A Singapore-based NRI or OCI holder can buy or sell property in India through a specific power of attorney signed before a Singapore notary public and apostilled by the Singapore Academy of Law. The attorney holder completes registration in India. Sale proceeds can be remitted to Singapore from your NRO account up to USD 1 million per financial year after Indian tax, with Forms 15CA and 15CB.
- Document route
- Singapore notary public, then apostille from the Singapore Academy of Law
- Time difference
- Singapore is 2h30 ahead of IST all year
- Rules
- FEMA (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules 2019
- Not allowed to buy
- Agricultural land, plantation, farmhouse
Buying & Selling Property from Singapore: how it works
After checking title, we draft a power of attorney limited to the property and the acts needed, so that the sub-registrar and the buyer's bank accept it without questions. You sign before a Singapore notary, obtain the apostille, and courier the original to India, where it is stamped within three months. For a purchase, money should move from Singapore or your NRE account by bank transfer, which keeps the investment repatriable when you eventually sell.
We check the agreement and sale deed, confirm stamp duty and attend registration with your attorney holder. On a sale, the buyer must deduct tax at non-resident rates; a lower deduction certificate applied for early stops excess withholding. Singapore generally does not tax capital gains or most foreign-sourced income received by individuals, so the Indian tax position is the main one, and an Indian return recovers any excess deduction.
What clients in Singapore should know
- Singapore does not generally tax individuals on capital gains, so Indian capital gains tax is usually the only tax on the sale.
- OCI holders cannot buy agricultural land, plantations or farmhouses in India.
- Some sub-registrars ask to see the original apostilled power of attorney with its stamping receipt, so allow time for courier and stamping.
Step by step from Singapore
Video consultation
A call at a time that suits Singapore, after we have read your documents.
Documents signed in Singapore
Singapore notary public, then apostille from the Singapore Academy of Law
Work in India
Our team files, appears and follows up in India, and shares scans of everything filed.
Result and handover
Certified copies and originals are couriered to you in Singapore where needed.
The full guide
This page covers what changes when you are in Singapore. For the law, the documents and the step-by-step procedure, read our main page on Buying & Selling Property, or see all services for clients in Singapore and the NRI Property Law practice area.
Questions from clients in Singapore
Can I sign the sale deed at the Indian High Commission in Singapore?
Yes, but a power of attorney is usually simpler and lets your attorney holder attend registration.
How long does notarisation and apostille take in Singapore?
Often a day or two, as the Singapore Academy of Law processes apostilles quickly.
Can sale money be credited to my Singapore account?
It goes to your NRO or NRE account first and is then remitted with the required forms.