Axis Bank (ex-Citibank India retail) EDF Form

Axis Bank (ex-Citibank India retail) guide · updated 6 Oct 2026

EDF for Axis Bank (ex-Citibank India retail): how to fill and submit it

If your business account started life at Citibank India and now sits with Axis Bank, the first question for your EDF is not the form but the bank: your AD bank is whichever bank actually receives the foreign payment today, and the AD code on your EDF must be the one that bank gives you now. Once that is settled, you file the standard monthly EDF under the FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, within 30 days from the end of the invoice month.

Key takeaways

• Confirm which entity holds your account and receives foreign remittances today. That entity is your AD bank for the EDF.
• Do not reuse an old AD code from Citibank-era paperwork without checking. Ask for the current one in writing.
• Banks publish their own EDF acceptance process under Regulation 19, so the channel depends on the bank now servicing your account.
• One EDF covers all of a month's service invoices; each invoice is one row in Part 2B.
• Make sure your foreign clients have your current remittance details, or payments may bounce or sit in suspense.

Why former Citi customers need an extra check

Accounts that moved from Citibank India to Axis Bank went through a change of account servicing. Account numbers, branch mappings, SWIFT routing and AD codes may or may not have changed for your particular account. We do not have verified details of what changed for which customers, and you should not assume.

That uncertainty matters more for the EDF than for ordinary banking, because three fields depend on getting the bank right:

• 1.6 AD code
• 1.10 AD bank name and address
• The bank you actually submit the form to

If any of these point to the wrong bank or branch, your EDF may not be linked to the remittances it is supposed to cover in EDPMS.

A transition checklist

Work through this list with your relationship manager. Get the answers by email so you have them on file.

If the bank is slow to confirm the AD code, send a written request. The AD code request letter is a short, clear format.

If your account did not move

Not every Citibank India relationship moved to Axis. If your business banking still sits with Citi, Citi is your AD bank, and you should ask Citi for its EDF process. The form itself is identical either way.

Filling and submitting the EDF

Once the bank details are confirmed, the EDF is the same as for any other bank:

1. Part 1: type of export (Services or Software), AD code, IEC if you have one, GSTIN, PAN, bank name and address, your details, mode of delivery (usually Internet), mode of realisation (usually Others), recipient and country, description and total INR value in figures and words.
2. Part 2A: leave blank.
3. Part 2B: one row per invoice with recipient, country, invoice number and date, currency, amount, NRV, description, SAC code, contract reference and remarks.
4. Part 4: strike out the alternatives that do not apply, then date and sign.

The free Citi / Axis EDF form is set up for this case. If your account is plainly an Axis Bank account with Axis details on everything, the standard Axis Bank EDF form works too.

A worked example

Lattice Point Advisory Pvt Ltd in Gurugram had banked with Citibank India for years. After its account moved to Axis Bank, its finance controller, Neha, checked three things before the first EDF in November 2026:

• The account number was unchanged, but foreign clients needed updated remittance instructions. She emailed every client a new bank details letter.
• The relationship manager confirmed the AD code by email. It was different from the one printed on an old Citi-era document.
• The bank confirmed it would accept the EDF by email from the company's registered address.

Lattice Point's October 2026 invoices were:

Neha filed one EDF with three rows and ₹19,90,000 in field 1.22 on 18 November 2026, well inside the 30 November due date. The management consultancy work suggests purpose code P1006, which she confirmed with the bank.

FIRAs and realisation after the transition

Ask how the bank now issues FIRAs or remittance advices, because the format may differ from what you received before. Check each one for your current account details, the sender's name, the currency amount and the purpose code. Our explainer on FIRA vs FIRC covers the difference.

Realisation rules do not change with the bank: services must be paid in full within 9 months from the invoice date, or 12 months for rupee invoices. Invoices up to ₹10 lakh can be closed on your declaration; larger ones need payment evidence. If you held an EEFC account at Citi, confirm where foreign currency balances now sit before clients pay into it.

Pitfalls specific to migrated accounts

• Old remittance instructions on invoice templates. Update the bank block on every invoice template, quotation and proforma.
• Clients paying to old details. Payments may be returned or delayed. Ask the bank how it treats remittances sent with outdated details.
• Mismatched names. If the account title changed in formatting during migration, make sure your invoices and EDF use the exact current title.
• Unclear contacts. Get the name and email of the person or desk handling your export transactions.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your bank's published process and written confirmations take precedence.

Frequently asked questions

Is Axis Bank my AD bank if my account came from Citibank India?

If your account is now serviced by Axis Bank and foreign remittances are credited there, Axis is your AD bank for the EDF. If your relationship stayed with Citi, Citi is your AD bank. Confirm with your relationship manager in writing.

Can I use the AD code from my old Citibank documents?

Do not assume it is still valid. Ask the bank currently servicing your account for the AD code linked to your export transactions, and use that in field 1.6.

Where do I submit the EDF for a migrated account?

Through the channel published by the bank now servicing your account, which may be the branch, email or an online route. Software exporters may also file with STPI.

Do I need to tell foreign clients about the change?

If your remittance details changed, yes. Send each client an updated bank details letter and update your invoice templates. Payments to outdated details can be delayed or returned.

When is my EDF due?

Thirty days from the end of the invoice month: October 2026 invoices by 30 November 2026, November 2026 invoices by 30 December 2026. The due date does not change because of a bank migration.

Bottom line

For Citi / Axis customers, the EDF is routine once you have confirmed which bank is your AD bank and what its current AD code is. Get those answers in writing, update your clients, then file monthly as usual. The free Citi / Axis EDF form handles the rest, and the due date calculator tells you exactly when each month's form is due.

Key dates

*Nine months from each invoice date; twelve if invoiced in rupees. Full 12-month calendar · Due date calculator

"Strike out whichever is not applicable"

Part 4 offers pairs of alternatives — I/We, buyer/third party, will be received/has been received, foreign exchange/Indian Rupees. Your answers in step 5 decide which words stay; we draw the line through the rest, exactly as you would with a pen.

The layout follows the structure of RBI's Annex (Parts 1–5, fields 1.1–1.22). If your bank hands you its own printed version, use theirs. This tool is a document generator, not legal or tax advice — you remain the declarant.