Roshan Digital Account (RDA): what it is and how it works
Updated
What is a Roshan Digital Account and what are its benefits?
A Roshan Digital Account (RDA) is the State Bank of Pakistan's scheme for non-resident Pakistanis to bank, invest and buy property in Pakistan online, in foreign currency (FCVA) or rupees (NRVA). Money in it can be sent back abroad at any time without prior approval, profit on RDA deposits is tax exempt (SBP), and property bought through it pays FBR's filer rate of 1.25% on purchase as a final tax; when you later sell property you bought through the account, the 2.75% on the sale is final too (Income Tax Ordinance as amended by Finance Act 2026).
| Item | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Profit on deposits | tax exempt (SBP) |
| Naya Pakistan Certificates | 10% withholding, final |
| Buying property (s.236K) | 1.25%, final when bought through FCVA/NRVA |
| Selling property (s.236C) | 2.75%, final — no separate capital gains tax — if you bought it through FCVA/NRVA |
| Zakat | not deducted |
| Sending money back | any time; property gain after 3 years |
Official rule: Balances can be sent back abroad at any time without prior approval from the bank or SBP. (source, checked 2026-10-21)
Not a valid document. Estimate for information only — not financial advice, not an offer of credit and not a bank document. Errors are possible. Only your bank's or finance company's official offer letter, contract and statements are binding.
What is a Roshan Digital Account?
Roshan Digital Account (RDA): an SBP initiative, offered through commercial banks, for non-resident Pakistanis (Pakistani passport, NICOP, POC or NIC) — opened online. Two kinds: a Foreign Currency Value Account (FCVA) and an NRP Rupee Value Account (NRVA, in rupees).
Who can open a Roshan Digital Account?
Non-resident Pakistanis with a Pakistani passport, NICOP, POC or NIC; a resident Pakistani with foreign assets declared to FBR can open the foreign-currency account at a branch. Non-resident follows the income-tax test: you are resident if you spend 183 days or more in Pakistan in the tax year (July–June).
What are the Roshan Digital Account benefits?
- Funding: Funded only by remittances from abroad through banking channels (and the returns on its investments) — not with money from local sources.
- Sending money back: Balances can be sent back abroad at any time without prior approval from the bank or SBP.
- Property: Property bought through the RDA: the principal can be repatriated any time; a capital gain only after three years from the investment (the last installment date if paid in installments).
- Profit on deposits: Profit on RDA deposits is tax exempt (SBP RDA FAQ).
- Zakat: No compulsory Zakat deduction on RDA balances.
- Certificates: Profit on Naya Pakistan Certificates carries 10% withholding tax as full and final settlement. See Naya Pakistan Certificate rates.
How is property bought through an RDA taxed?
A non-resident individual holding a Pakistan Origin Card (POC) or NICOP pays the Active Taxpayers' List rate under 236K and 236C even when not on the list. If a non-resident holding a POC, NICOP or CNIC bought (acquired) the property through a Foreign Currency Value Account (FCVA) or NRP Rupee Value Account (NRVA) — the Roshan Digital Account types — the 236K tax on that purchase is final, and on a later sale of that property the 236C tax is final in place of capital gains tax. SBP's older FAQ still mentions a "1 percent" full and final tax; the Income Tax Ordinance as amended by the Finance Act 2026 now sets the figures above.
SBP's page: Roshan Digital Account. NICOP: NADRA.
Where to complain
- Your bank first, in writing. It must acknowledge the complaint and resolve it within SBP's time limits (card disputes within 45 working days at most).
- SBP's complaint portal Sunwai — sunwai.sbp.org.pk — also for Roshan Digital Accounts. Your Key Fact Statement carries the link.
- Banking Mohtasib Pakistan (the banking ombudsman) if the bank has not resolved your written complaint within 30 days — how to file.
Questions people ask
Can I send money from my Roshan Digital Account back abroad?
Yes, at any time and without prior approval from the bank or SBP. For property bought through the RDA, the capital gain can be repatriated after 3 years.
Is profit on a Roshan Digital Account taxed?
Profit on RDA deposits is tax exempt (SBP). Naya Pakistan Certificates bought through the RDA carry 10% withholding tax as full and final settlement.
Can I fund my RDA from a Pakistani account?
No — a Roshan Digital Account in Pakistan can be funded only with remittances from abroad through banking channels (and the returns on its own investments).
What happens if I move back to Pakistan?
SBP lets you keep the account as repatriable, without new domestic funds or new rupee RDA investments, or convert it to a resident account.