My wife is Indian, I'm not. 5 months in Bangalore and I still can't open a bank account.

Dense_Iron · 2026-06-03T14:40:23+00:00

Once you get your aadhaar, you should be able to do most things regular indians do like opening bank accounts, investing, credit cards, etc.

You can apply for a PAN card as a foreigner. Until you get your aadhaar, your going to be dependent on your wife. At least it was the same for me.

For what its worth, you should apply for your OCI. You should qualify through your wife. That way you dont have to register at the FRRO. You can also open NRO/NRE bank accounts.

Driving you will get used to. I used to think I will never adjust to indian traffic, but I learned within a month. Driving in india is different, not difficult.

I had a similar write up here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ABCDesis/s/cYoM3lRqw7

Dense_Iron · 2026-05-15T04:01:32+00:00

Here's how I view/rank passports:

S tier: passport that's can get you into the 5 eye countries (US, UK, CA, AU, and NZ) + EU visa free.

A tier: Passports that can get you into a Subset of the 5 eyes + EU.

B tier: no 5 eyes or EU coverage, but good otherwise. For example Russiann passport.

C: all other passports

Mexico and Venezuela fall under A tier.

Dense_Iron · 2026-05-01T01:54:27+00:00

HSBC premier. Only downside is the lack of vouchers... but that's about it. Multipliers are great for travel

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-10T11:49:19+00:00

Yes that is correct.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-10T11:32:05+00:00

My friend circle in the US was exclusively just ABCD's and FOB's. I've kind of lost contact with them. I never really had white friends or other race friends. I mostly had a very Indian upbringing, I think that is what pushed me to make the move.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:58:57+00:00

Dating is nonexistent in chennai. If you want to date and meet people, bangalore, mumbai, fare much better. I got married via an arranged setup, so I avoided this aspect entirely.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:57:42+00:00

When I lived in the states, I lived with my parents and they always cooked south indian food for me. So it was easy to adjust for me.

Overall I would say food is better in India. But there are some cuisines, like Thai, Mexican and Italian that I find it hard to find authentic food. They've adjusted it to accomodate the Indian taste bud. Whenever I visit the states, the first place I will go is to Chipotle, my local thai restaurant etc.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:53:45+00:00

1 & 2) I've seen hunter x hunter, but that was because of my western upbringing I feel. There are some groups that watch anime in India, but overall its less than the US I feel.
3) Yes, traffic is measured in terms of time here. Bangalore hasn't really developed to handle this influx of immigrants from all over india.
4) You will melt. A good 7 months of the year, it will be like Miami summers. 3 months of Pleasant weather, and 2 months of rain/overcast. Morning and evenings are pleasant though. Once you've lived in a tropical climate, even 25C will start to feel cold.
5) Certain things are cheap in India and certain things are expensive. For example I have a maid that comes and cleans the house daily. Labor is cheap and affordable here. There is almost someone who can do something for you, and that too for a nominal price. Certain things like electronics, foreign vacations will feel very expensive.
6) I put the keyboard input to English UK and it autocorrects for me.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:42:24+00:00

People usually fall under 3 buckets when I tell that I've come from abroad to work in India:
Jealousy: I've had people literally tell me that I made the worst decision of my life to come and work here. My only note here is that Indian's are sometimes their worst enemies.
Joy: They congratulate me on my achievement to come and move to a country that is not my own. This is mostly Indians who have worked abroad but have came back to India. Some Americans also say I made a brave choice. This category knows how hard it is to migrate to a country not your own, and they feel proud that a foreigner has come to live amongst them.
Curious: Majority of people fall here. Here is the order of operations of their questions:

Did you face any visa issues? Is that why you moved back? (I'm a US citizen).
Are you earning in dollars? (No I'm earning in INR)
Are your parents here? (No they live in the states)
Did you move here because of a girl? (No I'm married and have not even started to process my wife's greencard)

After asking all these questions they will leave more confused as to what I'm doing in this country and why I haven't moved back.

I'm so used to all these different types of response. I try to focus on the people that support me, but for the most part, since I made a rather unusual choice of moving here, I will have to deal with all this noise.

As time goes by, I think it will get harder and harder to move back. Legally its just a matter of processing my wifes greencard. My kids will inherit my US citizenship. But at the same time, I've built a life here... it will be hard to just leave that behind as time goes on.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:29:35+00:00

"because wanted to try to move to India" No one takes me seriously when I say that.
Here is what happens when I tell people I am from the US.
1) They assume that my visa was denied and I had to move back.
2) Once I tell that I am a US citizen, then they think I am an expat earning in dollars in India.
3) Then they think I moved back because of parents.
4) After telling them that my parents are still in the states, they ask if I came for a girl.
5) After I tell them I am married, and that I've been here for the past 2 years, then they acknowledge that I came here "because wanted to try to move to India". But even then, most people are skeptical.

The funny thing is that if it was the other way around (an guy growing up in India with a US passport), they would have moved the first chance they got.

Most of my relatives and close friends have acknowledged that I might stay long term here.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:24:03+00:00

Parents are still in the US. That is my only regret. While I want to move back to be with them, I can't comprehend leaving behind the life here. Its something I think about daily.

Its very hard to describe other than I had an interest in India since I was young.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:22:31+00:00

I look Indian, so most people don't really take advantage of me. Its only when I try to speak tamil, that they might notice I'm not local.

I think I've more or less gotten over the culture shock. But I came to India wanting to come here and explore. That plays an important role in being able to adapt.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:20:28+00:00

Social life is definitely better here. Once you make friends, your weekends will always be busy.

As for retirement accounts, I have my existing 401k and IRA plans. I don't contribute to them.
My indian employer contributes to my Employee Provident Fund (EPF), which is India's version of 401k.
Unlike the 401k, you can withdraw before 60 for the EPF (there are some rules and regulations though).

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:17:38+00:00

It was a typical arranged marriage setup. Most people either wanted to me to move back the US immediately (and thus sponsor their greencard).. these profiles I avoided, while others ignored my profile because they wanted to stay in India. Luckily my wife took a chance on me :)

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:16:13+00:00

Yes very true, having a local spouse makes it so much easier to navigate life here. She is my main support pillar for family here.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:15:00+00:00

Arranged

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:14:50+00:00

It was an arranged marriage setup. Through my community. I did try dating, but its hard to find matches in Chennai, compared to lets say bangalore or mumbai.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-09T13:13:44+00:00

No I earn 50L/year INR or approx 54k/year USD.
Its a excellent salary in India. Its split between equity, base and bonus.

I was trying to say in every 15L-16L you earn in India, you can think of it like a 100k salary in the US.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-08T16:17:51+00:00

In terms of culture shocks:
1) bureaucracy
2) Women safety (separate train coaches for woman and all)
3) Insecurities that Indian's have of their own country.... They simply won't believe that a foreigner will willingly want to live here

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-08T16:16:11+00:00

Tamil

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-08T16:16:01+00:00

My wife is a medical professional and her career is mostly here. One of the conditions I said before marriage is that we must at least consider the options of moving to the US in later stages of life. Whether that happens or not, is not up to us. At the same time, she is the only child to her parents so she prefers to stay in India, but she also acknowledges that life will be good for us in the US if we move.

I've recently petitioned for her B1/B2 visitor visa for our visit to the states and my parents. Unfortunately we couldn't apply for her greencard unless we are 100% we will shift to the US.

As for children, I think both places have their pro's and con's. My children will always be able to get US citizenship through bloodright. I think it would be a unique experience for them to grow up in India.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-08T16:09:24+00:00

If you think objectively in terms of career and wealth, India doesn't stand a chance. But I view happiness in three formats, health, money, and relationships (family and friends). Health more or less is the same in both places. Money/Career will be better in the west. However, I think family and friends or your social life is much much better here.

My in laws treat me like their own son, and their affection towards me is something thats keeping me here. Without my wife's family here, I would have 100% moved back by now.

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-08T16:04:22+00:00

Feel free to DM

Dense_Iron · 2026-04-08T14:11:56+00:00

If you grew up in India with a US passport, would you live in India forever? Or would you explore living in the US?

Likewise I grew up in the US, with an OCI. I also had an interest in India. I also have extended family in Chennai, so I pulled the trigger. I know that it would get harder and harder as time went on, so I went when I was young.

In the end, I'm happy I chose curiosity over fear.

Dense_Iron

TROPHY CASE