Find the appropriate purpose code for international payments and remittances.
Data Source Notice
The official RBI purpose code dataset is not connected yet. Results shown are a small demonstration dataset for interface validation only. Always confirm the applicable purpose code with your authorized dealer bank before reporting a transaction.
Enter keywords or codes to find the appropriate classification for your international remittance.
Purpose codes are mandatory regulatory requirements defined by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for all cross-border remittances. Selecting an incorrect code can result in transaction delays, compliance flags, or regulatory inquiries.
The information provided by this tool is for general guidance only and does not constitute legal, tax, banking, or regulatory advice. Users must verify the applicable purpose code with their Authorized Dealer (AD) bank and consult current official RBI guidelines before executing any transaction. Bandhu is not responsible for any issues arising from the use of codes found through this utility.
Search by keyword — the nature of the service, the type of goods, or the reason the money is moving.
If your bank has given you a code, look it up to read the description attached to it.
Read the candidate descriptions carefully; several codes can look similar until you read them closely.
Your authorised dealer bank determines the code applied to a transaction. Confirm before the remittance is processed.
Arriving with a considered code and a clear description of the transaction shortens the back-and-forth with your bank.
Consistent purpose coding across similar transactions makes your remittance records easier to reconcile and review.
Incomplete or contradictory purpose information is a common reason inward and outward remittances stall.
Finance teams that understand purpose coding brief their banks more precisely on unusual transactions.
Purpose codes are standardised identifiers used to describe why money is crossing India's borders. Authorised dealer banks report cross-border transactions against these codes so that flows can be classified consistently in national statistics.
They cover both directions — receipts against exports of goods and services, and payments for imports, subscriptions, royalties and other outward flows — with separate code series for each direction.
The code recorded against a remittance becomes part of the transaction's regulatory record. It should match the underlying commercial reality described in your invoice and contract.
A code that contradicts the supporting documents invites questions, delays the credit or debit, and can require the bank to reprocess the entry with a corrected declaration.
Exporters of software and professional services see a purpose code on every inward advice they receive. Businesses paying overseas vendors declare one when instructing an outward remittance.
Recurring flows of the same type should carry the same code. When a new type of transaction appears, agree the treatment with your bank once rather than deciding case by case.
Your bank will typically ask for the invoice, the contract or engagement terms, and a declaration of the nature of the transaction. The purpose code should be consistent with all of them.
On the inward side, the code appears on the remittance advice. Reading it as part of your reconciliation is a practical way to catch a misdeclaration early — the FIRA Analyzer surfaces this field where the advice states it.
Start from what was actually supplied, not from how the payment was labelled by the payer. Read the full description of each candidate code, and where two look close, ask your bank which one they apply to that fact pattern.
Bandhu does not determine the legally correct code for your transaction. This tool is a reference aid; the authorised dealer bank and the official documentation are the authority.
Bandhu coordinates banking, documentation and compliance for businesses sending and receiving money internationally. Start your requirement.
