NRI Guide to Buying Property in Delhi NCR: Rules, Taxes and Process

Buying property in India as an NRI is legally straightforward and procedurally fiddly. The law permits it with very few restrictions; the friction is in documentation, banking channels, tax withholding and giving someone in India the authority to sign on your behalf.

This guide covers the whole process for Delhi NCR specifically - what you may and may not buy, how money must move, what tax applies at purchase and at sale, how repatriation works, and what a power of attorney needs to contain to actually be useful.

It is written for NRIs and OCI cardholders. Foreign nationals who are not of Indian origin face a different and much more restrictive regime.

What an NRI may buy

Under FEMA, an NRI or OCI cardholder may purchase residential and commercial property in India without any special permission. There is no limit on the number of properties.

What you may not buy directly is agricultural land, plantation property or a farmhouse. These can only be acquired by inheritance or gift from a resident relative, not by purchase. This matters in NCR because some peripheral land parcels marketed as investment plots sit on land that has not been converted from agricultural use - always confirm the land-use classification, not just the developer marketing.

How the money must move

Payment must come through normal banking channels: an inward remittance from abroad, or funds held in an NRE, NRO or FCNR account in India. Travellers cheques and foreign currency notes are not permitted, and payment cannot be made from a resident account.

The distinction between NRE and NRO matters at the exit rather than at the purchase. Funds in an NRE account are freely repatriable; funds in an NRO account are subject to the annual repatriation limit. If you intend to repatriate sale proceeds later, fund the purchase from NRE where possible and keep the remittance advices.

Keep every foreign inward remittance certificate. Ten years from now, when you sell and want to repatriate, your bank will ask for proof of how the property was funded, and reconstructing it after the fact is painful.

Home loans for NRIs

Indian banks lend to NRIs, typically funding up to 75-80% of the agreement value, with repayment through NRE or NRO accounts or by remittance. Tenures are usually shorter than for residents - 15 to 20 years rather than 30 - and rates carry a small premium.

Bank-approved projects process considerably faster because the lender has already completed legal and technical diligence on the development. Every project on this site lists its lender tie-ups for exactly that reason.

Tax at purchase and on rental income

Stamp duty and registration apply the same way as for residents: 7% plus 1% in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, 6% for men and 4% for women plus 1% in Delhi. There is no NRI surcharge.

If you buy from a resident seller for over Rs 50 lakh, you must deduct 1% TDS under section 194-IA. If you buy from another NRI, the withholding is far higher - under section 195, at the applicable capital gains rate plus surcharge and cess. Getting this wrong makes the buyer liable, so verify the seller residency status before closing.

Rental income from Indian property is taxable in India. The tenant must deduct TDS at 30% plus applicable surcharge when paying rent to an NRI landlord. You can claim the standard 30% deduction on the annual value, deduct municipal taxes paid and claim interest on a home loan.

Tax when you sell

Long-term capital gains apply if the property is held more than 24 months, taxed at 12.5% without indexation under the current regime, or 20% with indexation for properties acquired before the change - resident sellers have a choice here that NRIs should confirm with a chartered accountant for their specific case.

Short-term gains, on a holding under 24 months, are taxed at slab rates.

Critically, when an NRI sells, the buyer must withhold TDS under section 195 on the entire sale consideration at the applicable rate, not on the gain. That can be a very large sum. The remedy is to apply to the assessing officer for a lower or nil deduction certificate under section 197 before the transaction, which is routine but takes four to six weeks. Start it early.

Repatriating the proceeds

Sale proceeds from up to two residential properties may be repatriated, subject to the property having been purchased in accordance with FEMA and the amount not exceeding the foreign exchange originally remitted for the purchase.

Beyond that, and for proceeds sitting in an NRO account, the annual limit is one million US dollars per financial year, supported by Form 15CA and a chartered accountant certificate in Form 15CB.

This is the single strongest argument for keeping clean records of how the purchase was funded. The paperwork is not difficult; reconstructing it a decade later is.

Power of attorney: what it must contain

Most NRI purchases run through a power of attorney because the buyer cannot be present for registration. A weak POA is the most common cause of NRI transactions stalling.

It must be specific rather than general - naming the property, the transaction and the exact powers granted. It must be executed before the Indian consulate in your country of residence or notarised and apostilled, and then adjudicated and stamped in India within three months of receipt.

Grant only what is needed: signing the agreement, appearing before the sub-registrar, receiving possession, applying for utilities. Do not grant an unrestricted power to sell unless you specifically intend it.

• Name the attorney holder with full identification and address.
• Describe the property precisely, including the project name, unit number and registration details.
• List the specific acts permitted, and state expressly that no power to sell or mortgage is granted unless intended.
• State the validity period and the conditions for revocation.
• Execute before the Indian consulate, or notarise and apostille, then adjudicate and stamp in India within three months.

Where NRIs are actually buying in NCR

Across our desk, NRI buyer concentration is heaviest in three places, for three different reasons.

Sector 113

Rs 16,200 per sq.ft., 18.4% twelve-month appreciation and 3.1% gross yield: that is Sector 113 in three numbers. The pull is a genuine 25-minute drive to IGI Airport Terminal 3 without touching NH-48, and the stock available is post-2019 high-rise towers of 3 and 4 BHK apartments, most of them 35 to 45 storeys.

The caveat we always flag: the sector is still thin on daily-needs retail and schools; residents currently drive to Sector 109 or into Dwarka for both, and that will not change for another two to three years.

Golf Course Road

Rs 27,500 per sq.ft., 8.4% twelve-month appreciation and 2.6% gross yield: that is Golf Course Road in three numbers. The pull is a finished, fully serviced luxury address where nothing is waiting on future infrastructure, and the stock available is completed premium towers from the 2008-2018 cycle, traded almost entirely in resale, plus a handful of redevelopment launches.

The caveat we always flag: you are buying finished stock, which means the specification is a decade old in many towers and the appreciation runway is shorter than in the newer corridors.

Sector 150

Rs 13,200 per sq.ft., 15.4% twelve-month appreciation and 3.0% gross yield: that is Sector 150 in three numbers. The pull is a sector where 80% of the land is open by regulation rather than by developer goodwill, and the stock available is large-format 3 and 4 BHK towers, most delivered or nearing possession, from national developers.

The caveat we always flag: it is the furthest developed sector from Delhi on the expressway, so a Central Delhi commute runs close to an hour each way.

A practical sequence

• Confirm your residency status and get your PAN and OCI documentation in order before shortlisting.
• Open or confirm an NRE account and plan to fund the purchase from it if repatriation matters to you.
• Shortlist and verify RERA registration on the relevant state portal yourself rather than relying on the sales team.
• Execute a specific power of attorney before the Indian consulate and get it adjudicated in India.
• Confirm the seller residency status before paying, because it determines your TDS obligation.
• Keep every foreign inward remittance certificate and the full payment receipt chain permanently.
• If you plan to let the property, appoint a property manager before possession rather than after.

None of this is difficult individually. What catches NRI buyers out is doing it in the wrong order - most often executing a general power of attorney that the sub-registrar will not accept, or funding from an NRO account and discovering the repatriation constraint years later.

The projects behind the figures in this article

Each of these is on our desk today, with a live RERA registration and a price dated within the last month.

Sobha Verdana sits in Sector 150 from Sobha, quoted at ₹3.4 Cr to ₹6.1 Cr with possession in March 2030. On 12.8 acres it carries 512 units at 81% open area. Its strongest card is that sobha backward-integrated construction brought to Noida for the first time; its weakest is that priced above the Sector 150 average, and Noida resale has not yet tested a quality premium.

Godrej Palm Retreat (Godrej Properties, Noida Expressway) is quoted at ₹1.95 Cr to ₹3.45 Cr for a Ready to move handover, across 596 units on 11.6 acres with 77% left open. Worth knowing: Ready to move with occupation certificate and no GST payable. Less good: ready inventory prices above comparable under-construction stock in the same corridor.

Signature Global Park Vistas - Signature Global, Greater Noida West. ₹85 L to ₹1.45 Cr, possession March 2029. 9.2 acres, 780 units, 70% open. Lowest entry price in this list at Rs 85 lakh for a 2 BHK. The trade-off: greater Noida West carries the highest unsold inventory in NCR.

DLF The Grove Dwarka sits in Dwarka from DLF, quoted at ₹3.4 Cr to ₹5.8 Cr with possession in Ready to move. On 7.8 acres it carries 288 units at 75% open area. Its strongest card is that one of very few developer-built gated apartment projects inside Delhi; its weakest is that per-sq.ft. rate above comparable Gurgaon corridor product.

Max Estates Aurelia (Max Estates, South Delhi) is quoted at ₹8.5 Cr to ₹12 Cr for a December 2029 handover, across 96 units on 3.4 acres with 72% left open. Worth knowing: New gated apartment supply in the South Delhi colony belt, which is structurally near-zero. Less good: highest per-sq.ft. rate in this list at Rs 34,000-41,000.

DLF Privana South - DLF, Sector 113. ₹6.9 Cr to ₹12 Cr, possession June 2029. 25 acres, 1,113 units, 78% open. Aravalli ridge views from rear stacks, unobstructed and unbuildable. The trade-off: among the highest per-sq.ft. rates on Dwarka Expressway, with limited negotiating room.

DLF The Dahlias Penthouse Collection sits in Golf Course Road from DLF, quoted at price on request with possession in December 2027. On 17 acres it carries 420 units at 82% open area. Its strongest card is that dedicated penthouse lift core with no lower-floor stops; its weakest is that price on request only, so comparison shopping is difficult without an advisor.

Smartworld One DXP (Smartworld, Sector 113) is quoted at ₹2.45 Cr to ₹4.35 Cr for a March 2028 handover, across 596 units on 9.8 acres with 74% left open. Worth knowing: Rs 13,200-15,800 per sq.ft. against Rs 18,600-plus for the neighbouring DLF product. Less good: smartworld has the shortest delivery record of any developer in this list.

Smartworld Sky Arc - Smartworld, Sector 79. ₹1.35 Cr to ₹2.15 Cr, possession September 2026. 7.4 acres, 468 units, 71% open. Under Rs 1.4 crore entry price with a listed-corridor developer. The trade-off: kherki Daula toll makes the Cyber City commute genuinely slow in the morning.

Krisumi Waterfall Residences sits in Dwarka Expressway from Krisumi, quoted at ₹1.85 Cr to ₹5.9 Cr with possession in Ready to move. On 12.6 acres it carries 433 units at 76% open area. Its strongest card is that ready to move with occupation certificate in hand and no GST payable; its weakest is that later phases are still under construction alongside occupied phase one.

Signature Global Twin Tower DXP (Signature Global, Dwarka Expressway) is quoted at ₹2.55 Cr to ₹4.6 Cr for a March 2030 handover, across 528 units on 10.4 acres with 79% left open. Worth knowing: Only two towers on 10.4 acres, giving genuine open space between buildings. Less good: possession is five years out - the longest lock-in in this list.

Sobha Altus - Sobha, Dwarka Expressway. ₹4.55 Cr to ₹8.2 Cr, possession March 2029. 11.2 acres, 604 units, 77% open. Backward-integrated construction with in-house glazing, joinery and concrete. The trade-off: priced above corridor peers at Rs 16,400-19,800 per sq.ft.

Emaar Urban Ascent sits in Dwarka Expressway from Emaar India, quoted at ₹2.25 Cr to ₹3.95 Cr with possession in September 2029. On 8.6 acres it carries 462 units at 73% open area. Its strongest card is that occupation certificate obtained before possession letters are released; its weakest is that pre-2016 Emaar India legacy issues still colour the brand for some buyers.

M3M Golf Hills (M3M India, Golf Course Extension Road) is quoted at ₹4.2 Cr to ₹7.85 Cr for a June 2030 handover, across 720 units on 14.5 acres with 80% left open. Worth knowing: Largest planned clubhouse on the corridor at 68,000 sq.ft., built as a standalone structure. Less good: handover lands in the heaviest supply window on this corridor.

Godrej Aristocrat - Godrej Properties, Golf Course Extension Road. ₹4.85 Cr to ₹8.9 Cr, possession April 2029. 9.5 acres, 504 units, 81% open. Carpet-to-super ratio near 72%, well above the corridor norm. The trade-off: priced at the top of the corridor at Rs 16,800-20,200 per sq.ft.

M3M Mansion Penthouse Suites sits in Golf Course Extension Road from M3M India, quoted at price on request with possession in December 2029. On 6.8 acres it carries 168 units at 83% open area. Its strongest card is that private plunge pool structurally designed into each terrace slab; its weakest is that price on request, and terrace areas charged separately from the headline rate.

Sobha International City Villas (Sobha, Dwarka Expressway) is quoted at ₹6.4 Cr to ₹11.5 Cr for a Ready to move handover, across 372 units on 46 acres with 68% left open. Worth knowing: Developer-built villas with consistent construction across the whole township. Less good: open area of 68% is lower than the apartment projects because plots consume land.

Tata Primanti Villas - Tata Housing, Golf Course Extension Road. ₹5.9 Cr to ₹9.8 Cr, possession Completed and occupied. 38 acres, 268 units, 70% open. Fully occupied, so residents can be interviewed before purchase. The trade-off: amenities shared with the tower and floor components of the township.

Emaar Emerald Hills Plots sits in Golf Course Extension Road from Emaar India, quoted at ₹3.1 Cr to ₹7.2 Cr with possession in Ready to move. On 62 acres it carries 640 units at 62% open area. Its strongest card is that full internal infrastructure delivered and handed over; its weakest is that you must fund and manage construction yourself, adding 18-30 months.

Signature Global SCO Plaza 84 (Signature Global, Sector 84) is quoted at ₹2.85 Cr to ₹6.5 Cr for a December 2027 handover, across 84 units on 4.2 acres with 55% left open. Worth knowing: Freehold SCO under the Haryana 2019 policy with no shared structural maintenance. Less good: commercial yields depend on catchment occupancy, which is still building.

Signature Global Daxin Vistas - Signature Global, Sector 84. ₹1.15 Cr to ₹1.95 Cr, possession September 2030. 8.9 acres, 712 units, 72% open. Entry at Rs 1.15 crore with Dwarka Expressway access in under ten minutes. The trade-off: possession in September 2030 is a long lock-in for a mid-segment buyer.

M3M Antalya Hills Floors sits in Sector 79 from M3M India, quoted at ₹1.65 Cr to ₹2.45 Cr with possession in June 2027. On 22 acres it carries 560 units at 66% open area. Its strongest card is that whole floor plate with only three neighbours per building; its weakest is that only 66% open area, the lowest among the residential projects listed here.

Max Estates 360 (Max Estates, Sector 44) is quoted at ₹3.2 Cr to ₹6.4 Cr for a March 2029 handover, across 620 units on 15.8 acres with 80% left open. Worth knowing: WELL Building Standard with mechanical fresh-air filtration in every apartment. Less good: 8-15% price premium over specification-matched competitors without the air systems.

Godrej Riverine - Godrej Properties, Noida Expressway. ₹2.3 Cr to ₹4.4 Cr, possession June 2029. 13.4 acres, 680 units, 78% open. Carpet-to-super ratio near 72% with efficient, corridor-free layouts. The trade-off: legacy stalled projects on the same corridor still affect buyer perception.

Tata Eureka Park Extension sits in Sector 150 from Tata Housing, quoted at ₹1.85 Cr to ₹3.2 Cr with possession in June 2026. On 16.2 acres it carries 840 units at 82% open area. Its strongest card is that 82% open area protected by an authority-mandated ground-coverage cap; its weakest is that furthest developed sector from Delhi on the expressway - an hour to Connaught Place.