RBI says Kartarpur pilgrims allowed to carry, bring back up to Rs 11,000 as cash

The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday allowed Indians and OCI card holders travelling on pilgrimage to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, via the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to bring up to Rs 11,000 in rupees or US dollars, rather than the usual restriction of Rs 25,000. Except for Nepal and Bhutan, every Indian resident may carry overseas currency notes worth up to Rs 25,000, according to the Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Currency) Regulations, 2015. The same restriction applies when bringing in money.

In consultation with the government, the RBI has decided that Indian passport holders and persons of Indian origin carrying the Overseas Citizen of India Card along with their passports who travel to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur, via the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor shall be permitted to carry outside and bring back into India only Indian currency notes and/or foreign currency in USD, the total value of which may not exceed Rs 11,000. The Reserve Bank announced this in a statement headlined 'Lower monetary limit for pilgrims visiting Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.'

Also Read | As Kartarpur Corridor reopens; take a look at norms to be followed & how to book for pilgrimage

The Kartarpur corridor connects Pakistan's Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the ultimate resting place of Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak Dev, with India's Punjab state's Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district. The 4 km-long corridor allows Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Darbar Sahib without requiring a visa. Pilgrimages to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara were halted last March because of the COVID-19 epidemic. Last month, the Kartarpur corridor reopened. Around 100-200 Indian pilgrims are likely to go through the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on any given day.  As Gurdwara Darbar Sahib is on their side, the pilgrims will have to follow the COVID-19 norms of the Pakistani authorities.

• Kartarpur pilgrims
• RBI
• Kartarpur Corridor