For any Indian living abroad who is keen on investing in Indian markets, the necessity to be present physically to complete paperwork and other formalities have always been a challenge.

But now, according to a recent circular from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), intermediaries are allowed to accept digital KYC submissions from NRI investors residing in countries that are compliant with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Procedural formalities that include Know Your Customer (KYC), the identity and address verification, and other processes that are mandatory for opening an account can now be done through Indian brokers and mutual fund houses.

Overseas citizens, NRIs and foreign nationals can open investment accounts without having to fly down. This change applies to Indian diaspora in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, the UAE, and Singapore. NRIs can complete the entire KYC online by submitting their PAN, passport, address proof, and OCI card where necessary.

Where physical verification cannot be done, intermediaries can conduct a Video In-Person Verification (VIPV), which will be audited, geo-tagged, and encrypted.

That said, KYC records will also carry attribute-level tagging, where each piece of information such as address and phone number will be individually marked as either ‘validated’ or not.

The circular comes into force on December 3, 2026. – editor@nrifocus.com