For NRIs
NRI property in India — what this page will cover, and why it is not live yet
This is one of two pages on the site that will not publish until a named professional has signed it off.
The short answer
This page is deliberately unpublished. Property rules for non-residents turn on facts about you, change with the budget, and cost real money when they are wrong — so we hold it until a practising property lawyer has reviewed what we intend to say.
What we will not do, even after review
Two commitments worth stating before any of the content exists, because they are easier to make now than later.
We will explain how rules work; we will never tell you what to do. The line between those two is the line between publishing and giving unlicensed advice, and it is also just accurate — the right answer depends on your residency history, your source of funds, the nature of the property and the year you are asking about.
We will never recommend a favoured provider inside an article. Where we introduce professionals, that happens on a clearly marked services page, not inside editorial. Nobody pays to appear anywhere on this site.
What the page will cover
- The categories that determine what is permitted — who counts as an NRI, an OCI holder, a person of Indian origin, and what each may acquire and dispose of
- Inheritance, and what changes when property comes to you rather than being bought
- Selling from abroad: the documents, the presence requirements, and the alternative to being present
- Power of attorney executed outside India — what it must contain, how it is attested, and when it must be registered in India
- Repatriating the proceeds: what a bank asks for and why
- The tax that applies at sale, which is handled with the tax page and its own reviewer
- Practical questions to take to a lawyer, in a form you can print
Choosing a property lawyer, which you can do now
This part needs no review, because it is not legal advice.
- A lawyer, not a broker. A broker's interest is the transaction closing. A lawyer's job is title, and title is where the losses are.
- Check the enrolment. Advocates are enrolled with a state bar council and the number can be verified. Ask for it.
- Local to the property, not to you. Property law is central and state law both, registration is local, and the registrar's office matters.
- Ask what they will actually do. Title search over how many years, encumbrance certificate, mutation records, litigation search, and who will physically attend the registration.
- Fixed fee for defined work, quoted before anything starts.
- Ask about NRI experience specifically. Power of attorney executed abroad, repatriation and the paperwork that follows are a distinct competence.
The questions worth writing down before you call
What exactly do I own, and what document proves it? Whose names are on it? Has it been mutated in the municipal records since it was inherited? Is anyone living in it, and on what basis? Is there any dispute, however old, that anyone in the family has mentioned? When was the last time anyone physically visited?
A lawyer's first hour will be spent establishing those. Arriving with the answers is the cheapest thing you can do.
Questions people ask
Why not publish something general in the meantime?
Because general property writing is exactly what causes the harm. A page that says "an NRI may do X" without the qualifications is read as applying to the reader, and the qualifications are where the money is. A half-page on this subject is worse than no page.
Where should I look until then?
The Reserve Bank of India's published FAQs on acquisition and transfer of immovable property are the authoritative starting point, and they are written plainly. For anything specific to your situation, a property lawyer — not a broker, and not a forum.
What will the page contain when it publishes?
How the rules work — the categories, the process, the documents, the words on the form — and the questions to take to a professional. It will not tell any individual what to do, here or after review.
How do I know when it is reviewed?
The byline will name the reviewer and the date, and the page will carry the financial year it reflects. Until then it says, at the top of the page, that nobody has checked it.
Sources (1)
- Reserve Bank of India, FAQs on acquisition and transfer of immovable property in India — The authoritative statement of what is permitted, and the correct starting point
This page has not yet been fact-checked by a second person. Due for review by 28 February 2027.
Something wrong here? Tell us — corrections are made in the open.
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