8 Things NRIs Should Sort During Their India Visit

There is a version of every India trip where the admin list keeps getting pushed to "tomorrow" until you are at the airport. Most of these things are either only possible in person or just infinitely easier when you are here. Worth doing them properly this time.

1. Sort Your PAN Status

If your PAN does not reflect NRI status on the Income Tax portal, it can create problems with TDS deductions and investment transactions. Two scenarios:

• Already have Aadhaar? Link it to your PAN on the Income Tax portal.

• No Aadhaar? Update your residential status as Non-Resident on the portal with your passport as supporting document.

One clarification that often causes confusion: this applies based on residency, not citizenship. NRI OCI cardholders are not required to link Aadhaar. Resident Indian OCIs are. If you are unsure about your status, a CA can sort this in one sitting while you are here.

2. Get Health Insurance Started

Your foreign coverage, whether NHS, a US employer plan, or UAE insurance, does not work in India. If you need a hospital visit during this trip, you are paying out of pocket.

The longer-term issue is waiting periods. Indian health insurance carries waiting periods of up to 36 months for pre-existing conditions. If you are planning to return in the next few years, starting the policy now means the clock is already running by the time you land permanently. Many NRIs who moved back wish someone had told them this before their return, not after.

3. Get an Indian Number

OTPs run everything here. Bank transactions, ITR filing, Aadhaar verification, UPI. Without an Indian number, you are locked out of most of it.

On the postpaid vs prepaid debate, there is no single right answer:

• Postpaid connections stay active without maintenance

• Prepaid with annual recharge and international roaming also works, and many NRIs have used this successfully for years

• Whatever you pick, enable international OTPs so the number works when you go back

One thing to check: Aadhaar OTP authentication requires the mobile number registered with UIDAI. If your registered number is a foreign one, update it to your Indian number while you are here.

4. Get the Dental Work Done

Healthcare costs are one area where being in India is a straightforward financial advantage. Root canal, crowns, cleaning, whatever has been pending. The cost difference between India and most countries NRIs live in is not small. Quality dental care across Indian cities has improved considerably. Use the trip.

5. Consolidate Your Bank Accounts

Multiple accounts spread across banks from college, first jobs, and various reasons are a compliance headache to manage from abroad. Each one has KYC requirements, each one may generate taxable income.

Keep what you need, typically one NRE account for repatriable funds and one NRO for India-sourced income. Close the rest. A branch visit handles this in a few hours, which would otherwise be weeks of emails.

6. File Pending ITRs and Claim TDS Refunds

NRO fixed deposits have TDS deducted at 30% by default. If your actual tax liability on that income is lower, you are owed a refund. Filing an ITR is how you claim it.

Check Form 26AS on the Income Tax portal to see what has been deducted against your PAN. Many NRIs are surprised by the number. The refund from even a few years of FD income is often worth the filing effort.

7. If You're Thinking About Moving Back, Use This as a Trial Trip

If a permanent return is somewhere on the horizon, treat this trip as groundwork. School admissions have waiting lists, neighbourhoods have changed, and property prices are rarely what someone told you two years ago. The families who plan 12 to 18 months ahead land back in India with far less friction than those who decide in March and arrive in July.

There is also a financial layer to coming back that most people underestimate: 401k decisions, the RNOR tax period, converting accounts, restructuring investments built over years abroad. Getting clarity on this before committing to a timeline saves a lot of undoing later.

8. Physical Presence Is an Underrated Asset

Most of the above is technically doable from abroad. But technically doable and practically doable are not the same thing. A CA can sort PAN issues in one meeting that would have taken weeks of couriering documents. Bank KYC that takes a month over email takes a morning in a branch.

If you have a few weeks here, the first two or three days spent on this list removes months of low-level admin anxiety later.

At Turtle, we work with returning NRIs on the financial side of all of this, from cross-border taxes and account restructuring to planning a homecoming from scratch. If any of this is on your mind, we are happy to talk.