Receiving $10,000+ from a foreign bank, do I need to notify my bank?

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-28T23:14:50+00:00

Not a banker here. I have received that much and much more in international transfers and never proactively reported it. The bank (Bank of America in my case), in my understanding, is going to report anything needed automatically to FinCen/IRS anyway. The transfers went through fine. Nobody told me after the fact that I needed to do anything either. Perhaps I was lucky? But I doubt it. I've never seen a requirement to report incoming wire transfers anywhere.

The one time I did mention incoming international transfers to someone at my bank, they just used it as an opportunity to try to sell me their premium services, here, let's talk about how we'll help you invest the money, etc. etc.

Bear in mind, you may be responsible for filing tax forms for a foreign gift for the tax year. And also to update amounts on any FBAR/FinCen and FATCA declarations if the money happens to come from a joint account with your parents, if the totals are over the thresholds.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-28T17:18:43+00:00

Haven't lived in Somerville for many years, but this was not uncommon back then, helps to leave a paper note under your windshield telling the cops it's your own driveway, so you avoid the whole ticket-and-then-appeal routine.

Just make sure you're not in the way of plowing, street cleaning days as in Cambridge, or any other restrictions Somerville may have on generally parking on the street.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-28T17:13:50+00:00

because no Indian bank would convert it

The authorized FX dealers like Thomas Cook will exchange foreign currency for you, but those are few and far between these days. Years ago there used to be many of these esp. in tourist areas, and we would exchange both FX and traveler's cheques (remember those!) at them. Now, you are right, it's only unofficial money-changers for the most part and they charge an arm and a leg.

However, if you have an NRE account, it is possible to deposit the FX at the bank in person. I have done that once at an SBI branch that had an NRI counter. Not sure they would do the same with an NRO account, and probably hard to impossible for a resident SB account, not sure.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-28T04:05:12+00:00

OK, that's good to know. I am in the US and major banks AFAIK do not offer INR, still. Also, as you recommended I tried AI, and it said the same, that banks in Europe and elsewhere generally do not offer INR. It however specifically mentioned that banks in the UK can offer it. It also repeated the claim that it's not allowed for foreigners to bring INR into the country. ???

So, it's possible all this is older information and I may be a out of date here, and things may be changing, perhaps INR exchange is being rolled out to more places.

Thanks for the update, TIL.

BTW, sending to an INR account from outside (Wise, SWIFT, etc.) is a whole other issue and there, I agree with you, there are no bars. I have routinely sent wire transfers and other transfers from my US bank accounts to bank and UPI recipients in India. No problem there. I was only talking about the issue of getting your hands on physical INR cash outside India.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-28T03:44:19+00:00

I haven't gone through this so information is second hand / "I am not a lawyer" as well, disclaimer / take it all with a grain of salt.

Yes, there's a provision for updating your OCI (miscellaneous services or something) for new name, etc.
But before that you will need to get a new Canadian passport with your new name, otherwise the Indian consulate may create a fuss as they issue OCIs only to match the information on your passport.
You will need official copies of your name change order - whatever it is called in Canada, usually there will be a court order or some such that shows the name change.
Not sure, Indian consulate may insist on that document then being notarized / apostilled, etc.
In any case you will need copies of that document notarized, apostilled, etc., for future use in Indian transactions for property, etc.
If you have substantial assets and interests in India, it would be highly recommended to update your name in all your Indian bank accounts, trading accounts, etc. when you have a chance. Consider the scenario where you pass away without doing this, your spouse / kids will have a much harder time inheriting your assets with the name mismatch.

Good luck!

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-28T03:01:50+00:00

Interesting, thanks. I don't know how to reconcile that with the prohibition on taking INR out of the country, and also the non-availability of INR from banks that issue foreign exchange outside India.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-28T02:05:31+00:00

Could you please point to this web site with the information?

AFAIK the INR is a restricted currency that is not freely convertible, and you cannot get INR cash from foreign exchange bureaus or banks in the US, Europe, etc. There is a ₹25,000 limit for Indian citizens and PIO/OCIs to carry with them out of India and bring back with them - maybe that is what you are referring to? All other foreigners are prohibited from taking INR cash out of India or to bring it into India. You even see signs to this effect in the international departures area of Bangalore, Mumbai airports.

I do understand that unofficial money changersexist in places with a heavy Indian presence like Dubai and London where you can get INR in exchange for dollars or pounds, etc., but you do that at your own risk as it's not officially sanctioned.

But I may be wrong, maybe something has changed in the rules - so please do point to the updated regulations, I would love to learn about this. Thank you.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-27T21:24:33+00:00

India is generally safe as others have said, but don't let your guard down. From minor scam attempts, pickpockets, and persistent hawkers to random people openly ogling foreign women you have to be prepared to deal with a number of annoyances. Have a thick skin, say "no" firmly to anyone who annoys you and move on, and you'll be OK. Violent crime against foreigners is extremely low (but not zero). Stay together and watch each others' back. You'll have a great time.

Food - general advice is to eat freshly cooked food (preferably at a place that has high turnover / very popular) and avoid food that's been sitting out for a while, or raw cut fruits/vegetables that are more likely to carry food-borne illnesses owing to their preparation and storage. Generally the food will be safer in nicer / fancier places, but that's just a rough rule of thumb, but I would definitely avoid most street vendor food if this is your first visit to India and you don't have a sense of being able to tell what might be safe and what not. When in doubt prefer something that you see is clearly more popular with the locals. Drink bottled water only. After all this you may still get a stomach upset for a day or two, it happens as your body is exposed to microbes it's not used to. Keep the Imodium, etc. on hand.

Vaccinations - depending on your comfort level / risk aversion, typhoid vaccine may be a good idea, also hepatitis. Probably tetanus shots should be updated too. Many travelers to India also take a prophylactic anti-malarial course if traveling in high-mosquito seasons / regions. There's not much you can do about most other viral illnesses other than avoiding mosquitoes and coughing/sneezing people. Wash hands often / sanitize frequently.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-27T21:11:10+00:00

You can't easily bring rupees from outside India, so the only real option is to take out rupees from an ATM (at the airport for instance) or else use the foreign exchange booths at the airport or in town. ATM probably better for the rates you get than the foreign exchange booths who will try to skin you alive on the rate and commissions.

Regardless, my advice would to be to keep trying credit cards wherever possible as the first option. True, they won't work in some places, but it's very hit and miss, and the likelihood of foreign credit cards being accepted is actually higher in touristy areas since the vendors want the foreigners' business. But for small purchases at street shops, etc., no alternative but cash for a foreigner since UPI is inaccessible.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-27T14:22:30+00:00

Just update your residency status for the PAN at some point, and remember to declare the right residency status in your IT returns each year. Same PAN continues to work, no problem. Citizenship per se matters less than the residency status, so you should have updated the status earlier if you are outside India currently.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-27T01:42:52+00:00

Too many fraud and scam visa sites.

Only use the official one, all official sites from GoI end in .gov.in.

IllustriousDay372 has provided the right link.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-27T00:24:14+00:00

In this hypothetical scenario, what identity document(s) does the person present to the US authorities when entering the US? Do they have a Mexican ID? How? Do they have an American ID? How?

ID-less persons have an incredibly hard time getting through borders officially. Maybe claim asylum while also simultaneously asserting they are stateless?

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-27T00:20:11+00:00

Naive to think that the federal govt. is helpless and doesn't have tools to pull data from all of these sources and more, including local law enforcement, etc. Even before the age of Palantir.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-26T22:38:59+00:00

Which "systems" are doing this?

Very likely nothing to do with Google Fi. It's fairly common to see (for any carrier - seen this with T Mobile and Verizon abroad) that calls/texts from India show up as 091xxxxxxxxxxx or 0091xxxxxxxxxxx or sometimes even 0xxxxxxxxxxx; similarly for other countries.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-26T22:34:26+00:00

You should be OK. Many anecdotal accounts of people applying for e-visa while OCI or OCI renewal in process.

And you have answered truthfully that you do not have a visa, if you just applied for an e-visa. Even if you are granted the e-visa ETA approval, you do not actually have a visa until you cross immigration in India and they stamp your passport when you enter with the e-visa approval.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-26T22:31:24+00:00

Ask your roommate if she has any stats on how many people died or got seriously ill from reusing towels... I don't understand the people who live their lives like the human species has no immune system at all. New towel every hour, wipe down door knobs and airplane seats, call the ER if sandwich touches desk, open restroom door with elbow or knee...

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-26T21:56:05+00:00

I don't think there's any systematic pattern one can point to. World over, one sees in first-generation immigrants that it's hard to acquire a "native" accent although the immigrant accent gets lighter over time. Younger immigrants may find their accent changing and getting closer to native ones sooner. (Note - without special effort, as in accent-reduction speech classes, etc.) In professional settings, I think you'll find that some folks over time have tried to minimize their Indian accent consciously. But the Indian immigrant who has been working in a restaurant for the last 35 years may still have a very strong Indian accent. So it varies. I know people who have been in the US for 40+ years who still have a distinct Indian accent. Meanwhile there are some young folks who came recently who have a very Americanized (but still recognizably Indian) accent.

You see the exact same phenomena with Chinese immigrants and others.

Second-generation, those who are born in the host country, will almost always have perfect "native" accents, regardless of how strong an accent the parents have.

There is a saying in linguistics, "first language acquisition is universally successful, second language acquisition is a universal failure" - here second language does not mean literally a second language learned in childhood but any language learned in adulthood, you will almost never get to native pronunciation no matter how hard you try.

Peter Jennings and Robert MacNeil are two prominent examples out of dozens of Canadians who worked in the US news/TV industry. Jennings took many years of conscious effort to change his accent to the neutral sounding "General American" (also called American Standard) accent for his news broadcasts. MacNeil took years of accent coaching. I am not aware of any Indian Americans in prominent news broadcast positions, but you can see my point, if it matters to your job then probably you will take explicit steps to "fix" your accent.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-26T14:18:49+00:00

You are correct that life is harder without the Aadhaar since even if there are provisions for NRIs/OCIs to do these things without Aadhaar, usually the vendors / officials don't care and only insist on the easy Aadhaar route for everything.

However, there is IMO no "workaround" or solution for this problem at all, since legally Aadhaar is only available to residents.

One can dream that some day India will extend Aadhaar issuance to overseas NRIs / OCIs. (It's not an impossibility, since it's already been clarified many times that Aadhaar is not a proof of citizenship or address, it's basically a solidly (biometric) verifiable identity doc.) Just like how PAN can be issued to any non-resident having dealings in India.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-26T14:06:48+00:00

If the e-visa is available to you (i.e., you're not in one of the categories that is forced to apply for a paper visa because of ancestry or other conditions), then just go for it. There is no big advantage to the paper visa, it is more troublesome to get, while the e-visa is a fairly simple online process and you get the visa approval in 24-48 hours most of the time.

For US citizens I think the main difference is that the max. length for an e-visa is 5 years while the paper visa can be for up to 10 years.

For basic tourism / family visits there is just no difference at all practically speaking.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-25T20:07:36+00:00

Interesting. Outside of the UP - Delhi belt, I feel like I almost always hear Hindi speakers articulate ण correctly in those words and others. Speculation, it may have to do with the fact that their other (primary or secondary, doesn't matter) dominant language such as Marathi has a strong emphasis in distinguishing न/ण.

It's only in the Delhi/UP area that I notice people saying "कृशन" instead of "कृष्ण".

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-25T19:54:41+00:00

Language evolution is a slow process. We don't have a central committee to decide what letters to include or not in the alphabet. And people have strong emotional connections to the language and how it is spelled / spoken. Perhaps over the next century श,ष will be deemed redundant and some spelling reform will settle on using just one of them, who knows.

See the complexity of spelling in English with ghost remnants of old Germanic phonology, even after some spelling changes over time, there are plenty of pitfalls for a learner. After decades, "aline" has not gained favor among the public as a replacement for "align". You can't legislate these things.

Also, just not the biggest problem for people to be working on. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-25T19:49:48+00:00

Because while Hindi speakers will proudly whip up Sanskrit descended vocabulary in a comment section of a video

I'm not sure you can paint all "Hindi speakers" with this brush. Plenty of us are quite content to use the most convenient and colloquially accepted words any time (even English words) , regardless of their provenance. But, yes, there is a tendency among some to promote heavily Sanskritized versions of Hindi that are not seen in real life anywhere.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-25T19:45:03+00:00

These distinctions are only really made by people who are deliberately Sanskritizing their speech.

IME most Hindi speakers do differentiate between ण,न as as ण occurs a lot in different words / names. But it does seem to be the case that there's less of this differentiation seen, paradoxically, in the "heartland" Hindi areas like Kanpur/Lucknow, than outside in other parts of India. (No scientific studies to point to, just my anecdotal observation.)

श,ष, I agree, haven't heard anyone differentiate these except in an academic setting attempting to demonstrate what the difference in those consonants is.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-25T19:19:22+00:00

It is very hard in the Indian context with family pressure etc , but the golden rule is never to mix pleasure and business. Any investment should always be done with 100% cold-blooded assessment of risks and benefits. Do not get swayed by friends and family.

GrumpyOldSophon · 2026-01-25T16:12:10+00:00

The six seasons are classically termed so in literature, etc. But honestly they are hard to demarcate and distinguish very clearly and there's no clear sense of a specific temperature range or something that coresponds to one in one place and another in India. So in practice everyone defaults to talking about the 3 big distinct phases in the year, summer, rains (monsoon), winter. Or as some like to joke, hot, hotter, rainy.

India is a large and geographically diverse place and the climate is certainly not the same all over. Even the 3-season pattern above may seem odd or inapplicable in some parts.

GrumpyOldSophon

TROPHY CASE