Buying a Plot in India While Living in the Gulf: An NRI Checklist

Millions of Indians working in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain buy a plot back home, often without visiting before they book. That makes sense: a plot near your home town is a long-term asset and a future house. But buying from abroad also makes it easier for things to go wrong. This checklist covers what to check before you pay.

1. Check that you are allowed to buy that kind of land

Under India’s foreign exchange rules (FEMA), NRIs and OCI cardholders can buy residential and commercial property, including residential plots. They cannot buy agricultural land, plantation property or a farm house, except by inheritance. So before anything else, check that the plot is on land converted for non-agricultural use and is part of an approved layout.

2. Check the layout approval and RERA registration

A plotted project above the size threshold must be registered with the state’s RERA, and its layout must be approved by the local planning authority (for example DTCP, HMDA, BDA, PMRDA or the municipal corporation). Ask for the approval letter and layout number, and check the RERA number on the state RERA website. The plot you are offered should appear on the approved layout with the same number and size.

3. Have the title checked

Ask a local lawyer for a title search covering at least the last 30 years, an encumbrance certificate, and the current land records in the seller’s name. The cost is small compared with the plot price, and it is the single best protection against disputes.

4. Pay the right way

Pay from your NRE, NRO or FCNR account, or by remittance through normal banking channels, and always to the developer’s company account. Keep every receipt. If the price is ₹50 lakh or more, the buyer usually has to deduct 1% TDS under section 194-IA. Your chartered accountant can confirm what applies to you.

5. Plan how you will register

Registration needs you, or someone holding your power of attorney, at the sub-registrar’s office. If you will not travel, give a specific power of attorney to a trusted family member, signed at the Indian embassy or consulate where you live (or notarised and apostilled), and then adjudicated in India.

6. Do a proper remote site visit

Ask the developer for a live video call from the plot itself, not a pre-recorded video. Ask them to stand on your plot and turn around slowly: you want to see the boundary stones, the road in front, and what is next door. A 3D plot map helps here. When the developer shares a live layout map, you can see exactly where your plot is, which way it faces, how wide the road is and whether it is still available.

7. Get everything in writing

The allotment letter or agreement should state the plot number, size, price, payment schedule, what development is included (roads, water, drainage, electricity, compound wall) and the date by which it will be completed.

Quick checklist

• Land converted for non-agricultural use and in an approved layout
• RERA number checked on the state RERA website
• Title search and encumbrance certificate from your own lawyer
• Payment from an NRE/NRO/FCNR account to the developer’s company account
• Power of attorney arranged if you will not travel
• Live video visit and a layout map showing your exact plot

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules can change; confirm them with a lawyer or chartered accountant before you buy.