Is there an easy way to open and handle an NRI Trading account?

Opening an NRI Investment Account is a complex process and the charges for opening and maintaining the account are high. If you are on a short term assignment and are not a frequent trader, you can use some workarounds to avoid this complexity. Here are few suggestions:

1. If you already have a trading and demat account in India as resident Indian, continue using it. As long as you keep your bank account (which is linked to trading account) as-is and do not convert in NRI account, you should be fine.
2. As an Indian resident in past, if you still have a normal bank account in India (not the NRI account), the easiest way to open a trading account is as a normal trading account (as you are living in India as resident Indian).
3. Note that you will have to provide the required document which shows that you are an Indian resident (i.e. Address proof in India)
4. Open the account on your family member's name who lives in India.

These approaches are commonly used by people who are on short term assignment in foreign or frequently visit oversees i.e. software professionals, students etc. You can still use international address for correspondence. Trading and Demat account can be easily managed online.

Though the above approaches exist as a workaround, it is always recommended to trade via NRI accounts on becoming an NRI. This is to avoid any issues in the future in case of any investigations since the investments done by an NRI are closely monitored by the Government of India.