When is the FLA return due?

The FLA return is due by 15 July each year, reporting foreign liabilities and assets as at 31 March. If it was filed on unaudited accounts, a revised return based on the audited figures is due by the end of September.

How is the FLA return filed?

It is filed online only through the RBI's FLAIR portal at flair.rbi.org.in. There is no email or offline submission route, so the entity must register on FLAIR before filing.

Who has to file the FLA return?

Any Indian entity that has received foreign direct investment or made overseas investment must file, provided such a balance is outstanding at the close of the financial year. An entity with no outstanding foreign balance at year-end may not need to file for that year.

Compliance

FLA Return

File the annual Foreign Liabilities and Assets return with the RBI for entities holding foreign investment.

What's covered

The Foreign Liabilities and Assets (FLA) return is an annual report to the Reserve Bank of India of an entity's outstanding foreign investment — both what it owes to non-residents and what it holds abroad.
It must be filed by every Indian company, LLP or other entity that has received foreign direct investment or made overseas investment, where any such balance is outstanding at the close of the financial year.
The return is filed online only through the RBI's FLAIR portal (flair.rbi.org.in); there is no email or offline route for submission.
It reports positions as at 31 March, so an entity that received foreign investment during the year but holds no outstanding balance at year-end may fall outside the filing requirement for that year.

How we work

01
Register on the FLAIR portal
Register the entity on the RBI FLAIR portal (flair.rbi.org.in) and obtain login access, since the FLA return is accepted online only and not by email or in physical form.
02
Compile the year-end foreign positions
Gather the outstanding foreign liabilities and assets as at 31 March from the audited financial statements, or from provisional figures where the audit is not yet complete.
03
File by 15 July and revise if needed
File the FLA return through FLAIR by 15 July each year; if it was filed on unaudited or provisional accounts, submit a revised return based on the audited figures by the end of September.

Documents required

Audited financial statements for the financial year, or provisional figures if not yet audited
Details of foreign direct investment received and overseas investment made
Outstanding foreign liabilities and assets as at 31 March
FLAIR portal login credentials for the entity

Applicable laws & forms

Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 — governs reporting of foreign liabilities and assets
RBI requirement to file the annual FLA return through the FLAIR portal (flair.rbi.org.in) by 15 July
Filing accepted online only — no email or offline submission