Necessary amendments to the Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Security by a Person Resident outside India) Regulations, 2000 and the Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of any Foreign Security) (Amendment) Regulations, 2004 notified vide Notification No. FEMA 20/2000-RB dated May 3, 2000 and Notification No. FEMA 120 dated July 07, 2004 , respectively will be issued separately.
4. 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 are without prejudice to permissions / approvals, if any, required under any other law.
(Rudra Narayan Kar)
Chief General Manager
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/613 · issued 20 Jun 2012. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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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=7287&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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