Foreign Exchange Management Act

Foreign Exchange Management Act, 2000
Parliament of India
  • An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to foreign exchange with the objective of facilitating the external trade and payments and for promoting the orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India.
CitationAct No. 42 of 1999
Enacted byParliament of India
Enacted1 June 2000
Assented to6 January 2000
Commenced1 June 2000
Legislative history
Introduced29 December 1999
Repeals
Foreign Exchange Regulation Act
Status: In force

The Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) is an Act of the Parliament of India "to consolidate and amend the law relating to foreign exchange with the objective of facilitating external trade and payments and for promoting the orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India".[1] It was passed on 29 December 1999 in parliament, replacing the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA). This act makes offences related to foreign exchange civil offenses. It extends to the whole of India,[2] replacing FERA, which had become incompatible with the pro-liberalization policies of the Government of India. It enabled a new foreign exchange management regime consistent with the emerging framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It also paved the way for the introduction of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, which came into effect on 1 July 2005.

  1. ^ "THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE MANAGEMENT ACT, 1999" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 February 2016.
  2. ^ "FEMA, 1999". Dept of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Govt of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.