Can a British citizen buy property in India?

A British citizen who holds an OCI card can buy residential and commercial property in India on the same terms as an NRI. Without an OCI card, the general permission under FEMA does not apply, so get the card first. Agricultural land and farmhouses are not allowed either way.

Does a UK power of attorney need an apostille for use in India?

Yes. Sign it before a UK notary and get an apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office. India and the UK are both in the Hague Apostille Convention, so no further legalisation should be needed. Some Indian offices still ask for High Commission of India attestation on top, so check first.

How do I send money from the UK to buy a flat in Mohali?

Transfer pounds from your UK bank to your NRE account in India, then pay the builder or seller from that account. Keep the inward remittance advice or FIRC for every transfer, because it proves the purchase was paid in foreign exchange.

Can I hold an FCNR deposit in pounds?

The RBI allows FCNR(B) deposits in any freely convertible currency, which includes sterling. They are fixed deposits only, and useful if you want to keep savings in pounds until an instalment is due. Check which currencies your bank offers.

Will I pay tax in both India and the UK when I sell?

India taxes the gain on Indian property, and the buyer deducts TDS. If you are UK resident, the UK may also tax the gain, with credit for Indian tax under the India–UK tax treaty. Ask both an Indian CA and a UK tax adviser before you sell.

Can I get an Indian home loan on a UK salary?

Yes. Indian banks and NHB-approved housing finance companies lend to NRIs on the same terms as residents. Expect to show your passport and UK status papers, payslips, employment contract and UK bank statements. EMIs can come from the UK or your NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account.

How to Buy Property in India from the UK: Mohali, Zirakpur and Chandigarh Step by Step

Property1313 Team · October 14, 2026 · 9 min read

If you live in Britain and want to buy property in India from the UK, in Mohali, Zirakpur, New Chandigarh or Chandigarh, most of the rules are the same as for any NRI. What is specific to the UK is your citizenship status, the FCDO apostille on your power of attorney, moving pounds into the right Indian account, and the UK tax return you will still file. This guide takes you through it in the order things actually happen.

Quick answer: An Indian citizen living in the UK, or a British citizen with an OCI card, can buy a flat, house, plot or shop in the Tricity, but not agricultural land or a farmhouse. Send pounds through a bank to an NRE or FCNR(B) account, and sign yourself or through a UK-notarised, FCDO-apostilled power of attorney.

For the full rules on FEMA, accounts, loans, TDS and repatriation, read our hub: the NRI property buying guide for Mohali, Zirakpur and Chandigarh. This page covers only what differs when you are in the UK.

Step 1: Confirm which passport you are buying on

This is the step most UK families skip.

Indian passport, living in the UK: you are a non-resident Indian under FEMA. You can buy residential and commercial property in India.
British passport with an OCI card: you can buy on the same terms as an NRI. The RBI's Master Direction on immovable property gives the permission to NRIs and OCIs together.
British passport without an OCI card: the general permission does not cover you. Apply for the OCI card before you book.
Joint purchase with a British spouse who is neither an NRI nor an OCI: allowed for one property, if your marriage is registered and has lasted at least two years.

None of these routes allows agricultural land, plantation property or a farmhouse.

Step 2: Get your PAN and Indian accounts ready

You will need a PAN for the booking, the bank, any loan and the registration. If you do not have one, apply online before you start looking seriously, as it takes time to arrive in the UK.

Then set up the accounts:

An NRE account for money you send from the UK. Payments from it count as foreign exchange paid, which matters when you sell and want the money back in the UK.
An NRO account if you have Indian income or savings from before you moved. Money in it can still pay for property, but it goes back to the UK only within the USD 1 million per financial year facility.
An FCNR(B) deposit if you want to hold savings in pounds until an instalment is due. The RBI allows FCNR(B) deposits in any freely convertible currency, which includes sterling.

Step 3: Shortlist and see the homes on video

India is four and a half hours ahead of the UK in British Summer Time and five and a half hours ahead in winter. A 9 am call in London is early afternoon in Mohali, good light for seeing a site.

Ask for a live walk from the gate to the actual tower, and see the documents on screen: the RERA certificate, the approved layout and, for a finished building, the occupation or completion certificate. Check the project yourself on the RERA Punjab portal; our guide on checking RERA registration in Punjab shows how.

Want a live video walk-through at a time that suits you in the UK? WhatsApp Property1313 on 89100 01313. Tell us your budget and preferred areas; we will plan the calls around your working day and send the price sheets before you join.

Step 4: Book, and read the agreement before you pay more

Pay the booking amount from your NRE or NRO account, never in cash. Under section 13 of the RERA Act, 2016, a builder cannot take more than 10% of the price without first signing and registering an agreement for sale with you. Ask for the draft agreement by e-mail and have a lawyer in India read it before the second payment.

If the price is ₹50 lakh or more, you as the buyer deduct 1% TDS on each payment to a resident builder or seller and deposit it on the income-tax portal (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).

Step 5: The power of attorney from the UK

If you will not fly in for the agreement or the sale deed, give a special power of attorney to someone you trust in India, for this one property.

The UK route:

Draft the POA in the form your lawyer in India suggests, naming the property, the acts allowed and the bank account payments will come from.
Sign it before a UK notary public (or a solicitor who is a notary). Section 33 of the Registration Act, 1908 accepts a POA from a principal living abroad when it is executed before and authenticated by a notary or an Indian consul.
Get an apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office. The UK and India are both parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, and the Ministry of External Affairs says a document apostilled by a member country should need no further attestation in India.
Some offices in India still ask for the High Commission of India's attestation on top. The High Commission and its consulates in Birmingham and Edinburgh take applications through their outsourced centres, and for UK-issued documents they attest only after the FCDO apostille is on it. Ask your lawyer in Mohali whether the sub-registrar wants this before you book an appointment.
Courier the original to India. Your attorney must have it stamped within three months of its arrival in India (section 18 of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899) and registered in Punjab if the deal needs a registered POA.

Tip: ask your attorney to send you a scan of the stamped and registered POA, and keep it with your purchase papers. You will need it if questions come up years later.

Step 6: A home loan, if you need one

UK salary earners can borrow from Indian banks and housing finance companies on the same terms as residents. The RBI's borrowing and lending direction allows EMIs from a UK remittance, from your NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account, or from a relative in India.

Expect the bank to ask for your passport and UK visa or status papers, recent payslips, your employment contract, UK bank statements and possibly your P60. The loan is paid straight to the builder or seller, not to your NRE account. Work out the instalment on our EMI calculator before you speak to the bank.

Step 7: Payments from the UK

Send pounds from your UK bank to your NRE account by bank transfer, then pay the builder from the NRE account. Keep the Indian bank's inward remittance advice or FIRC for each transfer. When you sell, these papers prove the purchase was paid in foreign exchange, which is what allows the proceeds to go back to the UK.

Do not send money to the builder from a friend's or relative's resident account. It breaks the paper trail that repatriation depends on.

Step 8: Registration and possession

The sale deed for Mohali, Zirakpur, Kharar and most of New Chandigarh is registered at a Punjab sub-registrar office. You or your attorney must attend in person to give a photograph and fingerprints. Stamp duty and the registration fee are paid at this stage; see stamp duty and registration charges in Punjab.

If you are flying in, plan the trip around the registration appointment, not the other way round. For handover, our possession checklist is worth sending to whoever takes the keys for you.

Tax: India and the UK both have a say

India taxes capital gains on property in India. When you sell, the buyer deducts TDS at the 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 that TDS follows your actual gain.

The UK may also tax your gain if you are UK resident, with credit for Indian tax under the India–UK tax treaty, which the Income Tax Department publishes. Ask a UK tax adviser as well as an Indian CA before you sell; the two returns have to agree.

Getting the money back to the UK

Proceeds from up to two residential properties can be repatriated, as long as the purchase was paid in foreign exchange or from NRE or FCNR(B) funds. Anything else goes through the NRO account's USD 1 million per financial year facility. The bank will want the remittance declaration and usually a CA's certificate (the old Forms 15CA and 15CB, renumbered under the 2025 Act). The hub guide explains this in detail.

Homes UK families often ask us about

A ready home is the easiest to judge from abroad: you can see the finished flat on video and plan registration on one visit. Two examples from our listings, one ready and one under construction:

DLF Hyde Park Estate · Hyde Park Estate, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh

Marbella Grand · GHS-3, IT City Road, Sector 82-A, Mohali · ₹2.86 Cr onwards

Browse more property in Mohali, property in Zirakpur and property in New Chandigarh. For an overview of the areas NRIs look at, see our earlier post on buying property in the Tricity as an NRI.

Ready to buy property in India from the UK? Plan it with us

Send us your budget, the areas you like and your dates in India. Property1313 will line up live video visits, price sheets and RERA papers, and keep your family in India in the loop. Contact us, or call or WhatsApp 89100 01313.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a British citizen buy property in India?: A British citizen who holds an OCI card can buy residential and commercial property in India on the same terms as an NRI. Without an OCI card, the general permission under FEMA does not apply, so get the card first. Agricultural land and farmhouses are not allowed either way.
Does a UK power of attorney need an apostille for use in India?: Yes. Sign it before a UK notary and get an apostille from the FCDO Legalisation Office. India and the UK are both in the Hague Apostille Convention, so no further legalisation should be needed. Some Indian offices still ask for High Commission of India attestation on top, so check first.
How do I send money from the UK to buy a flat in Mohali?: Transfer pounds from your UK bank to your NRE account in India, then pay the builder or seller from that account. Keep the inward remittance advice or FIRC for every transfer, because it proves the purchase was paid in foreign exchange.
Can I hold an FCNR deposit in pounds?: The RBI allows FCNR(B) deposits in any freely convertible currency, which includes sterling. They are fixed deposits only, and useful if you want to keep savings in pounds until an instalment is due. Check which currencies your bank offers.
Will I pay tax in both India and the UK when I sell?: India taxes the gain on Indian property, and the buyer deducts TDS. If you are UK resident, the UK may also tax the gain, with credit for Indian tax under the India–UK tax treaty. Ask both an Indian CA and a UK tax adviser before you sell.
Can I get an Indian home loan on a UK salary?: Yes. Indian banks and NHB-approved housing finance companies lend to NRIs on the same terms as residents. Expect to show your passport and UK status papers, payslips, employment contract and UK bank statements. EMIs can come from the UK or your NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account.