The export realisation period in 2026: why it is 9 months again

Why do guides disagree on the realisation period?

Because RBI changed it three times in eleven months, under two sets of regulations. A guide written between November 2025 and June 2026 says 15 months, and so does anyone who read the 2026 regulations as first notified in January.

What is the realisation period now?

• Services: 9 months from the date of the invoice.
• Goods: 9 months from the date of shipment.
• Goods sent to a warehouse outside India: 9 months from the date they are sold from the warehouse.
• Exports invoiced or settled in Indian rupees: 12 months.
• Extensions: your AD bank may allow more time when you ask, citing reasons for the delay, if it is satisfied with them.

What does the timeline look like for one invoice?

Dates are illustrative; your bank applies the rule to your actual invoice date.

What happens to invoices raised before 1 October 2026?

They were raised under the 2015 regulations, which have said 9 months since the June 2026 amendment. If an invoice was raised while the 15-month window applied, ask your AD bank which period it is applying to that invoice rather than assuming either — this is exactly the kind of case the bank decides.

What if my client pays late?

• Track every invoice from its date, not from when the client said they would pay.
• Part-payments count towards realisation; the balance still has to arrive inside the period.
• Talk to your AD bank before the deadline — it can extend the period if it accepts your reasons.
• For an invoice up to ₹10 lakh, the EDPMS entry can be closed on your declaration that it has been realised, in full or otherwise, and declarations can be filed quarterly in bulk.
• If a client will never pay in full, ask your bank about reducing the export value: the regulations let it accept a reduction, including non-realisation, based on your declaration.

Why does realisation matter for GST?

Under an LUT you invoice without IGST on the promise that the export completes. For services, rule 96A of the CGST Rules expects the payment within one year of the invoice, or the FEMA period including any RBI-permitted extension, whichever is later; otherwise you pay the tax with interest within 15 days after that. With FEMA at 9 months, the one-year GST clock is usually the later one. See GST on export of services.

Keep the trail

The invoice, the EDF and the remittance advice together show the export was declared and realised. Keep all three for every invoice. For how the money itself gets to you, see the complete guide to receiving international payments in India.