Students in Pune leaving to study abroad can get free forex and travel guidance from DreamDestination: how to send tuition fees to the university, how to divide your money between a forex card, cash and a bank account, when to book the flight and what to keep in your documents folder. We are not a forex dealer or travel agent — you buy from an authorised dealer and the airline.
Forex and travel are the stage students leave until last, and where avoidable money is lost — on a poor exchange rate, a fee transfer sent with the wrong reference, or a flight that lands before the accommodation opens. For a student in Pune an hour of planning removes most of it.
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.
Pune 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 Pune, Maharashtra planning a master's or another course abroad, and for the parents helping them decide. Pune is also searched as Poona. The same service is available to students in Kalyan-Dombivli, Bhiwandi, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Ulhasnagar, and across the rest of Maharashtra.
Split your money three ways before leaving Pune. 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
Buy foreign exchange only from a bank or an RBI-authorised dealer, and keep the receipt. We are not a forex dealer or a travel agent and earn nothing on your purchase — we help you compare what authorised providers in or serving Pune are offering.