Back home
The India side of life on a US visa: accounts and taxes in two countries, paperwork you have to do from 8,000 miles away, trips home, emergencies, parents visiting, and getting through the airport faster. India first; China is coming.
General guidance with official sources on every page, not legal or tax advice. Rules in both countries change often; check the "Last verified" date and talk to a CPA or attorney about your own situation.
Money & tax
ToolFBAR & FATCA checkerDo you have to report your Indian accounts to the IRS and FinCEN? Plus every deadline in both countries. NRE, NRO or FCNR? Indian bank accounts after you moveOnce you live abroad, your Indian savings account has to become an NRO account. What NRE, NRO and FCNR(B) accounts are for, how each is taxed in India and the US, and how much you can move to the US.US tax on Indian money: FBAR, FATCA, Indian mutual funds and tax creditsAs a US tax resident, the IRS taxes your Indian interest, rent and gains, and FinCEN wants a list of your Indian accounts. What to report, the Indian mutual fund (PFIC) trap, and how to avoid paying tax twice.Filing an Indian tax return as an NRIWhen an NRI has to file in India, how residential status is decided, the July 31 deadline, and what changed with India's new Income-tax Act from April 2026.Owning, renting out or selling property in India from the USRent, sale and tax in both countries for a flat or land back home: the higher tax deducted when an NRI sells, getting a lower-deduction certificate, how much you can bring to the US, and what the IRS wants.
Paperwork from abroad
ToolWhich consulate is mine?Pick your state: your Indian mission, its VFS centre and what it handles. Renewing your Indian passport in the USSince January 2026 you apply on the new Passport Seva portal and submit at a VFS Global centre or by mail. Documents, photos, Tatkaal, police verification and how long it takes.OCI for your US-born child, and when you become a US citizenHow a US-born child gets an OCI card (or Indian citizenship by descent), why you must surrender your Indian passport after naturalizing, and when an OCI has to be re-issued.Aadhaar and PAN for NRIsNRIs can get Aadhaar on a visit home without the 182-day wait, don't have to link PAN with Aadhaar, and use new PAN forms since April 2026. What to do if your PAN shows as inoperative.Power of attorney from the US for use in IndiaHow to sign a power of attorney in the US so a parent or sibling can sell property, run a bank account or deal with an office in India: notary, witnesses, consulate attestation or apostille, and stamping within 3 months.
Going home
Also: Visa stamping in 2026 · Visa appointment waits · Travel-ready check
Family emergencies
ToolEmergency kitThe fastest safe way home for your status, and a printable grab sheet. After a parent dies in India: the paperworkWhat has to be done after a death in India and what you can do from the US: the death certificate, legal heir and succession certificates, bank claims under RBI's 2025 rules, pensions and property.
Also: A family emergency back home · The "if something happens to me" binder
Parents in the US
ToolParents’ stay counterEnter their I-94 date: the leave-by date and when an extension would need filing. Parents in the US: health insurance, length of stay and medicinesVisitor medical insurance (and what pre-existing-condition cover really means), how long parents can stay on a B-2, extending with Form I-539, bringing medicines, and the only path to a green card for parents.
Also: Parents visiting on a B-2 visa · Parents’ visit planner
Airports
ToolWhich programs can I get?Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, CLEAR and the CBP app, by passport and status. Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, CLEAR and the CBP app on a visaIndian citizens on H-1B and H-4 can now get Global Entry, which includes TSA PreCheck. What each program does, who can use it, the two-country application for Indians, and why the Mobile Passport Control app won't work for you.