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

A Swiss client pays Swiss franc amounts at home through Swiss Interbank Clearing (SIC), including instant payments, when you share a Swiss IBAN. Switzerland also takes part in the SEPA schemes for euro payments. India is outside both, so a direct payment to an Indian bank goes by SWIFT international transfer.

• Rails: Every Swiss franc payment between banks runs through SIC, operated by SIX and monitored by the Swiss National Bank. Euro payments can use SEPA. Payments to Indian bank accounts use SWIFT.
• Client enters: For a Swiss transfer: account holder name and IBAN. A Swiss IBAN has 21 characters and starts with CH. For SWIFT: your name, Indian account number, your bank's SWIFT code, bank address and the invoice reference.
• Client cost: Each Swiss bank sets its own charges. SEPA does not contain price regulations for Switzerland, because EU price rules apply only within the EU and EEA. A SWIFT transfer to India carries the Swiss bank's international payment charges.
• Speed: A Swiss instant payment reaches another bank customer account in Switzerland within 10 seconds, at any time of day. SWIFT payments to India often take one to three business days, depending on the banks involved.
• Limits: Swiss instant payments and SIC transfers only reach accounts in Switzerland. A Swiss client cannot use them to pay an Indian bank account. The client needs Swiss account details or must send a SWIFT transfer.

The table ranks platforms with full published pricing for CHF by the INR received on CHF 5,000, then lists other business platforms that accept CHF, unranked. Fees were checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later.

You receive less than the invoice because each step can deduct a fee or apply a rate below mid-market. Bank charges, correspondent deductions and conversion margins add up. For example, at an example mid-market rate of Rs 110 per Swiss franc, a 1% margin on CHF 2,000 costs about Rs 2,200 before any fixed fees.

Each row applies the platform's published fee, FX markup and 18% GST on the fee to the mid-market rate of ₹115.80 per CHF for 4 Nov 2026.

• Total cost: Add the fixed fee, any percentage fee and the conversion margin. Compare the rupees credited, not the headline fee.
• Local rail coverage: Check whether the method accepts domestic CHF transfers from your Swiss client, including instant payments, or only euro SEPA payments.
• Settlement speed: Look at how long francs take to reach the collection account and how long rupees take to reach your Indian bank.
• FIRA: Confirm that you receive an inward remittance advice or FIRA for every payment, with the purpose code shown.
• Client experience: A Swiss client usually prefers paying a Swiss IBAN from e-banking. Card payments suit clients who pay by credit card.
• Support: Check how the provider or bank handles returned payments, name mismatches and purpose code corrections.

Money from a Swiss client for services is an export receipt under the FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, in force from 1 October 2026. You file an EDF, quote an export purpose code and realise the payment within nine months of the invoice date, or twelve months if invoiced or settled in rupees.

• FIRA or e-FIRA: FIRA is a document name used by banks and payment providers. The FEMA regulations do not define it. It records the inward payment. DGFT issues an e-BRC as confirmation that the exporter received payment.
• Purpose code: Use the code that matches the service. Examples from the RBI purpose code list are P0802 Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form) and P1006 Business and management consultancy and public relations services. See P0802.
• EDF for services: Under Regulation 3(2), a services exporter files an EDF within 30 days from the end of the invoice month. One EDF can cover all exports in a month. The EDF replaces SOFTEX for software from 1 October 2026 under A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20. See EDF form.
• EDF for goods: A goods exporter files the EDF at the time of export. For EDI ports it is deemed submitted with the shipping bill under Regulation 3(1).
• EDPMS: Your AD bank closes the EDPMS entry when payment arrives. For invoices up to Rs 10 lakh, the entry may close on your declaration under Regulation 4(2). See EDPMS closure.
• PA-CB fund safety: A non-bank payment aggregator must hold merchant funds in an escrow account with a scheduled commercial bank in India, called an Inward Collection Account for inward payments, under paragraph 16 of the RBI Master Direction.

Services you supply to a Swiss business client are usually an export of services under section 2(6) of the IGST Act and zero-rated under section 16. You can supply without paying IGST by filing an LUT. The income is taxable in India, and the India-Switzerland tax treaty limits Swiss tax on fees for technical services.

• GST and LUT: File a Letter of Undertaking in FORM GST RFD-11 before you export under CGST Rule 96A. Payment must arrive in convertible foreign exchange, or in rupees where RBI permits, for the supply to count as an export. See LUT filing.
• GST on fees: Currency conversion by an Indian bank or provider is a taxable supply. Its value is calculated under CGST Rule 32(2). The GST appears on the provider's charges to you.
• Income tax: The Income-tax Act, 2025 replaced the 1961 Act from 1 April 2026. Presumptive taxation formerly in sections 44AD and 44ADA now sits in section 58. Tax Year 2026-27 is the first year under the new Act. See section 44ADA.
• India-Switzerland DTAA: Under Article 7 of the India-Switzerland tax treaty, business profits are taxed only in India unless you have a permanent establishment in Switzerland. Article 12 allows Switzerland to tax fees for technical services under its own law, capped at 10% of the gross amount. Article 14 covers independent personal services.
• Client side: A Swiss client may owe Swiss VAT on your services as acquisition tax under Article 45 of the Swiss VAT Act. This applies if the client is VAT-registered or buys such services for more than CHF 10,000 in a calendar year. The standard Swiss VAT rate is 8.1%.

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 XE live mid-market rates, dated 4 Nov 2026. The method is on the methodology page.

1. Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 (FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, amended up to 22 Sep 2026), Reg 1(2) in force from 1 Oct 2026; Reg 3(1) EDF for goods, deemed with EDI shipping bill; Reg 3(2) services EDF within 30 days from end of invoice month, single EDF per month, non-software may file on or before payment; Reg 4(2) EDPMS closure on declaration up to Rs 10 lakh; Reg 5 realisation nine months, twelve if invoiced or settled in INR. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
2. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20 dated 16 January 2026 (RBI/2025-26/194), Master Directions on Export and Import and listed SOFTEX circulars superseded from 1 October 2026. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
3. Foreign Exchange Management (Manner of Receipt and Payment) Regulations, 2023, Reg 3(2)(I)(a)(iii): trade receipts from countries other than ACU members in Indian rupees or any foreign currency, through an authorised bank. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
4. RBI purpose codes for reporting FETERS transactions (A.P. DIR Circular No. 84, 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)
5. RBI Master Direction on Regulation of Payment Aggregator (PA), 15 September 2025, Para 11(d): PA-CB maximum Rs 25 lakh per inward or outward transaction; para 16(a): funds held in escrow with a scheduled commercial bank, called Inward Collection Account for PA-CB inward transactions. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
6. RBI circular: Guidelines to facilitate faster cross-border inward payments, 9 April 2026 (RBI/2026-27/08), Banks to credit inward payments received during forex market hours the same business day and after hours the next business day; effective six months from the circular date. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
7. Foreign Exchange Management (Foreign currency accounts by a person resident in India) Regulations, 2015, Schedule I EEFC Scheme: 100 percent of foreign exchange earnings may be credited; no restriction on withdrawal in rupees, but rupees withdrawn cannot be re-credited. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
8. IGST Act, 2017, section 2(6) (CBIC), Export of services: supplier in India, recipient outside India, place of supply outside India, payment in convertible foreign exchange or INR where RBI permits, not establishments of a distinct person. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
9. IGST Act, 2017, section 16 (CBIC), Export of goods or services is a zero rated supply. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
10. CGST Rules, 2017, Rule 96A (CBIC), Export without payment of integrated tax on furnishing a bond or Letter of Undertaking in FORM GST RFD-11 prior to export. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
11. CGST Rules, 2017, Rule 32 (CBIC), Rule 32(2): value of supply of services in relation to purchase or sale of foreign currency, including money changing. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
12. Income Tax Department FAQ: Objective and scope of the new Income-tax Act, 2025, 1961 Act repealed on 01.04.2026; Tax Year 2026-27; presumptive schemes in sections 44AD, 44ADA and 44AE consolidated into section 58. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
13. DGFT Public eBRC FAQs (Self-certification of eBRC), eBRC is issued by DGFT as confirmation that the exporter has received payment against export of goods or services. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
14. SIX: SIC System, Swiss franc payments, Every transaction in Swiss francs runs through SIC, monitored by the Swiss National Bank; with an instant payment the payer can transfer money to another bank customer account in Switzerland within 10 seconds, 24x7x365. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
15. SIX: Instant Payments, Instant payments are processed in ten seconds or less at any time; receipt mandatory from August 2024 for larger banks and from the end of 2026 for the remaining banks. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
16. SIX: SEPA, Payment Standards for Switzerland, SEPA is a payments area of 41 European countries; participation in SEPA schemes allows EUR payments to and from SEPA countries; SEPA does not contain price regulations, which apply only within or between EU and EEA countries. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
17. SIX: IBAN Checker for Switzerland, In Switzerland and Liechtenstein the IBAN is 21 characters long; country code CH for Switzerland. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
18. Swiss Federal Act on Value Added Tax (VAT Act, SR 641.20), English version, status 31 March 2025, Art. 8(1) place of supply at recipient's seat; Art. 25(1) standard rate 8.1 per cent; Art. 45(1)(a) acquisition tax on services by businesses abroad not in the Register of Taxable Persons; Art. 45(2) recipient liable if taxable under Art. 10 or procuring such supplies for more than 10,000 francs in the calendar year. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
19. Abkommen vom 2. November 1994 zwischen der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft und der Republik Indien zur Vermeidung der Doppelbesteuerung (SR 0.672.942.31), status 20 April 2012, Art. 7(1) business profits taxable only in state of residence unless permanent establishment; Art. 12(2) royalties and fees for technical services taxable at source up to 10% of gross; Art. 12(4) definition covers managerial, technical or consultancy services; Art. 12(5)(b) excludes Art. 14 services; Art. 14(1) independent services taxable in other state only with fixed base or stay of 183 days or more. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
20. Skydo homepage (pricing and fee calculator), Know what you pay; calculator showing GST 18% of transaction fee (checked 6 Oct 2026)
21. Razorpay MoneySaver Export Account (International Bank Transfers) pricing, Standard Plan: 0% FX markup, 1% fee, FlashLinks 2%, GST applicable, flat fee of INR 1,000 on transactions below INR 1,00,000, setup and AMC INR 0 (checked 6 Oct 2026)
22. 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)
23. HDFC Bank: Remittance Services Fees & Charges, Inward Remittance Charge: No Charge; FIRC Charge for Inward Remittance & FCY Cheque Collection INR 200 per FIRC; GST slabs on amount of currency exchanged (checked 6 Oct 2026)
24. Kotak Everyday Savings Account fees and charges, Foreign Inward Remittance certificate (Branch Request) INR 100/Request; GST on Foreign Currency Conversion; fees exclusive of GST (checked 6 Oct 2026)
25. 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)
26. Airwallex Help: Eligible Countries and Territories, INDIA IN - AWX Legal Entity SINGAPORE (checked 7 Oct 2026)
27. Axis Bank: Inward Remittances (Business Banking) (checked 6 Oct 2026)