Can I get Form 15CA and 15CB done online without visiting a CA in person?

Last updated 3 August 2026

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An NRI doctor based in Houston needed to repatriate Rs 65 lakhs from his Kotak NRO account in Chennai to his US bank account. He had no CA relationship in India and had not visited since 2019. His approach was to find a CA locally in Houston who knew Indian NRI taxation. He could not find one. An online service connected him with a CA specialising in NRI remittances, handled all document exchange by email, completed 15CB and 15CA within three business days, and his bank processed the repatriation the following week. He never left Houston.

The entire 15CA and 15CB compliance process runs on the Income Tax e-filing portal and does not require any physical presence at any point.

Form 15CB (now Form 146) is submitted by the CA on the Income Tax portal under their own credentials. The CA uses a Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate issued by a certified authority in India, and the certificate is also tagged with a UDIN generated on the ICAI UDIN portal. This digital filing has the same legal standing as a physically signed paper certificate. Under the Information Technology Act, 2000, documents authenticated with a valid DSC are legally equivalent to signed originals for all practical purposes.

Form 15CA (now Form 145) is filed on the same portal by the remitter or their authorised representative. The remitter logs in using their PAN and password, completes the form, and submits. Alternatively, a CA or compliance service can file 15CA on the remitter's behalf if granted portal access or set up as an authorised e-return intermediary.

The only physical movement in the entire process is documents, and those travel digitally. You share your invoice, PAN, beneficiary bank details, TDS challan if applicable, and TRC if a DTAA benefit is being claimed, all by email or through a secure upload link. The CA reviews these, prepares the 15CB, and uploads it. You receive the acknowledgement numbers by email and take them to your bank, which can also be done by forwarding the PDFs to the bank's forex desk email address.

Most Authorised Dealer banks accept documentation for foreign remittances by email to their NRI or international banking desk. HDFC, ICICI, Kotak, and SBI all have NRI service portals where documents can be uploaded directly. You do not need to visit a branch to submit 15CA and 15CB documentation in most cases.

For NRIs, the online process is not just convenient but structurally necessary. NRI banking relationships are managed remotely by design. Banks have built their NRI servicing infrastructure around email, phone, and portal-based communication. Requiring an NRI to physically visit India to get 15CB issued or submitted would be impractical and no bank expects it.

For Indian residents making their first foreign payment, typically a freelancer paying a foreign service vendor or a startup making their first software vendor payment, the online process removes the social barrier of walking into a CA office without an introduction or prior relationship. A structured online service provides a clear list of documents required, a defined turnaround commitment, and tracking visibility throughout.

For companies with volume, the online model scales in a way that ad-hoc CA visits do not. A finance team making fifteen to twenty foreign payments per month cannot have a team member visiting a CA office for each one. An online service that integrates into the finance workflow, sends document checklists, and returns acknowledgements without in-person coordination is operationally superior.

When evaluating an online service for 15CB and 15CA, the practical questions to ask are: Does the CA team understand the nature of your specific payment types? Do they handle DTAA analysis or only straightforward cases? What is their stated turnaround for standard and urgent certificates? How are errors or bank rejections handled? Is there a contact person for follow-up questions?

The legal and compliance quality of a 15CB does not change based on whether it was prepared in a face-to-face meeting or remotely. What matters is whether the CA who signed it actually reviewed the transaction, verified the TDS position, and certified based on accurate facts. This can be done just as rigorously online.

This article is for general information only. For your specific remittance, consult a practicing CA.