How Do You Receive Money from Brazil to India in 2026?

A Brazilian client paying an Indian freelancer either pays reais domestically or makes an international transfer. Pix is the Banco Central do Brasil's instant payment system and moves reais between accounts in seconds, at any hour. Paying an Indian bank account needs a foreign exchange operation with an authorised institution and a SWIFT transfer.

• Rails: Domestic payments in reais run on Pix, which the Banco Central do Brasil describes as free for individuals and low cost for companies. A payment to an Indian bank needs a foreign exchange operation and a SWIFT transfer, since Pix reaches Brazilian accounts only.
• Client enters: For local BRL details, the client enters the Pix key or the bank, branch and account number shown. For a SWIFT wire, the client gives its Brazilian bank your name, Indian account number, your bank's SWIFT code and bank address, plus the invoice.
• Purpose code: Under Law 14.286 of 2021, the client is responsible for classifying the purpose of its foreign exchange operation. BCB Resolution 277 requires the exchange institution to show the client the purpose codes to choose from.
• Client cost: The client pays its bank's exchange spread and sending fee, plus IOF tax on the exchange under Decree 6.306 of 2007, article 15-B. IOF rates were changed several times in 2025, so the client should confirm the rate that applies with its bank.
• Payment limits: From 1 October 2026, BCB Resolution 277, article 49 limits a purchase through an eFX provider's digital payment solution to US$10,000 when it is not integrated with an e-commerce platform. Unilateral transfers through eFX are also limited to US$10,000.

The table ranks platforms with full published pricing for BRL by the INR received on BRL 27,000, then lists other business platforms that accept BRL, unranked. Fees were checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later.

You often receive less than the invoice value because of conversion margins, sending fees and intermediary deductions. A BRL payment may be converted twice, to US dollars in Brazil and then to INR. For example, at an example mid-market rate of ₹16 per real, a R$20,000 invoice is worth ₹320,000, but a 2% margin leaves about ₹313,600.

Each row applies the platform's published fee, FX markup and 18% GST on the fee to the mid-market rate of ₹17.45 per BRL for 2 Nov 2026.

• Total cost: Add the conversion margin, any percentage or flat fee and intermediary deductions, then compare the INR that lands in your account.
• Local rail coverage: Check whether the method gives Brazilian payment details that accept Pix or domestic transfers, so the client pays in reais at home.
• Settlement speed: Compare how long the money takes from the client's payment to the INR credit in your Indian bank.
• FIRA: Confirm that you get an inward remittance record for each payment. FIRA is not a statutory term, and GST refund rules refer to a BRC or FIRC.
• Client experience: A Brazilian client usually finds a Pix payment to local details easier than signing a foreign exchange operation with its bank for a SWIFT wire.
• Support: Check how quickly the provider or bank resolves a held, returned or wrongly coded payment.

Receiving money from Brazil as an export of services needs an inward remittance record, the correct purpose code and an EDF. The FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 apply from 1 October 2026. Payment must arrive within nine months of the invoice, or twelve months if invoiced or settled in INR.

• FIRA or e-FIRA: FIRA is not a term defined in RBI regulations. CGST Rule 89(2)(c) asks for BRC or FIRC details for each invoice in a refund claim, and the DGFT eBRC FAQs explain self-generated eBRCs from bank data. See what a FIRA is.
• Purpose code: Banks report receipts in FETERS using RBI's purpose codes under A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 84. For example, P0802 is "Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form)" and P1006 is "Business and management consultancy and public relations services".
• EDF for services: Declare service exports in an EDF within 30 days from the end of the invoice month under Regulation 3(2). Circular No. 20 supersedes the SOFTEX circulars from 1 October 2026, so software exports now use the EDF too. Exporters of services other than software may instead submit the EDF on or before the date the payment is received. See the EDF form.
• EDF for goods: Goods exporters declare the full export value in an EDF at the time of export under Regulation 3(1). For goods shipped through an EDI port, the EDF is deemed submitted as part of the shipping bill.
• EDPMS: Your AD bank closes the EDPMS entry when it credits the payment. For an invoice up to ₹10 lakh, the entry can be closed on your declaration, singly or in a quarterly bulk declaration, under Regulation 4(2).
• PA-CB fund safety: A cross-border payment aggregator must hold inward collections in an Inward Collection Account with an AD Category-I bank under the RBI Master Direction on Payment Aggregators. It can process up to ₹25 lakh per transaction.

Money received from Brazilian clients for services is usually a zero-rated export for GST and taxable income in India. Under IGST Act section 16, an export of services under an LUT carries no IGST. The India-Brazil convention lets Brazil tax technical and consultancy fees at up to 15 percent, and India gives credit for that tax.

• GST and LUT: A supply meeting the five conditions in IGST Act section 2(6) is an export of services. File an LUT in Form GST RFD-11 before exporting to avoid paying IGST under CGST Rule 96A. See LUT filing on the GST portal.
• Platform fees: Fees that an India-based payment provider or bank charges you are a domestic supply and usually carry GST. Keep the tax invoices, because registered exporters may be able to claim input tax credit.
• Income tax: The Income-tax Act, 2025 replaced the 1961 Act from 1 April 2026. The presumptive schemes, including old section 44ADA for professionals, are now consolidated in section 58. Earlier tax years stay under the 1961 Act.
• India-Brazil DTAA: Under Article 7 of the India-Brazil convention, business profits are taxable only in India unless you have a permanent establishment in Brazil. The protocol brings payments for managerial, technical or consultancy services under Article 12, where Brazilian tax cannot exceed 15 percent. Under Article 14, an individual's professional income can be taxed in Brazil when a Brazilian resident pays it.
• Brazil withholding: Brazil withholds income tax at 25 percent on payments for services to non-residents under Law 9.779, article 7. The rate is 15 percent for technical services and technical assistance under Provisional Measure 2.159-70, article 3. Treaty caps can lower the Brazilian tax. Article 23 lets you credit the Brazilian tax in India. See foreign withholding tax.
• Client-side taxes: A Brazilian company importing services may also owe PIS/PASEP-Importação and COFINS-Importação at 1.65 and 7.6 percent. A company paying for technical services from abroad owes CIDE at 10 percent. These taxes are the client's own cost and are not deducted from your invoice.

Rules and rails are linked to official sources below with the dates they were checked. Platform figures come from each platform's own pages, checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later, and RBI authorisation was checked against RBI's published list. Rates are European Central Bank reference rates (via frankfurter.dev), dated 2 Nov 2026. The method is on the methodology page.

1. Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, Notification No. FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, Reg 2(1)(f) specified authority; Reg 3(1) EDF for goods at the time of export, deemed part of shipping bill at EDI ports; Reg 3(2) EDF for services within 30 days from the end of month of invoice, with proviso (b) letting non-software service exporters submit on or before the date of receipt of payment; Reg 4(2) EDPMS closure on declaration for invoices up to ₹10 lakh, quarterly bulk option; Reg 5(1) realisation; Reg 18(2) FETERS reporting (checked 8 Oct 2026)
2. FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, Notification No. FEMA 23(R)/(1)/2026-RB (22 September 2026), Regulation 5(1): 'fifteen months' replaced by 'nine months'; 'eighteen months' replaced by 'twelve months'; in force from 1 October 2026 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
3. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20, RBI/2025-26/194: Export and Import of Goods and Services (16 January 2026), Supersedes the Master Direction on Export and listed circulars, including A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 9 of 25 October 2001 on Certification of SOFTEX Forms, from 1 October 2026 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
4. Foreign Exchange Management (Manner of Receipt and Payment) Regulations, 2023, Notification No. FEMA 14(R)/2023-RB, Reg 3(2): receipts through an Authorised Bank or Authorised Person; for countries outside the ACU, receipt in INR or any foreign currency (checked 8 Oct 2026)
5. RBI circular RBI/2026-27/08: Guidelines to facilitate faster cross-border inward payments (9 April 2026), Para 3: banks shall endeavour to credit inward payments received during forex market hours within the same business day and those received after market hours on the next business day; para 4: effective six months from the date of the circular; operative from 9 October 2026 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
6. RBI Master Direction on Regulation of Payment Aggregator (PA), RBI/DPSS/2025-26/141, Para 11(d): maximum ₹25 lakh per transaction for PA-CB; para 11(h): PA-CB provides documents for EDPMS closure; para 16(a) and Table 1: funds held in an Inward Collection Account (InCA) with an AD Category-I scheduled commercial bank (checked 8 Oct 2026)
7. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 84: Compilation of R-Returns, reporting under FETERS, revised purpose codes (29 February 2012), P0802 Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form); P1006 Business and management consultancy and public relations services (checked 8 Oct 2026)
8. RBI Master Direction - Deposits and Accounts, EEFC account: 100 percent of foreign exchange earnings may be credited; non-interest bearing; accruals of a calendar month converted to INR by the last day of the succeeding month after approved uses (checked 8 Oct 2026)
9. RBI Master Direction - Money Transfer Service Scheme, Only cross-border personal remittances such as family maintenance are allowed; trade related remittances shall not be made through this arrangement; cap of USD 2,500 per remittance; 30 remittances per beneficiary per year (checked 8 Oct 2026)
10. Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, Rule 89 (CBIC tax information portal), Rule 89(2)(c): statement of invoices with relevant BRC or FIRC for refund on export of services (checked 8 Oct 2026)
11. Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, Rule 96A (CBIC tax information portal), Export of services without payment of IGST under a Letter of Undertaking in Form GST RFD-11 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
12. Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, section 2 (CBIC tax information portal), Section 2(6): five conditions for export of services, including payment in convertible foreign exchange or INR where permitted by RBI (checked 8 Oct 2026)
13. Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, section 16: Zero rated supply (CBIC tax information portal), Section 16(1): export of services is a zero-rated supply; section 16(3): supply under bond or LUT without payment of IGST (checked 8 Oct 2026)
14. DGFT FAQs on Self-Generation of eBRC, Exporters self-generate eBRCs on the DGFT portal from inward remittance data shared by banks (checked 8 Oct 2026)
15. Income Tax Department: Objective and scope of the new Act (Income-tax Act, 2025) FAQs, FAQ 2: 1961 Act repealed on 01.04.2026; FAQ 25: presumptive schemes under sections 44AD, 44ADA and 44AE consolidated into section 58 of the Income Tax Act, 2025 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
16. Decreto nº 510, de 27 de abril de 1992: Convention between Brazil and India for the avoidance of double taxation (signed New Delhi, 26 April 1988) with Protocol, Article 7(1): business profits taxable only in the state of residence unless carried on through a permanent establishment; Article 12(2): source tax not to exceed 25% for trademark royalties and 15% in all other cases; Article 14(1): independent professional income taxable in the residence state unless paid by a resident of the other state or borne by a permanent establishment there; Article 23(1): deduction of tax paid in the other state, capped; Article 23(2): tax deemed paid at 25% of gross interest under Article 11(2) and royalties under Article 12(2)(b), not exceeding the tax payable in the first state; Protocol item 2: Article 12(3) applies to payments to any non-employee for managerial, administrative, scientific, technical or consultancy assistance or services; in force 11 March 1992 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
17. Decreto nº 9.219, de 4 de dezembro de 2017: Protocol amending the Brazil-India convention (signed 15 October 2013), Protocol replaces Article 26 (exchange of information); in force for Brazil on 6 August 2017 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
18. Banco Central do Brasil: Pix, Pix é um sistema de pagamento instantâneo criado pelo Banco Central, que permite transferir dinheiro entre contas em segundos, a qualquer hora e dia; gratuito para pessoa física e custo baixo para empresa (checked 8 Oct 2026)
19. Lei nº 14.286, de 29 de dezembro de 2021 (Brazil foreign exchange market law), Art. 3: foreign exchange operations only through institutions authorised by the Banco Central do Brasil; Art. 4 §2: the client is responsible for classifying the purpose of the foreign exchange operation; Art. 29: in force one year after publication (checked 8 Oct 2026)
20. Banco Central do Brasil: Resolução BCB nº 277 (foreign exchange market regulation), as amended by Resolução BCB nº 561 of 30 April 2026, Art. 4: institution must make purpose classification codes available to the client; Art. 49 (from 1 October 2026): eFX purchases via a digital payment solution not integrated with an e-commerce platform limited to US$10,000; unilateral transfers limited to US$10,000 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
21. Lei nº 9.779, de 19 de janeiro de 1999, article 7, Income from work and from the provision of services paid or remitted to residents abroad subject to withholding income tax at 25 percent (wording of Lei 13.315/2016) (checked 8 Oct 2026)
22. Medida Provisória nº 2.159-70, de 24 de agosto de 2001, article 3, Withholding income tax reduced to 15 percent on amounts remitted abroad for technical services and technical assistance and royalties of any nature, from the start of collection of the CIDE under Lei 10.168/2000 (checked 8 Oct 2026)
23. Lei nº 10.168, de 29 de dezembro de 2000 (CIDE), Art. 2 §2: from 1 January 2002, contribution also due from companies signing contracts for technical services and administrative assistance provided by residents abroad; §4: rate of 10 percent (checked 8 Oct 2026)
24. Lei nº 10.865, de 30 de abril de 2004 (PIS/PASEP-Importação and COFINS-Importação), Art. 1 §1: covers services from residents abroad performed in Brazil or whose result is verified in Brazil; Art. 3 II: triggered by payment or remittance for services; Art. 8 II: 1.65% PIS/PASEP-Importação and 7.6% COFINS-Importação (checked 8 Oct 2026)
25. Decreto nº 6.306, de 14 de dezembro de 2007 (IOF regulation), article 15-B, Art. 15-B sets IOF rates on foreign exchange operations; the current wording comes from Decreto 12.499/2025 and is annotated 'Vide Decreto Legislativo nº 176, de 2025' and 'Vide ADC nº 96' (checked 8 Oct 2026)
26. Stripe India pricing, International cards with USD/other currency presentment 4.3% + 2% if currency conversion is required; Mastercard and Visa cards issued outside India 3% + 2%; American Express outside India 3.5% + 2%; dispute received INR 1,000.00 (checked 7 Oct 2026)
27. PayPal India Merchant Fees, Receiving international transactions; Currency Conversions (3.0% converting balance and payments received; 4.00% all other cases); Withdrawals Out of PayPal; Dispute Fees; Other Fees (Last Updated 28 March 2024) (checked 6 Oct 2026)
28. PayU Pricing, 3% for Diners, American Express, EMI, International transactions; 18% GST applicable on all transactions; No set-up fee; standard settlement T+2; custom pricing slabs for higher volumes or enterprise needs, based on payment mode, industry type, risk profile, transaction volume, value-added features and processing requirements; no setup, onboarding or annual fees (checked 7 Oct 2026)
29. Cashfree Docs: Global Collections overview (checked 6 Oct 2026)
30. Tazapay Pricing, Global Collection Accounts: *Contact sales; Global Cards 3.8% + USD 0.5; APMs 0.8%-2.5%; FIRC (India) USD 4; Custom tier: Volume-Based Discounts, Payment Method-Specific Rates, Customized FX (checked 7 Oct 2026)