THE NRI HANDBOOK 2026 is a comprehensive reference for individuals of Indian origin residing worldwide who maintain strong connections with India through family, property, or business. Whether you have lived abroad for decades or recently moved, this book is designed to be the practical guide you reach for again and again.
The regulatory framework affecting Non-Resident Indians has changed in significant ways since 2023. The Union Budget of July 2024 overhauled India's capital-gains rules for property, listed shares, and mutual funds. The New Tax Regime is now the default for individual filers. The PIO card has been retired, leaving OCI as the sole long-term route for foreign-passport holders of Indian origin. Mutual fund KYCs were re-validated. Cryptocurrencies and Virtual Digital Assets were brought firmly into the Indian tax net. Outside India, the United Kingdom replaced its old non-domicile system with the Foreign Income and Gains regime in April 2025, fundamentally changing how Indian-source income is taxed for NRIs based there.
THE NRI HANDBOOK 2026 has been written from the ground up around the new rules. Inside you will find clear, plain-English coverage of Indian visas and the OCI Lifelong Visa; immigration and citizenship; buying, selling, gifting, and inheriting property in India; customs duties and Transfer of Residence; Aadhaar and PAN Card requirements; dual taxation and dual citizenship; and tax filing for NRIs, including Capital Gains, Lower TDS, and the choice between the Old and New Tax Regimes. Further chapters address NRO and NRE banking and remittances, the repatriation of funds, business opportunities and investment prospects in India, NRI loans and home-financing, insurance, medical care for visiting and returning NRIs, schools in India for NRI children, and the practical and tax considerations of a Return to India. A dedicated section covers how the tax authorities of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia treat Indian-source income for residents of those countries.
The book is written for NRIs at every stage - those settled abroad, those planning a return, and the families and advisers who work with them. It is structured for both cover-to-cover reading and quick reference: each chapter stands alone, so you can dip in for a single answer without having to read the rest.
Written by V. K. Chand, an NRI since 1970 and an OCI cardholder since 2006, THE NRI HANDBOOK 2026 draws on more than fifty-five years of personal experience navigating these issues across the United States, Canada, and India. Mr. Chand is the long-time administrator of NriInformation.com, a well-known online resource for the global NRI community, and TravelIndiaSmart.com, a guide to travel in India. THE NRI HANDBOOK 2026 distils that experience into a single, plain-English reference for Non-Resident Indians everywhere.
