Can an NRI in Dubai or the Gulf buy a flat in Whitefield?

Yes. An NRI or OCI card-holder can buy any residential or commercial property in India, including a flat or villa in Whitefield, without RBI approval. Only agricultural land, plantation property and farmhouses are excluded (RBI Master Direction No. 12, para 3.1.1).

How do I pay for a home in Whitefield from abroad?

Through Indian banking channels: money remitted to India, or your NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account. Foreign currency notes and traveller's cheques are not allowed. A home loan from an Indian bank is paid to the developer, and you can repay it from abroad or from the rent (RBI Master Directions No. 12 and 6).

What tax applies when an NRI sells later?

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, for tax year 2026-27. A lower-deduction certificate can reduce it to the tax actually due. Proceeds from up to two homes bought with foreign exchange or NRE/FCNR funds can be sent abroad.

Do I need to fly in to buy in Whitefield?

Not necessarily. You can view projects on a video call, sign a power of attorney before the Indian embassy or consulate in your Gulf country, and have someone you trust register the sale. The power of attorney must be stamped in Karnataka within three months of reaching India.

The Gulf Desk · Bengaluru

Whitefield, for buyers in the Gulf

Homes in Whitefield priced in your currency, with the rules for buying from abroad set out plainly.

Today—per AED

In short

As of 21 October 2026, Property Point lists 43 projects in Whitefield, from ₹48 L; 35 are new launches or under construction. NRIs and OCI card-holders can buy here much as residents do, paying from an NRE, FCNR or NRO account, and a power of attorney signed at the Indian mission lets someone in India register for you.

Metro: Purple Line, running: Krishnarajapura–Whitefield (Kadugodi) opened 26 March 2023, and the Baiyappanahalli link on 9 October 2023, giving one line to Challaghatta (Wikipedia)
Drive times: ITPL about 14 min, Outer Ring Road (Bellandur) about 42 min, MG Road about 70 min, airport about 71 min (Ola Maps, 12 October 2026)
Market rate: ₹10,850 per sq ft new-launch quoted rate (ANAROCK, Q2 2026); ₹14,500 asking (Square Yards, June 2026); ₹7,100–15,200, up 14% in H1 2026 (Knight Frank)
On our books: Median about ₹13,500 per sq ft across 41 priced listings, range ₹7,800–20,000 (Property Point listings, October 2026)
Rent: 2 BHK about ₹30,000–46,000 a month (ANAROCK, Q2 2026)

Why buyers abroad look at Whitefield

Whitefield was Bengaluru's most-searched micro-market on Magicbricks in Q3 2025, at about ₹13,500 per sq ft (Magicbricks PropIndex Q3 2025).
Gulf News reported in July 2026 that Gulf NRIs, their budgets stretched further by a weaker rupee, were looking at Whitefield and North Bengaluru.
East Bengaluru, Whitefield's zone, accounts for about 38% of NRI home sales in the city, by NoBroker's data reported by BW Businessworld (2026).
The Purple Line metro has run to Whitefield (Kadugodi) since 2023, and ITPL and the EPIP zone keep rental demand deep.

Sources: Magicbricks PropIndex Q3 2025 · Gulf News, 20 July 2026 · BW Businessworld (NoBroker data), 2026

Homes in Whitefield, in your currency

All 43 projects

Starting prices from developer information, 21 October 2026; indicative, before taxes and charges. Currency at today's rate. Check each project's RERA number on rera.karnataka.gov.in.

Can you buy here from abroad?

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, and selling later

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).

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 in Bengaluru

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.
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)).

Questions buyers abroad ask

Can an NRI in Dubai or the Gulf buy a flat in Whitefield?: Yes. An NRI or OCI card-holder can buy any residential or commercial property in India, including a flat or villa in Whitefield, without RBI approval. Only agricultural land, plantation property and farmhouses are excluded (RBI Master Direction No. 12, para 3.1.1).
How do I pay for a home in Whitefield from abroad?: Through Indian banking channels: money remitted to India, or your NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account. Foreign currency notes and traveller's cheques are not allowed. A home loan from an Indian bank is paid to the developer, and you can repay it from abroad or from the rent (RBI Master Directions No. 12 and 6).
What tax applies when an NRI sells later?: 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, for tax year 2026-27. A lower-deduction certificate can reduce it to the tax actually due. Proceeds from up to two homes bought with foreign exchange or NRE/FCNR funds can be sent abroad.
Do I need to fly in to buy in Whitefield?: Not necessarily. You can view projects on a video call, sign a power of attorney before the Indian embassy or consulate in your Gulf country, and have someone you trust register the sale. The power of attorney must be stamped in Karnataka within three months of reaching India.