How to invest through GIFT City, start to finish

Resident Indians can remit up to USD 250,000 per financial year under the LRS to invest through IFSC entities. Remittances above ₹10 lakh in a financial year attract 20% tax collected at source on the amount over the threshold; the threshold rose from ₹7 lakh to ₹10 lakh with effect from 1 April 2025 and continues under the Income Tax Act, 2025 from 1 April 2026. TCS is adjustable against your tax liability. NRIs can invest through GIFT City without LRS limits using foreign funds, and several IFSC brokers cater specifically to NRIs who want India-regulated access to global markets. Funds move from your Indian bank to the IFSC broker's account, typically in USD.

Not every product on a GIFT City broker's menu is open to every visitor. Resident Indians invest under the LRS, which permits buying foreign shares, ETFs and funds but does not extend to leveraged exchange-traded derivatives such as GIFT Nifty futures. Several brokers state that their NSE IX and India INX derivatives are available only to NRIs and non-resident clients. Institutional clearing members may not onboard retail clients at all. Our comparison table shows eligibility only where a broker publishes it and marks the rest as not verified.

Also distinguish direct foreign shares (bought and held through a Global Access Provider or overseas broker) from NSE IX depository receipts (USD-traded receipts backed by US shares held in the IFSC) and from derivatives (leveraged contracts on indices, stocks, currencies and commodities). They carry different custody arrangements, costs and risk.

IFSCA issues broker-dealer registrations for trading on the two IFSC exchanges, NSE IX and India INX, and separate approvals for entities distributing unlisted foreign securities such as US stocks through partnerships with overseas brokers. Some platforms hold both; others are marketing fronts for a foreign broker with no IFSC licence at all. Check the IFSCA register for the exact legal entity and permitted activities. Our IFSCA regulation page links to the register.

Products available through IFSC include US and other foreign stocks and ETFs (often fractional), GIFT Nifty index derivatives, depository receipts, and increasingly foreign-currency bonds and funds. Direct listing of Indian companies on IFSC exchanges is being enabled.

Compare account opening fees, brokerage per trade or per share, currency conversion spreads on INR to USD, custody or platform fees, dividend handling and withdrawal charges. Gains on foreign shares held over 24 months are long-term and taxed at 12.5% for resident Indians; shorter holdings are taxed at slab rates. Dividends from US stocks face 25% US withholding under the India-US treaty, creditable in India via Form 67. Settlement times and the ease of repatriating funds back to your Indian account are the issues verified reviewers raise most often.

Profiles are scored on IFSCA licence scope, total cost including conversion, product range, funding and repatriation reliability, support and verified user sentiment. Scores are editorial assessments by our research team, not user ratings, and not investment advice. Sponsored listings are labelled and never affect scores. Read our methodology and how we make money via the links below.