A UAE resident can buy or sell Indian property through a power of attorney signed at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate in Dubai, or notarised in the UAE and attested by MOFA and the mission. The attorney holder signs and registers the deed in India. Payment for a purchase comes from NRE, NRO or FCNR accounts; on a sale, the buyer deducts tax at source at non-resident rates and the proceeds go to your NRO account for repatriation.
- Document route
- UAE notary, MOFA attestation, then Indian Embassy or Consulate attestation
- Time difference
- IST is 1h30 ahead of UAE time all year (no daylight saving)
- Rules
- FEMA (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules 2019
- Not allowed to buy
- Agricultural land, plantation, farmhouse
Buying & Selling Property from the UAE: how it works
We start with the title. For a purchase we review the chain of documents, encumbrance records, approvals and any loan on the property; for a sale we check that your own papers, mutation and tax receipts are in order before a buyer's lawyer finds a gap. We then draft a special power of attorney limited to that property. You sign it at the Indian mission's service centre in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, or before a UAE notary followed by MOFA and mission attestation. The original is couriered to India, stamped within three months and, where the state requires, registered.
In India your attorney holder signs the agreement and the sale deed and appears before the sub-registrar, with biometric capture where the state uses it. On a sale, the buyer must obtain a TAN and deduct tax under the non-resident provisions, so an application for a lower deduction certificate is often worth making before the deal closes. Proceeds land in your NRO account and can be repatriated within the USD 1 million annual limit with Forms 15CA and 15CB. Avoid cash components and side agreements, which create tax and evidential problems later.
What clients in the UAE should know
- Salary credited in dirhams and remitted to an NRE account is the cleanest source of funds for a purchase, and keeps the later repatriation of sale proceeds simple.
- Some state registrars are wary of powers of attorney executed in the Gulf years ago; a recent, property-specific power attested by the Indian mission avoids that objection.
- Selling a flat in India does not create a UAE tax liability, but Indian capital gains tax and TDS still apply, and the India-UAE treaty leaves gains on Indian immovable property taxable in India.
Step by step from the UAE
Video consultation
A call at a time that suits the UAE, after we have read your documents.
Documents signed in the UAE
UAE notary, MOFA attestation, then Indian Embassy or Consulate 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 the UAE where needed.
The full guide
This page covers what changes when you are in the UAE. 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 the UAE and the NRI Property Law practice area.
Questions from clients in the UAE
Can my brother in Kerala sign the sale deed for me while I stay in Dubai?
Yes, if you give him a properly attested and stamped power of attorney that specifically authorises the sale. He then signs and registers on your behalf.
Can I pay for an Indian flat directly from my UAE bank account?
You can send inward remittance through normal banking channels to the seller's account, or route it through your NRE account. Keep the remittance records, as they support later repatriation.
Will the buyer deduct tax even if I pay no tax in the UAE?
Yes. The buyer must deduct tax at source because you are a non-resident of India. Your UAE tax position does not change that obligation.