Reserve Bank of India

As per the existing FEMA regulations, in case of transfer of shares from Residents to Non-Residents where the investee company is in the financial services sector, No Objection Certificate (NoC) is required to be obtained from the respective financial sector regulator/regulators of the investee company as well as transferor and transferee entities and such NoC(s) are to be filed with the form FC-TRS to the AD bank.

RBI has now vide its circular RBI/2013-14/366 A. P. (DIR Series) Circular No.72 dated November 11, 2013 decided that the requirement of NoC(s) will be waived from the perspective of Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and no such NoC(s) need to be filed along with form FC-TRS. However, any ‘fit and proper/ due diligence’ requirement as regards the non-resident investor as stipulated by the respective financial sector regulator shall have to be complied with.