Muhurat for NRIs: Timing Visas, Moves, and Milestones Across Time Zones

You are about to submit your H-1B visa application. Or sign the mortgage papers on your first home in Sydney. Or start a new business in Dubai. And your mother calls: "Did you check the muhurat?" You want to honor the tradition. But a question nags: whose time zone do I even use?

This is one of the most practically important — and least discussed — questions in modern Jyotish. Millions of NRIs navigate critical life decisions with one foot in Vedic tradition and the other in a completely different time zone and calendar.

The time zone question: IST or local?

Use the local time of where the action is happening. Muhurat is based on the position of the Moon, the tithi (lunar day), the nakshatra, and the yoga — all of which are calculated relative to your geographic location. If you are signing a contract in London, the planetary positions affecting that moment are London's, not Delhi's.

This means Rahu Kaal, Abhijit Muhurat, and Brahma Muhurta all shift based on your location. A time that is Rahu Kaal in Mumbai may be perfectly fine in New York, and vice versa. This is why generic panchang apps that only show IST timings can be actively misleading for NRIs.

Key muhurats NRIs actually need

• Visa and immigration applications — submitting during Shubh Muhurat, avoiding Rahu Kaal. Pushya, Rohini, and Ashwini nakshatras are considered highly auspicious for new ventures.
• Home purchase / signing lease — the Griha Pravesh muhurat should be calculated for your new city, not your hometown in India.
• Starting a business or new job — avoid Amavasya (new moon), Rahu Kaal, and eclipses. Begin during Shukla Paksha for growth.
• Travel dates to India — especially for family functions. Check for Bhadra, which is considered inauspicious for travel.
• Medical procedures — many families check for favorable nakshatras before scheduling elective surgeries.

Common mistakes NRIs make with muhurat

• Using IST-based panchang apps without adjusting for local time
• Assuming the same Rahu Kaal timing applies globally — it does not, it is sunrise-dependent
• Ignoring muhurat entirely because it seems too complicated abroad
• Relying solely on the day of the week without checking the tithi, nakshatra, and yoga

Using Daanyam's panchang abroad

Daanyam's muhurat engine automatically calculates all timings based on your device's location. Whether you are in Chicago, Auckland, or Abu Dhabi, the Rahu Kaal, Abhijit Muhurat, and daily panchang elements adjust to your longitude and latitude. No IST conversion needed. This is how Vedic timekeeping was always meant to work — tied to the sky above your head, not someone else's.