Various representations have been received requesting for clarification regarding admissibility of export remittances received in Special INR Vostro account, as permitted by RBI, for the purpose of consideration of supply of services to qualify as export of services as per the provisions of clause (6) of section 2 of the Integrated Goods & Services Tax Act, 2017 (herein after referred to as the ‘IGST Act”).
The issue has been examined and to ensure uniformity in the implementation of the provisions of law across the field formations, the Board, in exercise of its powers conferred by section 168 (1) of the Central Goods & Services Tax Act, 2017 (herein after referred to as the ‘CGST Act”), hereby clarifies the issue as under:
Relevant legal provisions:
3.1 Export of services has been defined under clause (6) of section 2 of IGST Act. As per the said definition, any supply of services needs to fulfill five conditions for it to qualify as export of services. Clause (6) of section 2 of the IGST Act is reproduced below for reference:
“(6) “export of services” means the supply of any service when, –
(i) the supplier of service is located in India;
(ii) the recipient of service is located outside India;
(iii) the place of supply of service is outside India;
(iv) the payment for such service has been received by the supplier of service in convertible foreign exchange or in Indian rupees wherever permitted by the Reserve Bank of India; and
(v) the supplier of service and the recipient of service are not merely establishments of a distinct person in accordance with Explanation 1 in section 8;”
3.2 One of the conditions mentioned in sub-clause (iv) of Section 2(6) of the IGST Act is that the payment for such service has been received by the supplier of service in convertible foreign exchange or in Indian rupees wherever permitted by the Reserve Bank of India.
3.3 Reference is invited to RBI’s A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.10 dated 11th July, 2022 regarding International Trade Settlement in Indian Rupees (INR), vide which it has been clarified that to promote growth of global trade with emphasis on exports from India and to support the increasing interest of global trading community in INR, it has been decided to put in place an additional arrangement for invoicing, payment, and settlement of exports / imports in INR. Before putting in place this mechanism, AD banks shall require prior approval from the Foreign Exchange Department of Reserve Bank of India, Central Office at Mumbai. Para 3 of the Circular is reproduced below:
“3. In terms of Regulation 7(1) of Foreign Exchange Management (Deposit) Regulations, 2016, AD banks in India have been permitted to open Rupee Vostro Accounts. Accordingly, for settlement of trade transactions with any country, AD bank in India may open Special Rupee Vostro Accounts of correspondent bank/s of the partner trading country. In order to allow settlement of international trade transactions through this arrangement, it has been decided that:
(a) Indian importers undertaking imports through this mechanism shall make payment in INR which shall be credited into the Special Vostro account of the correspondent bank of the partner country, against the invoices for the supply of goods or services from the overseas seller /supplier.
(b) Indian exporters, undertaking exports of goods and services through this mechanism, shall be paid the export proceeds in INR from the balances in the designated Special Vostro account of the correspondent bank of the partner country.”
3.4 Reference is also invited to Para 2.52 (d) of chapter related to General Provisions Regarding Imports and Exports of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023, which has come into force from 01.04.2023, which specifies that:
Para 2.52 (d) Invoicing, payment and settlement of exports and imports is also permissible in INR subject to compliances as under RBI’s A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.10 dated 11th July, 2022. Accordingly, settlement of trade transactions in INR
shall take place through the Special Rupee Vostro Accounts opened by AD banks in India as permitted under Regulation 7(1) of Foreign Exchange Management (Deposit) Regulations, 2016, in accordance to the following procedures:
(i) Indian importers undertaking imports through this mechanism shall make payment in INR which shall be credited into the Special Vostro account of the correspondent bank of the partner country, against the invoices for the supply of goods or services from the overseas seller /supplier
(ii) Indian exporters, undertaking exports of goods and services through this mechanism, shall be paid the export proceeds in INR from the balances in the designated Special Vostro account of the correspondent bank of the partner country. 3.5 On perusal of the above, it can be stated that the condition(s) of sub-clause (iv) of Section 2(6) of the IGST Act, 2017, can be considered to be fulfilled when the Indian exporters, undertaking exports of services, are paid the export proceeds in INR from the balances in the designated Special Vostro Account of the correspondent bank of the partner trading country in terms of Regulation 7(1) of Foreign Exchange Management (Deposit) Regulations, 2016, as mandated by RBI’s A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.10 dated 11th July, 2022 and reiterated further in Foreign Trade Policy, 2023.
Clarification: Therefore, it is clarified that when the Indian exporters, undertaking export of services, are paid the export proceeds in INR from the Special Rupee Vostro Accounts of correspondent bank(s) of the partner trading country, opened by AD banks, the same shall be considered to be fulfilling the conditions of sub-clause (iv) of clause (6) of section 2 of IGST Act, 2017, subject to the conditions/ restrictions mentioned in Foreign Trade Policy, 2023 & extant RBI Circulars and without prejudice to the permissions / approvals, if any, required under any other law.