An NRI in Bahrain buys or sells Indian property through a property-specific power of attorney, signed before a Bahraini notary with a Ministry of Foreign Affairs apostille or at the Embassy of India in Manama. The attorney holder signs and registers the deed in India. Purchases are paid from NRE, NRO or FCNR funds or inward remittance; on a sale, the buyer deducts tax at source and the money reaches your NRO account for repatriation.
- Document route
- Bahraini notary, then apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or signing at the Embassy of India, Manama
- Time difference
- IST is 2h30 ahead of Bahrain all year (no daylight saving)
- Rules
- FEMA (Non-Debt Instruments) Rules 2019
- Not allowed to buy
- Agricultural land, plantation, farmhouse
Buying & Selling Property from Bahrain: how it works
For a purchase, we verify the title and the seller's authority before any money moves, then negotiate the agreement terms and the payment schedule. For a sale, we confirm that your own chain of title, mutation and tax records are clear, so the buyer's bank does not stall the deal. We draft a power of attorney limited to the property and transaction. You sign it in Bahrain, get it apostilled or attested by the Embassy, and courier it to India, where it is stamped and, in many states, registered or authenticated before it can be used at the sub-registrar's office.
In India your attorney holder signs the sale deed and appears for registration, often with photographs and biometric capture. On a sale, the buyer must deduct tax under the non-resident provisions, which can be far more than the actual tax due; a lower deduction certificate from the Income Tax Department, applied for before completion, avoids blocking your money until a refund. The proceeds go into your NRO account and can be sent to Bahrain within the annual USD 1 million limit after Forms 15CA and 15CB. We review every receipt so the paperwork supports that repatriation.
What clients in Bahrain should know
- Because Bahrain does not tax salaries and there is no comprehensive India-Bahrain tax treaty, the Indian capital gains rules alone decide the tax on your sale.
- Bahraini salaries remitted into an NRE account are the most convenient source for a purchase, since the funds are already documented as foreign earnings.
- Sub-registrars in some states will not accept a general power of attorney executed abroad for sale of property, so we always use a specific power naming the property.
Step by step from Bahrain
Video consultation
A call at a time that suits Bahrain, after we have read your documents.
Documents signed in Bahrain
Bahraini notary, then apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or signing at the Embassy of India, Manama
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 Bahrain where needed.
The full guide
This page covers what changes when you are in Bahrain. 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 Bahrain and the NRI Property Law practice area.
Questions from clients in Bahrain
Can I take a home loan in India while working in Bahrain?
Many Indian banks lend to NRIs for residential property, with repayment from NRE or NRO accounts. We review the loan and title documents but do not arrange finance.
Can my Bahraini wife who is not Indian co-own the property?
A foreign national who is not of Indian origin generally cannot buy immovable property in India without RBI approval, though she can inherit. We advise on structuring ownership before you sign.
Do I need to be in India for the registration?
No. Your attorney holder registers on your behalf, and we coordinate the date, the stamp duty payment and the collection of the registered deed.