An NRI or OCI cardholder in Thailand can sell or buy Indian property through a specific power of attorney signed at the Indian mission or legalised through the Thai Ministry and attested by the mission. The buyer deducts tax at source from a non-resident seller, and proceeds go to an NRO or NRE account. Up to USD 1 million per financial year can be repatriated from NRO with Forms 15CA and 15CB. Thai tax may apply if the money is brought into Thailand.
- Document route
- Thai notarial service attorney, Thai MFA legalisation, then Indian Embassy attestation
- Time difference
- IST is 1h30 behind Thailand all year (no daylight saving)
- Rules
- FEMA (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules 2019
- Not allowed to buy
- Agricultural land, plantation, farmhouse
Buying & Selling Property from Thailand: how it works
We start with title: the chain of documents, mutation, property tax, encumbrances and whether any co-owner or family member has a claim. For inherited property, we check that succession papers or a probate are in order before a buyer is found, because banks financing buyers will insist on it. We then draft a specific power of attorney for the sale or purchase and guide you through signing at the Embassy in Bangkok or the Consulate in Chiang Mai, or through the Thai notary and Ministry route if you are not an Indian citizen.
In India we review the agreement to sell and the sale deed, apply where useful for a lower tax deduction certificate based on your actual capital gain, and accompany the attorney holder at registration. Sale proceeds are paid into your NRO account, and we help with the chartered accountant's certificate and bank documents for remittance to Thailand. For purchases, payment must come from NRE or NRO funds or inward remittance, and agricultural land, plantations and farmhouses cannot be bought by NRIs or OCI cardholders.
What clients in Thailand should know
- Thai citizens who are neither of Indian origin with an OCI card nor NRIs generally cannot acquire Indian immovable property except by inheritance or with RBI permission.
- Thailand's 2024 change on taxing foreign income remitted into Thailand makes the timing and route of moving sale proceeds worth discussing with a Thai adviser.
- If you have lived in Thailand for years, confirm your Indian residential status before the sale, since it decides the tax deduction rate.
Step by step from Thailand
Video consultation
A call at a time that suits Thailand, after we have read your documents.
Documents signed in Thailand
Thai notarial service attorney, Thai MFA legalisation, then Indian Embassy attestation
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 Thailand where needed.
The full guide
This page covers what changes when you are in Thailand. 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 Thailand and the NRI Property Law practice area.
Questions from clients in Thailand
Can my relative in India sign the sale deed for me?
Yes, with a specific power of attorney properly attested and stamped. The relative appears before the sub-registrar as your attorney holder.
Will Indian tax be deducted at a high rate on my sale?
For non-residents the buyer deducts on the gain at specified rates, often more than the final liability. A lower deduction certificate or a refund through your return can fix that.
Can I keep the sale proceeds in India?
Yes, in your NRO account or invested in permitted assets. You can repatriate later within the annual limit.