NRIs residing abroad can now complete online KYC

According to a report by The Economic Times, there is significant relief for Indians living abroad who wish to invest in the Indian market. As per a new circular issued by SEBI on 4 November 2026, NRIs, OCIs, and foreign citizens will now be able to complete the online KYC process from abroad. This change will enable them to easily open investment accounts with Indian brokers, mutual fund houses, and other market intermediaries.

Under previous rules, the digital KYC process required the customer to be physically present in India to fill out forms, upload documents, and undergo online verification. While this process was maintained as part of security measures, it created a major hurdle for investors residing abroad. For Indians living in countries such as the USA, UK, or Singapore, investing in the Indian market had become a tedious obstacle as they had to travel to India for identity and address verification. NRIs who visited India for only a few weeks had to complete the account opening process alongside their family responsibilities, meeting relatives, and other necessary tasks. These rules had acted as a barrier for foreign investors.

SEBI has now permitted intermediaries to accept digital KYC submissions from countries that comply with FATF (Financial Action Task Force) regulations. FATF is a global watchdog for preventing money laundering. The countries where large communities of Indians reside, such as the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, UAE, and Singapore, are included in this list. Therefore, if an individual resides in any of these countries, they can complete the entire process from where they are, and they no longer need to be present on Indian soil for paperwork.

In this new process, the investor will have to submit their PAN card, passport, OCI card (if applicable), and proof of address. In cases where physical in-person verification is not possible, intermediaries can use Video In-Person Verification (VIPV). This will be a live video call in which an authorized officer from the broker's side will verify the individual's identity. To maintain security and transparency, this video session will be audited, geo-tagged, and encrypted. This will ensure that the video is not pre-recorded or subject to any form of tampering.