Suresh Nair (name changed) spent eleven years doing warehouse work in Dubai on a modest salary. No pension, no gratuity worth mentioning, and by the time he returned to Thrissur at 54, he was genuinely worried about the next thirty years. What surprised him was that a scheme existed specifically for people like him, and that he’d never heard of it while abroad.
Not every NRI comes home to a plush pension and a paid-off flat. Kerala, which has sent more workers abroad than any other state, built something specifically for this gap.
⚡ Quick Answer
The Kerala Pravasi Pension Scheme, run by the Kerala Non-Resident Keralites’ Welfare Board (NORKA), lets Non-Resident Keralites contribute Rs 300/month while abroad, or Rs 100/month once returned, for a minimum guaranteed pension starting at 60. The minimum pension has since been raised to Rs 3,500/month for Category 1A members and Rs 3,000/month for Categories 1B and 2A, with higher payouts up to roughly Rs 7,000 based on total contribution. Registration and payments are handled through the pravasikerala.org portal.
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Why Kerala Built This
Kerala has sent more workers abroad than almost any other Indian state, especially to the Middle East and Southeast Asia, many in jobs that pay reasonably but offer no employer pension or retirement benefit whatsoever. Their remittances built local economies, funded India’s foreign exchange reserves, and quietly strengthened the state’s finances for decades. The demand for a returning-worker safety net was long-standing, and in April 2018 the Kerala government responded with the Pravasi Pension Scheme, run through the Non-Resident Keralites’ Welfare Fund under the Non-Resident Keralites’ Welfare Act, 2008.
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Who Qualifies, and at What Cost
Any Keralite Indian citizen aged 18 to 60, currently abroad or returned after at least two years working as an NRI, can register. Membership splits into three categories with different contribution floors:
| Category | Who It Covers | Minimum Monthly Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| NRK (Abroad) – 1A | Still working outside India | Rs 300 |
| NRK (Kerala) – 1B | Returned to Kerala for good, after 2+ years abroad | Rs 100 |
| NRK (India) – 2A | Returned elsewhere in India, after 2+ years abroad | Rs 100 |
Government employees, and staff of government undertakings, aren’t eligible. Contributions must run at least 5 years, with no gap longer than 12 continuous months, or membership lapses. A 3% incentive is added to the corpus for members who contribute without a break for the full five years.
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The pension floor has actually gone up since this scheme launched
When the scheme started, the guaranteed minimum pension was Rs 2,000/month regardless of category. It has since been revised upward: Category 1A members now get a minimum of Rs 3,500/month, and Categories 1B and 2A get Rs 3,000/month, with total payouts running higher, up to roughly Rs 7,000, depending on the member’s cumulative contribution history. If you registered years ago and are still quoting the old Rs 2,000 figure to yourself, it’s worth checking your actual entitlement on the portal, because it’s likely higher now.
Schemes like this get revised quietly. The people who benefit most are the ones who check back in, not the ones who registered once and forgot about it.
How to Register
Online (Recommended)
- Visit the official Pravasi Kerala portal and open the Services section.
- Register using a mobile number or email ID on the self-service portal.
- Fill in your category, demographic details, local and overseas address, passport, work details, and nomination.
- Keep ready: photo ID, passport, photograph, work permit, and tax returns.
- Pay the one-time Rs 200 registration fee.
- Once processed, add your bank details: NRE/NRO account if still abroad, savings account if returned.
- Start your monthly deposits once the bank mapping is confirmed.
Offline
Download the relevant form (1A for abroad, 1B for returned to Kerala, 2A for returned elsewhere in India) from the portal, attach self-attested documents, and submit at a local Common Service Centre in Kerala along with the Rs 200 fee.
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Beyond the Core Pension
The Board runs several linked schemes worth knowing about, even if the core pension is your main reason to register:
- Pravasi Dividend Scheme: a one-time deposit of Rs 3 lakh to Rs 51 lakh, channelled into Kerala infrastructure projects through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, paying a monthly dividend around 10% annualised from the fourth year onward. The first three years’ dividends compound back into the deposit.
- Family Pension: capped at 50% of the deceased member’s monthly pension, payable to spouse, children under 21, unmarried daughters, or dependent parents.
- Death Assistance: up to Rs 50,000 one-time payout for NRK (Abroad) members who die of illness or accident, Rs 30,000 for NRK (Kerala) members, payable to one nominated dependent only.
- Medical Emergency Assistance: up to Rs 50,000 one-time for a critical illness, available once per membership, and not payable if the same ailment already received government assistance elsewhere.
- Marriage Assistance: Rs 10,000 for the marriage of up to two daughters, for members with at least three years of regular contribution, limited to one claim per family unit as defined under the Income Tax Act.
Not sure if a scheme like this fits your retirement plan?
We help NRIs figure out where a state welfare scheme genuinely helps, and where it’s better to build your own retirement corpus instead.
Not every NRI comes home to a cushion. This scheme exists for the ones who need to build one from scratch.
💬 Your Turn
Have you come across a state-run welfare or pension scheme for NRIs that others should know about? Share it in the comments.
Pavasi dividend scheme contact number for the regional manager?
House wife Visa working office assistant. Is eligible for pension
Procedure to join pravasi dividend scheme
Can we do two or three instalment in pravasi divident fund
The monthly dividend is taxable
How can I register my name and where ?
I want to deposit in pravasi dividend scheme 5 lakhs for 3 years how to do and how much monthly pension I will get after 3 years
Pravsasi pension scheme is applicable for all state NRIs ?
I registered for pravasi pension. how long will take for the next step
Last 7 years i am paying pravasi pension scheme amount(300 Rs each)my date of birth 01/03/1962,stil i am working in UAE, i can apply for pension now
How prvasi pension online register?
In the scenario I am mortgaging my property in India and sending the borrowed money to my UK bank account, is there any tax payable in India?
I am Tamil Nadu state person now I working in Oman I am eligible this scheme
In pravasi dividend scheme can I invest two times
How to check my pension aproove
Rite now Am in uae.. 15 years i worked as a teacher.. Now one year am a home maker.. Is it possible to apply for pravasi Penson scheme
Can i change nomonee or dependent wife for dividend scheme
I joined in pravasi welfare fund from the age of 40 years… I have to pay coming 20 years.. So after 60 years how much will be the pension
I am five year finished my date of Barth 29.01.1963. How I can cat pension
Heard there is new employment exchange for nris who lost their jobs. Can you tell me how to register for it
If I deposite 4 lakh in pravasi dividend scheme, what will be my monthly return?
I am already age 60thHow can I getmy pravasi Pension
I am already age 60thHow can I get my pravasi Pension
for initial investment of 3,00,000what is the Dividend recd per month after 3 years
Can i pay my contribution towards pension scheme with backlogs and fine?
How much is the tax rate for pravasi dividend for residents
Recently i took pravasi member ship card for KPWB .. when i can get pension ?
how can i start NRI divident scheme
I am completed pravasi subscripristion ,how can i applay for pesion
How to join pravasi divident scheme
Pension schemes by government
I have nre account in Gujarat and paying tax to uk on interest income. How to avoid paying taxes i am British citizen but spend more time in India