How to buy, sell and invest in Indian stocks from the UK

Disclaimer: The information in this article is for reference purposes only. Wise does not offer to buy or sell stocks, and all information on this page should not be considered financial advice. All investment decisions should be made after thorough research and consultation with a qualified financial advisor. Remember that investments, even in low-risk funds, are never guaranteed and your capital is at risk.

Thinking of investing in the Indian stock market? You might be looking to diversify your portfolio, or are keen to invest in a particular company listed on the Mumbai-based National Stock Exchange (NSE).

However, trading Indian stocks as a UK or other foreign investor isn’t as straightforward as buying UK or US shares.

In this guide, we’ll give you all the essential information you need to get started. This includes routes to invest in Indian stocks from the UK, how to calculate the costs and how to open an online trading account.

We’ll also cover the Wise account. A handy multi-currency account which could help you save on foreign exchange fees when buying or selling international stocks.

So, let’s get started.

Table of contents

How to invest in Indian stocks from the UK Buying shares in an Indian company from the UK How to buy Indian shares in the UK: Step-by-step 1. Open a trading account 2. Calculate the cost 3. Decide which funds to purchase Selling or trading shares in an Indian company from the UK 1. Open a trading account 2. Understand how much tax you need to pay 3. Calculate the cost Opening hours of international stock markets Don’t let currency conversion trip you up when trading - use Wise

How to invest in Indian stocks from the UK

The first important thing to know is that UK and other foreign investors can’t buy and sell Indian stocks directly. The country has restrictions regarding foreign investment in its companies, although it is starting to relax these.

This doesn’t mean you can’t invest in Indian stocks, but you’ll need to choose one of these routes:

• Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) - this involves registering with the country’s regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), along with other mandatory processes and paperwork. Once registered, you can trade in Indian-listed securities via Category II FPIs, and limit/restrictions apply.¹
• Invest in an investment trust, ETF or other fund containing stocks in Indian companies - this is by far the easiest route, as you can buy funds right here in the UK. We’ll look at some fund options later on.

You may be able to find out more about your options and find suitable investment products by using a specialist broker, although bear in mind that fees may apply.

Buying shares in an Indian company from the UK

While you can buy shares in the UK from stock markets worldwide, India isn’t quite as open to international investors.

The easiest way to do it is through an investment fund or trust which is focused on or contains stocks from Indian companies. Some examples include:

• JPMorgan Indian Investment Trust (JII.L)
• Aberdeen New India Investment Trust (ANII.L)
• Franklin India Fund (0P0000W9XO.L)
• iShares MSCI India ETF (INDA)
• Jupiter India Fund (0P0001JKIB.L)

You can buy these funds through some of the UK’s most popular online trading platforms.

All you need to do is find the right platform, create an account, add a linked payment method, search for your chosen fund and buy it.

Alternatively, you can use the service of a broker (although this is likely to involve extra funds).

Before you start trading, it’s important to carry out a few crucial cost calculations to make sure you’re factoring in fees and currency conversion costs. We’ll cover all of that next.

How to buy Indian shares in the UK: Step-by-step

Now, let’s run through the steps involved in investing in Indian companies as a UK-based investor. As you can’t buy and sell shares directly, we’ll focus here on buying funds through an online trading platform.

1. Open a trading account

There are lots of investment platforms available in the UK, and most offer investment trusts, ETFs and other similar investment products.

These include:

• Interactive Brokers
• AJ Bell
• IG
• Fidelity
• Hargreaves Lansdown

It’s a good idea to do some research on providers, comparing fees, features and customer reviews, and choose the right one for you. You can usually open a trading account in just a few simple steps, although there are often additional identity verification processes to complete.

Remember, always check that the company is registered with the FCA (the Financial Conduct Authority - the UK’s financial regulator) to ensure that they are a legitimate company.

2. Calculate the cost

Your chosen trading platform will tell you how much it’ll cost to buy your chosen fund, but you also need to factor in fees and currency conversion costs.

Platforms may charge annual fees, or per-transaction commission fees for trading.

If you use the platform for international trading, there may also be currency conversion fees to pay.

To give you an idea of these costs, here are the fees charged by UK platforms for buying funds:

Platform	Account fees	Fund trading (commission) fees	Foreign exchange fees
Interactive Brokers	None	0.01% to 0.08% depending on trade value2	Varies
AJ Bell	0.10% to 0.25%3	£1.50 per transaction3	0.25% to 0.75% depending on trade value4
IG	None (but custody fees may apply)	None5	0.7%5
Fidelity	0.20% to 0.35%⁶	£7.50 per online transaction6	0.2% to 1%6
Hargreaves Lansdown	0.1% to 0.45%7	None7	0.25% to 1%8

Note: All above investment platform fees were correct as of 7th July 2025.

It’s also worth noting that in addition to the fees above, you’ll also pay a fee directly to the fund manager - fees vary depending on the fund you buy.

Foreign exchange fees for buying international funds and stocks can often be high enough that they can start eating into your return. To avoid these, it could be a good idea to use a Wise account.

With Wise, you can open a local currency account and hold your money until you’re ready to buy (or sell). Then you can trade directly in the currency on your chosen investment platform. When you need to convert money to GBP or another currency, you can take advantage of Wise’s low fees* and mid-market exchange rates.

3. Decide which funds to purchase

The last step is to decide which fund or funds to purchase, and then place the order. You might want to get some professional advice on which funds track Indian stock markets or feature Indian companies.

Selling or trading shares in an Indian company from the UK

As you can’t buy or sell Indian stocks directly, here we’ll look at the steps involved in selling funds from the UK, using an online trading platform.

1. Open a trading account

If you’ve bought a fund, it’s likely that you already have a share trading account. But if you’ve acquired it through another means, such as through inheritance or an employee share scheme, you’ll need to open an account.

Check out one of the options we’ve listed above, making sure to compare prices, features and reviews before signing up. Remember to have some form of photo ID handy in case you’re asked to verify your identity.

2. Understand how much tax you need to pay

When you sell investments in another country, you may need to know what is known as ‘withholding taxes’ or capital gains tax on the income.

And for income earned outside of an ISA or other tax-efficient wrapper, you may also have to pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) in the UK.

Tax can be complicated, especially when trading and earning income between two countries. It’s recommended to get professional tax advice to help you understand your obligations.

3. Calculate the cost

When selling funds, there are a few costs to consider. These include commission or trading fees charged by the platform, along with currency conversion fees.

💡Remember - you can avoid some of these by opening a Wise account and holding your money in the foreign currency until you’re ready to sell/trade your shares.

Here are some of the fees charged by platforms offering international share dealing:

Platform	Account fees	Fund trading (commission) fees	Foreign exchange fees
Interactive Brokers	None	0.01% to 0.08% depending on trade value2	Varies
AJ Bell	0.10% to 0.25%3	£1.50 per transaction3	0.25% to 0.75% depending on trade value4
IG	None (but custody fees may apply)	None5	0.7%5
Fidelity	0.20% to 0.35%6	£7.50 per online transaction6	0.2% to 1%6
Hargreaves Lansdown	0.1% to 0.45%7	None7	0.25% to 1%8

Note: All above investment platform fees were correct as of 7th July 2025.

Opening hours of international stock markets

Stock exchange	Local trading times9	GMT trading times9
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)	09:15-15:30	03:45-10:00
London Stock Exchange (LSE)	08:00-16:30	08:00-16:30
New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)	09:30-16:00	14:30-21:00
NASDAQ	09:30-16:00	14:30-21:00
Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)	10:00-16:00	00:00-06:00
Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE)	09:00-15:00	00:00-06:00
Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSX)	08:00-20:00	07:00-19:00

Don’t let currency conversion trip you up when trading - use Wise

Here, we’ve looked at how to buy Indian stock in the UK, including investing in a trust or fund as potentially the easiest way to do it. We’ve covered commission fees and other costs, and some funds and trusts to look into which offer investment in Indian companies.

Just remember that if you trade in different currencies, you could be hit with extra costs for cross border money transfer.

The good news is that you can use Wise to avoid hidden currency exchange markups. Open a Wise account to convert currency at mid-market exchange rates, for low, transparent fees*.

Why not hold your money in a Wise account until you decide to invest it in your chosen platform. Set up exchange rate alerts with Wise to be notified via email or push notification when the rate drops to your chosen threshold.

You can also use your Wise account to conveniently manage your money in currencies, sending payments to 140+ countries at the mid-market rate for low fees*. There’s also a dedicated secure service for sending large amounts.

There’s even an extra feature, Wise Interest. With Wise Interest you can earn returns on GBP, USD and EUR by opening a Wise account and invest for as little as £1, $1 or €1 in a fund that holds government-guaranteed assets. Growth not guaranteed. Capital at risk.

Investments can fluctuate, and your capital is at risk. The Variable rate is based on the performance of the Fund over a 7-day period ending on 9/26/2025. The Fund has achieved an average annual return of 2.76% over a 5-year rolling period exclusive of fees. Interest is offered by Wise Assets UK Ltd, a subsidiary of Wise Payments Ltd. Wise Assets UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with registration number 839689. When facilitating access to Wise investment products, Wise Payments Ltd acts as an Introducer Appointed Representative of Wise Assets UK Ltd. Please be aware that we do not offer investment advice, and you may be liable for taxes on any earnings. If you're uncertain, we urge you to seek professional advice. To find out more about the Funds, visit our website.

You may also be interested in the following articles:

• How to invest in the S&P 500 in the UK
• How to invest in Chinese stocks in the UK
• How to invest in Japanese stocks in the UK
• How to invest in US stocks in the UK
• How to buy Amazon shares

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Sources used:

1. Deloitte - foreign investment in India
2. Interactive Brokers- commissions
3. AJ Bell - dealing account charges
4. AJ Bell - international dealing
5. IG - ETFs
6. Fidelity - doing business with Fidelity
7. Hargreaves Lansdown - charges
8. Hargreaves Lansdown - overseas share dealing
9. CMC Markets - stock market trading hours

Sources last checked on date: 07-Jul-2025