How Much Cash Can You Carry Into Each Country? Customs Limits for 25 Destinations

You have the dirhams, the dollars or the baht in an envelope, and the question at the back of your mind is whether it is too much. Will customs stop you on landing? Do you need a form? Can they take it?

For most Indian travellers the honest answer is no, because India itself limits you to USD 3,000 in foreign currency notes per trip, and most countries only ask you to declare far larger sums. But the rules are not the same everywhere. A few countries cap their own currency, Saudi Arabia lowered its threshold this year, and gold and jewellery count towards the limit in the Gulf.

This guide gives the customs cash limit by country for 25 places Indians travel to most, checked against each country's customs authority or central bank in October 2026, plus India's own rules on the way out and back.

 

 

First, India's Own Rules

Before the destination's customs, there is RBI. These rules apply to every Indian resident travelling abroad.

 

Rule	Limit	Source
Foreign currency notes you can buy per trip	USD 3,000 or equivalent; USD 5,000 for Iraq and Libya; no notes limit for Iran, Russia and other CIS countries	RBI Master Direction, Other Remittance Facilities, para 3.1.1
The rest of your travel money	On a forex card or other non-cash form, within the LRS limit of USD 250,000 a year	RBI
Indian rupee notes, out and back	₹25,000 per person	FEMA 6(R) Regulation 3
Indian rupees to Nepal and Bhutan	Notes above ₹100 up to ₹25,000 in total; notes of ₹100 and below without a stated limit (from 2 December 2025)	FEMA 6(R) Regulation 8
Declaring foreign currency when you land back in India	Currency Declaration Form if notes exceed USD 5,000, or notes plus travellers' cheques exceed USD 10,000	FEMA 6(R) Regulation 6
Keeping leftover foreign currency at home	Up to USD 2,000 in notes and travellers' cheques with no time limit; sell back anything above that within 180 days	FEMA 11(R) and RBI

Sources: RBI Master Direction, Other Remittance Facilities and FEMA 6(R)/2015-RB, Export and Import of Currency, as amended to 2026.

 

The USD 3,000 limit is on notes, not on your trip. A family of four can carry USD 3,000 each, and the rest of the budget goes on a forex card. Our guides to RBI rules on carrying foreign currency and declaring currency at Indian airports cover the Indian side in full.

 

Customs Cash Limits by Country

"Declare at" means you must tell customs if you carry that amount or more; it is not a ban. The rare real limits are listed separately below the table.

 

Destination	Declare at	Roughly in rupees	What counts	Source
UAE	More than AED 60,000	₹15.6 lakh	Cash, financial instruments, precious metals and stones	UAE government portal
Saudi Arabia	SAR 40,000 or more	₹10.2 lakh	Currency, bearer instruments, gold bars, precious metals, gemstones and jewellery	ZATCA
Qatar	QAR 50,000 or more	₹13.1 lakh	Currency, bearer instruments, precious metals and stones	Qatar News Agency (secondary)
Oman	OMR 6,000	₹14.8 lakh	Currency, bearer securities, precious metals and stones	Oman Customs
Thailand	More than USD 20,000 in foreign currency	₹19.0 lakh	Foreign currency	Royal Thai Embassy (secondary)
Singapore	More than SGD 20,000	₹14.9 lakh	Cash and bearer negotiable instruments	ICA
Malaysia	More than USD 10,000 equivalent	₹9.5 lakh	Notes, coins, drafts, cheques, travellers' cheques	Bank Negara Malaysia
Indonesia	IDR 100 million or more	₹5.2 lakh	Cash and payment instruments	Government of Indonesia, 2016 (secondary)
Vietnam	More than USD 5,000, or more than VND 15 million	₹4.8 lakh	Cash only	State Bank of Vietnam Circular 15/2011 (secondary)
Sri Lanka	More than USD 15,000 on arrival	₹14.3 lakh	Foreign currency	Sri Lanka Customs
Nepal	More than USD 5,000 equivalent	₹4.8 lakh	Foreign currency, including Indian rupees	Nepal Rastra Bank notice, July 2026 (secondary)
Maldives	USD 10,000 or more	₹9.5 lakh	Cash and monetary instruments, in rufiyaa or foreign currency	Maldives customs circular, 2024 (secondary)
Mauritius	More than MUR 500,000	₹10.1 lakh	Cash and bearer instruments	Mauritius Revenue Authority
Japan	More than ¥1 million	₹6.1 lakh	Cash, cheques, securities; gold over 1 kg	Japan Customs
South Korea	More than USD 10,000	₹9.5 lakh	Foreign currency, won and cheques	Korea Customs Service
Hong Kong	More than HKD 120,000	₹14.6 lakh	Cash in any currency and bearer instruments	Hong Kong Customs
China (mainland)	Foreign cash of USD 5,000 or more; RMB 20,000 or more	₹4.8 lakh; ₹2.9 lakh	Cash	Shanghai government customs guide
Georgia	More than GEL 30,000	₹10.6 lakh	Cash, cheques and securities	Revenue Service of Georgia
EU and Schengen	€10,000 or more	₹10.7 lakh	Cash, bearer instruments, some gold	European Commission
Switzerland	No duty to declare; if asked, explain sums of CHF 10,000 or more	₹11.5 lakh	Cash and securities	Swiss customs (FOCBS)
United Kingdom	£10,000 or more	₹12.7 lakh	Cash, bearer bonds, travellers' cheques	GOV.UK
United States	More than USD 10,000	₹9.5 lakh	Cash, travellers' cheques, bearer instruments	US Customs and Border Protection
Canada	CAD 10,000 or more	₹6.8 lakh	Currency and monetary instruments	Canada Border Services Agency
Australia	AUD 10,000 or more	₹6.7 lakh	Physical currency; bearer instruments if asked	Reserve Bank of Australia
New Zealand	NZD 10,000 or more	₹5.4 lakh	Cash, cheques, travellers' cheques, bearer bonds	New Zealand Customs

Checked 26 October 2026 against the sources linked. Rows marked "secondary" rely on the best available non-official source because the official page could not be reached or found. Rupee figures at mid-market rates on 26 October 2026, as a scale guide only. Most thresholds apply on departure as well as arrival.

 

 

Where It Is a Real Limit, Not Just a Declaration

These are the rules that can actually stop you or cost you money.

China: RMB 20,000. You can carry up to RMB 20,000 in yuan notes in or out per trip. Taking foreign cash out above what you declared on arrival needs a bank or SAFE certificate.

Malaysia: ringgit capped at USD 10,000 equivalent. Foreign currency only needs declaring, but ringgit above USD 10,000 equivalent needs Bank Negara Malaysia's approval, in or out.

Indonesia: rupiah out. Taking IDR 100 million or more out of Indonesia needs a Bank Indonesia permit.

Vietnam: taking cash back out. Leaving with more than USD 5,000 needs the declaration you made on arrival, or a bank permit.

South Korea: leaving as a visitor. Non-residents taking out more than USD 10,000 need approval, unless it is no more than they declared on arrival.

Nepal: Indian rupee notes. Nepal allows Indian ₹200 and ₹500 notes issued after November 2016 up to ₹25,000 per person, in line with India's own rule. Old ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes are prohibited.

The pattern is the same everywhere: if you bring a large amount in, declare it on arrival, even below the threshold, so you can take it out again without questions.

 

What Changed in 2026, and What Most Websites Still Get Wrong

Saudi Arabia lowered its threshold to SAR 40,000. Most travel sites and many news reports still say SAR 60,000, but ZATCA's own page, updated 11 August 2026, says 40,000, and it counts gold and jewellery too. It applies on departure as well, which matters for anyone flying home with jewellery bought in Jeddah or Madinah.

The Maldives is USD 10,000, not 30,000. The threshold dropped in stages, and many pages still show the old figure.

Nepal and Bhutan rupee rules were updated. India's rule now allows notes above ₹100 up to ₹25,000 in total, and Nepal's central bank issued a matching notice in July 2026.

Switzerland has no declaration duty at all. Several websites say you must declare above CHF 10,000. Swiss customs says you may carry unlimited cash without declaring it, but must explain sums of CHF 10,000 or more if asked.

 

A Worked Example: Umrah With Gold on the Way Home

A pilgrim flies to Jeddah with the full USD 3,000 in notes allowed from India, which is about SAR 11,260 at today's rates. Well under the SAR 40,000 threshold, no declaration needed on arrival.

On the way home, they carry SAR 4,000 left over and gold jewellery bought in Madinah worth SAR 37,000. The total is SAR 41,000, which is over SAR 40,000, so they must declare on departure, and Saudi customs asks for the purchase invoices for gold and jewellery.

Then India's rules apply on landing: the leftover notes are well under USD 5,000, so no Currency Declaration Form, but the jewellery has to fit India's duty-free allowance or be declared; our Dubai Shopping Festival guide explains the 2026 gold rules for short trips.

 

Common Mistakes

Assuming the USD 3,000 is per family. It is per traveller.

Splitting cash between family members to stay under a threshold. Australia, among others, treats deliberate splitting as an offence. Declare instead.

Forgetting that gold counts in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Oman include precious metals or jewellery.

Not declaring on arrival what you plan to take out. In China, Vietnam and South Korea, the arrival declaration is what lets you leave with it.

Trusting an old figure. Saudi Arabia and the Maldives both changed in recent years. Check the official page before a large trip.

Carrying your whole budget in cash. It is the costliest way to carry money and the hardest to replace if lost. Keep cash to a few days' needs and put the rest on a forex card.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How much cash can I carry from India to another country?

An Indian resident can buy and carry up to USD 3,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency notes per trip, or USD 5,000 for Iraq and Libya, with no notes limit for Iran, Russia and other CIS countries. The rest of the travel money goes on a forex card or other non-cash form. You can also carry up to ₹25,000 in Indian rupee notes.

 

How much cash can I carry to Dubai from India?

The UAE requires you to declare cash, financial instruments and precious metals or stones worth more than AED 60,000. From India, RBI allows up to USD 3,000 in foreign currency notes per trip, about AED 11,000, so most travellers are well below the UAE threshold.

 

What is the cash limit for Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia requires a declaration for currency, bearer instruments, gold, precious metals, gemstones and jewellery worth SAR 40,000 or more, on arrival and departure, according to ZATCA's page updated in August 2026. Many websites still show the older SAR 60,000 figure.

 

Is the declaration limit the maximum I can carry?

No. In most countries it is the amount above which you must declare, not a ban. You can carry more if you declare it. A few countries do cap their own currency, such as China at RMB 20,000 and Malaysia's ringgit at USD 10,000 equivalent.

 

What happens if I don't declare cash above the limit?

Customs can seize the undeclared cash and impose fines, and in some countries, such as Singapore, failing to declare can lead to prosecution. Declaring is free and usually takes a few minutes, often online before you travel.

 

Do I need to declare foreign currency when I return to India?

Yes, if your foreign currency notes exceed USD 5,000, or notes and travellers' cheques together exceed USD 10,000, you must file a Currency Declaration Form with Indian customs on arrival. Below those amounts, no declaration is needed.

 

Carry Less Cash, Spend Smarter

Customs limits rarely bite for Indian travellers, because RBI's USD 3,000 notes limit keeps most cash well below them. The bigger question is how to carry the rest. Matrix Forex is an RBI-authorised Authorised Dealer Category-II (licence NDL-ADII-0023-2023). We sell foreign currency notes within RBI's per-trip limits, load forex cards for the rest of your budget, and show you the rate before you pay. Start at buy forex, and when you are back, sell your leftover currency before the 180-day window closes.