The Government has clarified that an Income-Tax Clearance Certificate (ITCC) is not required for all citizens, only for specific cases under Section 230 of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
Saloni Kumari | Apr 18, 2026 |
Govt Clarifies Not Every Citizen Is Mandatory to Obtain an ITCC Before Leaving India
A reel has been recently posted on Instagram on the account “casarthakahuja”, which is creating confusion in the minds of every Indian. The reel is claiming that every citizen of India is required to obtain an Income-Tax Clearance Certificate (ITCC) before travelling abroad or leaving the country. Now, people are confused about whether this information is true or just misleading. However, the government, on its PIB Fact Check channel on platform ‘X’, has officially confirmed that this information is false and hence, citizens are advised not to believe this.
According to the clarification, Section 230 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, mandates only specific individuals to obtain a Tax Clearance Certificate (ITCC) while leaving the country just to make sure all tax liabilities are settled. It is only compulsory for individuals having serious financial irregularities, high tax debt of more than Rs 10 lakh, non-domiciled residency, or where tax authorities believe that there is a risk of tax dues not being paid. Hence, not all citizens are compelled to obtain this certificate.
The government further claimed that this rule is not new, first established in 2003, and has remained unchanged till now. Even after changes introduced through the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2024, no amendments were introduced to this rule.
This clarification is aimed at stopping the spread of false information or rumours in public. Now, citizens who do not fall under the aforementioned criteria can continue their plans without worrying about this certificate. In the end, the government advised citizens not to depend on unofficial information until it is officially confirmed by the government departments.
An Instagram video by the account (casarthakahuja) is claiming that all Indian citizens must obtain an income-tax clearance certificate (ITCC) every time before leaving the country.#PIBFactCheck
❌ This claim is #FAKE
✅ Under Section 230, tax clearance certificates are not… pic.twitter.com/d7eCE87Pk1
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 18, 2026
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