As a step towards further liberalisation, Reserve Bank of India said on Wednesday that resident individuals are free to obtain international credit cards issued by overseas banks and other agencies.

Those maintaining a foreign currency account with an authorised dealer in India or a bank abroad as permissible under extant foreign exchange regulations would be allowed to obtain these credit cards, an RBI release said in Mumbai.

The charges incurred against the card, either in India or abroad, can be met out of funds held in such FCA of the card holder or through remittances, if any, from India only through a bank where the cardholder has a current or savings account.

The remittances for this purpose should also be made directly to the card issuing agency abroad, and not to a third party, it added.