How to buy the URA uranium ETF from India

Yes, an Indian resident can buy URA — legally, in US dollars, under the RBI's Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). URA (Global X Uranium ETF) trades on NYSE Arca. It pays a small annual distribution. URA is the simplest single-ticker way to own the uranium and nuclear renaissance thesis: Cameco at the top, Sprott Physical Uranium Trust for direct uranium commodity exposure, and ~40 other names across the nuclear supply chain.

The 30-second version

• Legal and simple. Buy URA via Vested, INDmoney, or Interactive Brokers India — treated identically to any other US-listed ETF.
• Small annual distribution. File Form W-8BEN for 15% DTAA withholding; claim FTC via Form 44. The yield is minimal but the form needs filing.
• India tax on gains: hold more than 24 months → 12.5% LTCG (Section 112); shorter hold → slab rate.
• Estate-tax trap: US-situs ETF units — above $60,000 of total US-situs assets, up to 40% US estate tax, no treaty relief.
• Why it's interesting: Every major hyperscaler (Microsoft, Google, Amazon) has signed a nuclear power deal. Uranium is the fuel. URA owns the whole supply chain — miners, physical uranium, and nuclear components — in one ticker. TER 0.69%.

Quick facts

Can an Indian resident buy it?	Yes — fully legal under the LRS
Ticker / exchange	URA / NYSE Arca
TER (annual fee)	0.69%
AUM	~$2.8B
How	IBKR, Rovia, INDmoney, or Vested
Minimum	A fraction of one unit
Distribution	Small annual distribution (~0.5% yield)
India tax on gains	12.5% LTCG after 24 months; else your slab (Section 112)
Distribution tax	15% US WHT (DTAA) + Indian slab; FTC via Form 44
Estate-tax risk	US-situs above $60k → up to 40%, no treaty relief
Annual compliance	Schedule FA + distribution disclosure every year

How to buy it — 3 steps

1. Open an account and finish KYC. Use IBKR for the widest access and best execution, Rovia for a combined RSU + LRS experience, or INDmoney / Vested for a simple India-funded flow. File Form W-8BEN during onboarding.
2. Fund via the LRS. Cap: $250,000/year. 20% TCS above ₹7 lakh — creditable against income tax, not a permanent cost.
3. Place the order. URA trades ~$30–50 per unit (varies with uranium sentiment). More liquid than most individual uranium miners. Stagger entries across uranium price cycles — URA can move 30–40% over months as uranium spot and hyperscaler nuclear news drives sentiment.

What URA actually holds

URA tracks the Solactive Global Uranium & Nuclear Components Total Return Index — approximately 45 holdings:

Top holdings (approximate July 2026 weights):

• Cameco (CCJ): ~23% — world's largest listed uranium producer
• Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (U.UN): ~17% — holds physical uranium, not equities; gives URA commodity price exposure
• NexGen Energy (NXE): ~8% — largest undeveloped uranium deposit (Arrow, Athabasca Basin)
• Uranium Energy Corp (UEC): ~5% — US domestic ISR uranium producer
• Paladin Energy: ~5% — Australian uranium miner (Langer Heinrich mine, Namibia)
• Denison Mines: ~4%
• Cameco (TSX: CCO): ~3% (some indices hold both NYSE and TSX listings)
• Kazakhstan and Australian names: balance

The Sprott Physical Uranium Trust holding (~17%) is the unique feature of URA — you're getting indirect physical uranium exposure alongside equities. When uranium spot rises, U.UN rises, and URA benefits through both the equity and the physical trust exposure.

What URA is not: a pure uranium miner ETF. It includes the Sprott trust (physical uranium), some nuclear equipment names, and service companies. This makes it more diversified but less correlated to uranium spot prices than URNM.

The tax that actually matters

On capital gains at unit sale:

Holding period	Treatment	Rate
24 months or less	Short-term	Your slab rate
More than 24 months	Long-term	12.5%, no indexation

On annual distribution: US withholds 15% (with W-8BEN); balance taxed at Indian slab; claim FTC via Form 44. The distribution is small — the form takes 15–20 minutes to file annually.

Full rules: how US stocks are taxed in India.

The $60,000 estate-tax trap

URA units are US-situs assets. Above $60,000 of total US-situs holdings at death, US estate tax of up to 40% applies — no India-US treaty protection. See the estate-tax trap guide.

URA vs buying individual uranium stocks

If you want…	Best route
Broadest uranium + nuclear basket in one ticker	URA
Pure uranium miner exposure (higher uranium beta)	URNM (Sprott Uranium Miners ETF)
Concentrated Cameco position specifically	CCJ directly
Full nuclear investment picture	Nuclear stocks guide for Indian investors