TITLE: India's Reserve Bank Amends Export of Goods and Services Foreign Exchange Regulations
BODY:
On June 5, 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) published the Foreign Exchange Management (Export of Goods and Services) (First Amendment) Regulations, 2026, amending the principal regulations originally issued on January 12, 2016.
The amendment modifies Regulation 9 of the Foreign Exchange Management (Export of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2015, reducing the repatriation period for export proceeds from fifteen months to nine months. This change applies to both sub-regulation (1) and sub-regulation (2), clause (a) of the principal regulations. The shortened timeframe requires exporters of goods and services to repatriate foreign exchange earnings within nine months rather than the previously mandated fifteen-month period. This amendment aligns with the RBI's regulatory framework governing foreign exchange management and export compliance, bringing India's export repatriation requirements into closer alignment with international standards and streamlining foreign exchange procedures for exporters.
The regulations come into force from their publication in the Official Gazette. The amendment is issued under the powers conferred by Section 7, Section 8, and sub-section (2) of Section 47 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. This represents the eighth amendment to the principal regulations since their initial publication, following previous amendments issued in June 2017, December 2019, March 2020, January 2021, September 2021, June 2025, and November 2025.
**Reference:**
Reserve Bank of India, Foreign Exchange Management (Export of Goods and Services) (First Amendment) Regulations, 2026, Notification No. FEMA 23(R)/(8)/2026-RB, June 5, 2026. Available at: https://www.rbi.org.in/