NRIs can buy residential and commercial property in India without any special permission, subject to FEMA guidelines — agricultural land and farmhouses are the main exceptions.
Payments must route through NRE, NRO, or FCNR accounts; cash transactions aren't permitted. Most NRIs execute a registered Power of Attorney in favour of a trusted representative in India to handle site visits, registration, and possession on their behalf.
On taxation, rental income is taxable in India regardless of residency, and TDS applies on resale — but India's DTAA agreements with several countries help avoid being taxed twice on the same income.
Working with a lawyer who specialises in NRI transactions is worth the fee — the paperwork has enough edge cases that generic advice often misses something.
