Can an NRI in Dubai buy property in Mohali or Zirakpur?

Yes. An Indian citizen working in the UAE is a non-resident Indian under FEMA and can buy residential or commercial property in India without RBI permission. Agricultural land, plantation property and farmhouses are excluded.

Can I send money through an exchange house to buy property in India?

Yes, as long as the money arrives in your Indian bank account, preferably your NRE account, as an inward remittance through banking channels. Ask the Indian bank for the remittance advice or FIRC. Cash carried home and informal transfers are not allowed and leave no record for repatriation.

Should I use an NRE or NRO account to buy property?

Use NRE for money you earn in the UAE. Payments from NRE count as foreign exchange paid, so the sale proceeds of up to two homes can later go back abroad. NRO suits income earned in India, and money from it can be repatriated only within USD 1 million per financial year.

Does a UAE power of attorney need an apostille for India?

No. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so a POA signed there is attested by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate General of India in Dubai instead. It must then be stamped in India within three months of arrival.

Do I need to come to India for the property registration?

You or your attorney must attend the sub-registrar office, because photographs and fingerprints are taken at registration. With India only one and a half hours ahead of the UAE, many buyers fly home for the agreement and registration instead of using a POA.

Does the UAE having no income tax affect my Indian tax?

It can. Since 2020, an Indian citizen with Indian income above ₹15 lakh who is not liable to tax in any other country can be a "deemed resident" of India. Most salaried NRIs with small Indian income are not affected, but ask a CA to check your case.

Buy Property in India from UAE: Money Transfer, NRE/NRO Accounts and Registration in the Tricity

Property1313 Team · October 18, 2026 · 9 min read

For families working in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, home is only a few hours' flight away, and that changes how you buy. If you plan to buy property in India from UAE, you may be able to sign the deed yourself on a short trip. When you cannot, the power of attorney route works differently from the UK or Canada, because the UAE is not part of the Apostille Convention. This guide covers money transfers, NRE and NRO accounts, the POA and registration in Mohali, Zirakpur and New Chandigarh.

Quick answer: An Indian citizen working in the UAE is an NRI under FEMA and can buy flats, houses, plots and shops in the Tricity, but not agricultural land or farmhouses. Send dirhams through a bank or licensed exchange house into your NRE account and pay from there. A POA signed in the UAE is attested at the Indian Embassy or Consulate, not apostilled.

The general rules on FEMA, loans, TDS and repatriation are in our hub: the NRI property buying guide for Mohali, Zirakpur and Chandigarh. This page covers only what is different for the UAE.

Your status: almost always NRI

Most Indians in the UAE keep their Indian passport and live there on a residence visa for work or business. Under FEMA, that makes you a person resident outside India, so you are a non-resident Indian. The RBI's Master Direction on immovable property lets you buy any immovable property in India other than agricultural land, plantation property or a farmhouse.

Your tax status is a separate question, and for the UAE it needs a little more care. See the tax section below.

Moving money when you buy property in India from UAE

FEMA's rule is that the purchase must be paid from money received in India through banking channels, or from your NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account. Cash and foreign currency notes carried home are not allowed, and neither is a payment made in dirhams to someone in India outside the banking system.

In practice:

Send dirhams from your UAE bank, or through a licensed exchange house, into your NRE account in India. Exchange houses remit through arrangements with Indian banks, and the money arrives as an inward remittance in your account.
Ask your Indian bank for the inward remittance advice or FIRC for each transfer, showing it came from abroad. Exchange house receipts alone are not enough.
Pay the builder or seller from your NRE account, by bank transfer or cheque. If the price is ₹50 lakh or more, deduct 1% TDS on each payment to a resident builder or seller (section 194-IA of the old Act; from 1 April 2026 the Income-tax Act, 2025 carries the same rule under a new section number).
Never pay through an informal transfer or by handing cash to a relative in India. Apart from the legal risk, it leaves no record, and without a record you cannot repatriate the sale proceeds later.

NRE, NRO or FCNR(B) for a UAE earner

Account	What goes in	Why it matters for property
NRE	Your UAE salary or business income sent to India	Payments from it count as foreign exchange paid, so sale proceeds can later go back abroad. The RBI notes that NRE interest is exempt from Indian income tax
FCNR(B)	Fixed deposits in a freely convertible foreign currency	Useful if you are saving for a payment due in a year or two and want to stay in foreign currency until then. Ask your bank which currencies it accepts
NRO	Indian income, such as interest or a pension	Can pay for the property, but the money goes back abroad only within USD 1 million per financial year

Source: the RBI's Master Direction on deposits and accounts, updated 2 September 2026.

Tip: if you want a parent or sibling in India to help, the RBI allows an NRE account to be held jointly with a resident relative on a "former or survivor" basis, but during your lifetime the resident relative can operate it only as your power of attorney holder. Set this up before the payment schedule starts.

Power of attorney: attestation, not apostille

The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention; it was not on the Hague Conference's status table we checked in October 2026, which was last updated in June 2026. So the shortcut open to buyers in the UK and Canada does not apply. A POA signed in the UAE for use in India is attested by an Indian mission instead:

the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi, for Abu Dhabi and its region;
the Consulate General of India, Dubai, for Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Both missions handle attestation through outsourced service centres, with appointments booked online. Section 33 of the Registration Act, 1908 accepts a POA by a principal living outside India when it is executed before and authenticated by an Indian consul or another listed authority.

The usual sequence:

Draft a special POA for the one property, in the wording your lawyer in India suggests.
Book an appointment, sign the POA before the consular officer, and have it attested. Take your passport, Emirates ID and visa, the attorney's ID copy and the property details.
Courier the original to India. Your attorney has it stamped in Punjab within three months of its arrival (section 18 of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899), and registered if the transaction needs it.

Note: check the mission's current list of documents and fees on its own website before your appointment. Requirements change, and the missions publish them.

Or sign it yourself on a short trip

India is only one and a half hours ahead of the UAE, and many UAE-based buyers find it simpler to fly home for the two days that matter: signing the agreement for sale, and registering the sale deed. That avoids the POA altogether.

Under section 32A of the Registration Act, the buyer and seller give photographs and fingerprints at the sub-registrar office, so registration needs you or your attorney there in person. In Punjab, the "Easy Registry" system launched in Mohali on 26 May 2025 (as reported in the press at the time) lets documents be submitted online for pre-scrutiny and an appointment slot booked, which helps you plan a short visit. Check the current process with your lawyer before you book flights. Stamp duty and fees are covered in our guide to stamp duty and registration charges in Punjab.

The time difference also makes video viewing easy: a call after work in Dubai is early evening in Mohali, while there is still light.

Want to walk a site on video this week? WhatsApp Property1313 on 89100 01313. We will show you the project live, share the price sheet and RERA certificate, and plan the visit days if you decide to fly in for registration.

Home loans for UAE-based buyers

Indian banks and NHB-approved housing finance companies can lend to NRIs for a home on the same terms as residents, under section 4 of the RBI's borrowing and lending direction. EMIs can come from the UAE or from your NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account.

Lenders usually ask UAE residents for a passport, residence visa and Emirates ID, a salary certificate or employment contract, recent salary slips and UAE bank statements; the exact list is the bank's own. The loan is paid to the builder or seller. Try your budget on the EMI calculator.

Tax: the UAE question to raise with your CA

The UAE does not levy personal income tax on salaries. That makes one Indian rule worth checking. Since the Finance Act, 2020, an Indian citizen whose Indian income is above ₹15 lakh and who is not liable to tax in any other country can be treated as a "deemed resident" of India. A salaried NRI in the UAE with modest Indian income is usually not affected, but anyone with sizeable income in India should have a CA check it, because it can change how your Indian income is taxed.

When you sell the property, the buyer deducts TDS at non-resident rates, and long-term gains (property held over 24 months) are taxed at 12.5% plus surcharge and cess. You can apply for a lower deduction certificate so TDS follows the real gain. To claim benefits under the India–UAE tax treaty, published by the Income Tax Department, you generally need a Tax Residency Certificate from the UAE authorities.

Sending the sale money back to the UAE

Proceeds from up to two residential properties can be repatriated if the purchase was paid in foreign exchange or from NRE or FCNR(B) funds. Anything else, including money from an NRO-funded or inherited property, goes out through the NRO account within USD 1 million per financial year, with the remittance declaration and a CA's certificate (the old Forms 15CA and 15CB, which have new numbers under the 2025 Act — your bank will tell you which forms it needs). The hub guide covers this in detail.

Homes UAE-based families often ask us about

One ready-to-move example and one new launch with a RERA registration, from our listings:

Green Lotus Saksham · Zirakpur–Patiala Highway (NH-7), near Nabha Sahib Gurudwara, Zirakpur · ₹1.18 Cr onwards

The Ethereal · VIP Road, Zirakpur · ₹1.38 Cr + GST

Browse property in Zirakpur, property in Mohali and property in New Chandigarh, or compare property rates by area. Our older post on buying property in the Tricity as an NRI gives an overview of the areas.

Plan it around your next trip home

Tell us your budget, preferred areas and when you will next be in India. Property1313 will set up video visits now and site visits for your trip, with price sheets and RERA papers ready. Send your requirement, or call or WhatsApp 89100 01313.

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check your own case with a chartered accountant and a property lawyer before you pay or sign.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an NRI in Dubai buy property in Mohali or Zirakpur?: Yes. An Indian citizen working in the UAE is a non-resident Indian under FEMA and can buy residential or commercial property in India without RBI permission. Agricultural land, plantation property and farmhouses are excluded.
Can I send money through an exchange house to buy property in India?: Yes, as long as the money arrives in your Indian bank account, preferably your NRE account, as an inward remittance through banking channels. Ask the Indian bank for the remittance advice or FIRC. Cash carried home and informal transfers are not allowed and leave no record for repatriation.
Should I use an NRE or NRO account to buy property?: Use NRE for money you earn in the UAE. Payments from NRE count as foreign exchange paid, so the sale proceeds of up to two homes can later go back abroad. NRO suits income earned in India, and money from it can be repatriated only within USD 1 million per financial year.
Does a UAE power of attorney need an apostille for India?: No. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so a POA signed there is attested by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi or the Consulate General of India in Dubai instead. It must then be stamped in India within three months of arrival.
Do I need to come to India for the property registration?: You or your attorney must attend the sub-registrar office, because photographs and fingerprints are taken at registration. With India only one and a half hours ahead of the UAE, many buyers fly home for the agreement and registration instead of using a POA.
Does the UAE having no income tax affect my Indian tax?: It can. Since 2020, an Indian citizen with Indian income above ₹15 lakh who is not liable to tax in any other country can be a "deemed resident" of India. Most salaried NRIs with small Indian income are not affected, but ask a CA to check your case.