DreamDestination helps students in Chennai who are going abroad to plan the money and travel side of departure: how to pay university fees from India, how to split funds between a forex card, cash and an account abroad, when to book flights, and what to carry on the day. The guidance is free. We do not sell forex or tickets — you buy those from an authorised dealer or airline.
Paying a foreign university from Chennai is not the same as an ordinary bank transfer: there is paperwork, a tax collected at source in some cases, and several days between sending and the university confirming receipt. Leave it to the week of the deadline and it becomes stressful.
Student forex and fee remittance guidance in Chennai
Fees are sent abroad through a bank or an authorised forex dealer under the Reserve Bank of India's Liberalised Remittance Scheme. You will need the university's payment instructions, your offer or fee letter, PAN and identity documents. Use the exact payment reference the university gives you, and send it early enough for the transfer to arrive and be confirmed before the deadline.
Tax collected at source can apply to foreign remittances, and the treatment differs when the fees are paid from an education loan. The rules are revised in the Union Budget, so we explain the position that applies when you remit.
Chennai has no shortage of consultants, coaching centres and lender branches, so the difficulty here is rarely access — it is telling advice from a sales pitch. Our pre-departure guidance is free and we earn nothing from any lender, so the recommendation does not depend on what you sign up for. Sessions run by video or phone, including evenings and weekends for working professionals.
This page is written for final-year students, recent graduates and working professionals in Chennai, Tamil Nadu planning a master's or another course abroad, and for the parents helping them decide. Chennai is also searched as Madras. The same service is available to students in Erode, Thoothukudi, Cuddalore and Kanchipuram, and across the rest of Tamil Nadu.
Split your money three ways before leaving Chennai. Put day-to-day spending on a prepaid forex card that can be topped up from India, carry a small amount of local currency for the first few days, and open a bank account in the destination country after you arrive for rent and bills. When comparing forex cards, look at the exchange margin, reload fee and ATM charges, not the advertised rate.
Prepaid forex card
Local currency for arrival
International or local bank account
A backup card kept separately
Booking the Flight
Choose the flight by the date the university wants you there and the day your room is available, rather than by the lowest fare. Confirm the baggage allowance for students, the earliest date your visa lets you enter, and how you will travel from the airport.
Where to Buy Forex
Foreign exchange should be bought only from a bank or a dealer authorised by the RBI, and you should keep the receipt. We do not deal in forex or sell tickets and make nothing from what you buy; we help you compare what authorised providers serving Chennai offer.