NRI yearly checklist: keep your Indian SIM, PAN, KYC and accounts active

Living abroad, you rarely lose access back home all at once. A SIM lapses, the bank's one-time codes stop arriving, and then a KYC renewal can't be finished from overseas. Go through this list once a year, or print it and keep it with your papers.

Print this checklist

1. Recharge your Indian mobile number before it expires

   Keeps bank, Aadhaar and DigiLocker OTPs working.

   Before each plan expires

2. Check PAN residential status is NRI

   Banks and the Income Tax Department use it to decide how your accounts and income in India are treated.

   Every year

3. Aadhaar linked to PAN

   If you hold an Aadhaar, check whether your PAN must be linked; an inoperative PAN blocks many bank and tax transactions.

   Once

4. Resident accounts redesignated to NRO

   Resident savings accounts should be converted once you become an NRI; banks can freeze accounts that weren't.

   Once

5. Bank KYC current

   Banks can restrict accounts with lapsed KYC, and it is much harder to fix from abroad.

   Every year

6. OCI details updated after a passport renewal

   Your OCI is tied to your passport number. When you must update it depends on your age and has changed recently, so check the current High Commission advice.

   When it changes

7. Nominations on parents' policies, accounts and property

   Nominees make it far simpler for the family to claim accounts, policies and property if a parent dies.

   Every year

Rules change. This list tells you what to check, not the current deadline: confirm the details with the official source before you act.