Buying a home in India, from Bahrain.

Can you buy a home in India from Bahrain?

• An NRI or an OCI can buy any immovable property in India other than agricultural land, plantation property or a farmhouse, without RBI approval (RBI Master Direction No. 12, para 3.1.1).
• A foreign national who is neither an NRI nor an OCI generally cannot buy without RBI permission. The exceptions in the rules are leases of up to five years, property held or inherited from a resident, and one property bought jointly with an NRI or OCI spouse after at least two years of registered marriage (paras 1.1, 1.2, 4.1 and 4.3).
• OCI card-holders are not covered by the restriction that applies to citizens of certain neighbouring countries (para 9.2).

Paying for it from Bahrain

• A bank wire from your Bahraini account to your NRE or NRO account is the simplest route.
• The Embassy lists SBI, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank among the Indian banks with offices in Bahrain; SBI's branch offers Instant Transfer rupee remittances to India.
• SBI lists Bahrain partners for near real-time transfers: Bahrain Financing Co., Zenj Exchange Co., Bahrain India International Exchange Co. and National Finance and Exchange Co.
• The price must be paid from money received in India through banking channels, or from your NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account. Traveller's cheques and foreign currency notes are not allowed (RBI Master Direction No. 12, paras 3.3.1–3.3.2).
• Home loans to NRIs are given on the same terms as to residents, and are paid to the seller, not into your NRE or FCNR account. You can repay from abroad, from your NRE, FCNR or NRO account, from the home's rent, or through a relative in India (RBI Master Direction No. 6, updated 8 September 2026).
• Selling later: proceeds of up to two homes can be sent abroad if you paid for them in foreign exchange or from NRE or FCNR funds; loan instalments paid that way count too (Master Direction No. 12, para 8.2). NRO balances can be remitted up to USD 1 million a financial year (Master Direction No. 13).
• Before money leaves India, Form 145 (earlier Form 15CA) is filed, with a chartered accountant's Form 146 (earlier 15CB) above ₹5 lakh where it applies (Income Tax e-filing portal).

Home loans while you live in Bahrain

Figures are each bank's own published minimums for Gulf residents, read 20 Oct 2026; several banks publish them in dirhams for the whole GCC.

Credit report: Bahrain Credit Reference Bureau (BCRB). Issue the report yourself with your eKey through the Credit Report e-service on Bahrain.bh, pay the fee and receive it by email; ICICI asks applicants in Bahrain for an overseas credit report not older than 45 days.

Read: NRI home loans, the full guide

Signing a power of attorney in Bahrain

A power of attorney lets someone you trust in India sign and register for you, so you need not fly in. It is signed before the Indian mission, then stamped in the Indian state within three months.

Then, in India

1. 01A power of attorney signed by someone living abroad must be executed before, and authenticated by, an Indian Consul or Vice-Consul or a notary (Registration Act, s.33(1)(c)).
2. 02Once it reaches India it must be stamped within three months of first being received in the state; in Karnataka the Deputy Commissioner adjudicates it for a ₹100 fee (Indian Stamp Act s.18; Karnataka Stamp Act ss.18 and 31).
3. 03Tamil Nadu: a general power of attorney to sell, given to someone outside the family, carries 1% stamp duty and 1% registration fee; to a family member, ₹1,000 and ₹2,000 (TNREGINET).
4. 04Haryana: a power of attorney is not compulsorily registrable (Jamabandi Haryana FAQ). Your attorney then signs and registers the sale for you.

Tax, in plain terms

• Buying from a resident seller: deduct 1% tax at source when the price is ₹50 lakh or more (Income-tax Act, 2025, section 393(1), Table item 3(i)).
• When you sell as a non-resident, the buyer deducts tax at source: 12.5% on long-term gains (held more than 24 months) and 30% on short-term gains, plus surcharge and cess (section 393(2), Table item 17, tax year 2026-27). A lower-deduction certificate from the Assessing Officer can reduce this.
• The 20%-with-indexation option for property bought before 23 July 2024 applies only to residents, not to non-residents (section 197(3)).
• Rent paid to a non-resident landlord carries 30% tax at source plus surcharge and cess. Rent can be credited to an NRE account (RBI Master Direction No. 14).
• Indian tax on Indian rent and capital gains is worked out under the Income-tax Act whether or not your Gulf country taxes personal income; the UAE, for example, levies no income tax on individuals (u.ae).

What it costs to register

• Bengaluru (Karnataka): registration fee 2% since 31 August 2025 (Government notification RD/46/MNMU/2025). Stamp duty on a home is generally 5% plus additional duty of 10% of the duty (Karnataka Stamp Act, s.3B) and a surcharge; the base rate here is from developer guidance, so confirm the exact figure on the Kaveri portal before you register.
• Chennai (Tamil Nadu): stamp duty 7% and registration fee 2% of market value (TNREGINET).
• Gurugram (Haryana): stamp duty 7% in urban areas, 5% when the home is bought in a woman's name; registration fee on a slab up to ₹50,000 (Jamabandi Haryana).
• GST on a home under construction: 5% (1% for affordable homes), without input tax credit. No GST is due when the whole price is paid after the completion certificate (CBIC FAQ, 2019; CGST Act Schedule II, para 5(b)).

Flying in for a viewing

Bahrain (BAH)

Bengaluru — Gulf Air · Chennai — Gulf Air · Delhi — Gulf Air

Routes as listed on Google Flights, 20 Oct 2026. Confirm with the airline before booking.

Questions people in Bahrain ask

The other Gulf guides

• Buying from the UAE
• Buying from Saudi Arabia
• Buying from Kuwait
• Buying from Qatar
• Buying from Oman

Sources: MEA — Population of Overseas Indians · Embassy of India, Manama — Indian community · Embassy of India, Manama — Attestation · Embassy of India, Manama — ICAC consular services · Embassy of India, Manama — Contact us · Embassy of India, Manama — Indian banks and PSUs in Bahrain · Central Bank of Bahrain — Monetary policy · iGA — Credit Report e-service on Bahrain.bh · SBI — NRI home loans · ICICI Bank — NRI home loan · HDFC Bank — Home loans for NRIs in other locations · Axis Bank — NRI home loan · Bank of Baroda — Home loan for NRIs · SBI — Remittances from the Middle East · Google Flights — Bahrain to Bengaluru · Google Flights — Bahrain to Chennai · Google Flights — Bahrain to New Delhi · RBI Master Direction No. 12 (property) · RBI Master Direction No. 6 (loans) · RBI Master Direction No. 13 (remittance) · Income Tax Department, section 393 · Income Tax Department, TDS rates 2026-27 · Karnataka IGR, registration fee · TNREGINET, duty and fees · Jamabandi Haryana, FAQ · CBIC, real-estate GST FAQ · Registration Act, s.33. General information, checked on the date above; rules and rates change, so confirm with your bank, a chartered accountant or the mission before you act.