Zerodha founder and CEO Nithin Kamath has welcomed the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) decision to ease digital Know Your Client (KYC) requirements for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), and foreign nationals, saying the move will simplify account opening for overseas investors and help attract more long-term capital into India.
“In August, I’d written about SEBI’s proposal to simplify account opening for NRIs. Good to see that the changes have now been finalised,” Kamath said in a post on X.
He said account opening had been one of the biggest hurdles for NRIs wanting to invest in India for years. While those with existing KYC could open accounts digitally, anyone abroad needing fresh KYC had to get documents attested by a notary or the Indian embassy, courier physical copies to India, and wait weeks for the account to open.
“From December 3, NRIs and OCIs living in FATF-compliant countries will be able to complete digital KYC entirely from abroad. Something that took weeks can now be done in 2–3 days,” Kamath said.
SEBI eases digital KYC norms for overseas investors
In a circular dated November 4, 2026, SEBI relaxed Know Your Client (KYC) requirements for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), and foreign nationals, allowing them to complete digital onboarding while residing overseas, subject to certain conditions.
The move removes the earlier requirement for investors to be physically present in India while completing digital KYC, which had effectively restricted overseas investors from completing the onboarding process remotely.
The revised framework will come into effect from December 3, 2026, or 30 days from the date of the circular. It will apply to individual PROI clients, excluding those residing in FATF non-compliant countries.
Kamath said making it easier for NRIs to invest in India was one of the simplest ways to attract more long-term capital, as many already wanted to invest in the country but found the process complicated.
“I’ve always felt that making it easier for NRIs to invest is one of the simplest ways to attract more long-term capital into India. Many of them already want to invest here, but the process has been complicated,” he said.
He added that Zerodha had been able to simplify several processes for NRIs over the last year, but account opening had remained one of the biggest challenges.
“At Zerodha, we’ve been able to simplify several things for NRIs over the last year, but account opening has remained one of the biggest challenges.
With this change, there’s no reason why you, as an NRI, should go elsewhere to trade and invest,” Kamath added.
