Journal · NRI Desk
Buying a Mumbai home from Dubai: the NRI's field guide.
You can't walk the flat or sign at the registrar in person. Here is how the diaspora buys in Mumbai — the rules, the traps, and the diligence that matters most when you are eight time zones away.
From eight time zones away, a Mumbai flat is an act of faith. You cannot walk the rooms, meet the neighbours, or sit across the registrar's desk. What you can do is buy on facts that do not change with the person quoting them — and put the right paperwork in place before you wire a single rupee.
Yes, you can buy — and the law is simpler than it sounds
Under FEMA, non-resident Indians and OCI card-holders may buy residential and commercial property in India with no prior permission from the Reserve Bank. The one bright line: you cannot buy agricultural land, farmhouses or plantation property — those need special approval. Pay through normal banking channels — your NRE, NRO or FCNR account — never foreign cash. That is the whole of the headline rule.
The three things that trip people up
Power of attorney. If you cannot fly in to register the sale, you will appoint someone you trust to sign for you. Get it drafted properly, attested at the Indian consulate or apostilled, and stamped in India — a loose PoA is the most common reason a registration stalls at the last step.
Tax deducted at source. As the buyer you are responsible for deducting TDS before you pay the seller — 1% on a resident-seller deal above ₹50 lakh, and materially more if you are buying from another NRI. Get this wrong and the liability lands on you, not them.
Repatriation. Money can come home again — up to USD 1 million per financial year from your NRO account, and the sale proceeds of up to two residential properties are repatriable — but only if you bought through the right account and kept every receipt.
Do the diligence you cannot do in person
When you cannot inspect in person, you lean harder on documents. Three matter most: the registered ₹/ft² of recent deals in the building — what homes there actually traded for, per usable carpet foot, the one figure no broker can inflate — the title and encumbrance check, and the project's RERA registration. Insist on carpet-area pricing, never super built-up, and ask to see the deed behind the number.
This is exactly what Carpet & Key is built for. Every home is priced on registered carpet ₹/ft², every price shows the deed behind it, and our NRI Desk handles verification, power-of-attorney coordination and the all-in cost — so you can buy from Dubai, London or Singapore on the same facts you would have standing in the flat.
- Open or ready an NRE / NRO account for the purchase.
- Draft and apostille a power of attorney if you cannot attend registration.
- Verify RERA registration and a clean title before you commit.
- Insist on registered carpet ₹/ft² — never super built-up.
- Budget stamp duty, registration and 1% TDS on top of the price.
- Get the all-in cost, in writing, before you transfer funds.
Rules under FEMA and the Income-tax Act change and depend on your situation — this is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm the current position with a qualified advisor before you buy.