Short answer: To get NRI buyers for a real estate project, offer only what Indian rules let them buy, show the project fully on video, put every approval in writing, reply in the buyer's time zone, and explain how payment, loans and registration work from abroad. NRIs and OCI cardholders can buy residential and commercial property in India, including non-agricultural plots, but not agricultural land, plantation property or farm houses.
This guide to NRI real estate marketing is for developers, builders and promoters who want to sell property to NRI buyers. It was checked against the RBI's rules, directions and FAQs, the RERA Act, TNRERA and two banks' official pages in October 2026.
What NRIs and OCIs can and cannot buy
The rules are in rule 24 of the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019, explained in the RBI's Master Direction on immovable property and its FAQs. An NRI is an Indian citizen resident outside India. An OCI is a person resident outside India who is registered as an Overseas Citizen of India cardholder.
- Can buy: any immovable property in India "other than an agricultural land or farm house or plantation property". That covers flats, houses, villas, shops, offices and plots in non-agricultural layouts.
- Cannot buy: agricultural land, a farm house or plantation property. An NRI or OCI can acquire these only by inheritance.
- Gifts: they can receive property other than agricultural land, a farm house or plantation property as a gift from a relative.
- A foreign spouse: a spouse who is not an NRI or OCI may buy one such property jointly with the NRI or OCI spouse, if the marriage is registered and has lasted at least two years (rule 25).
So if your project is farmland, a managed farm or a farm-house community, do not market it to NRI or OCI buyers. If you are unsure how the land is classified, take legal advice first. Our guide can NRIs buy land in India answers buyers' own questions on this.
How NRI buyers must pay
Under rule 24, an NRI or OCI pays from money received in India through banking channels by inward remittance from abroad, or from a non-resident account. The RBI's FAQs name the NRE, FCNR(B) and NRO accounts. No payment may be made by traveller's cheque, foreign currency notes or any mode other than these.
- Do not accept cash.
- Give your bank account details in writing, on your letterhead, and ask the buyer to confirm them by phone before sending money.
- Issue a receipt for every payment that names the account it came from.
How the buyer pays also matters when they sell. Under rule 29, the bank may let an NRI or OCI take the sale money abroad if the property was paid for in foreign exchange through banking channels or from an NRE or FCNR(B) account, limited to two residential properties. Money paid from an NRO account does not meet that condition. Buyers can read more in how to sell property in India from abroad.
Home loans for NRI buyers
The RBI's Master Direction on rupee borrowing and lending with NRIs lets banks and housing finance institutions approved by the National Housing Bank lend to NRIs and PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) to buy a residential home in India. Loan size, margin and repayment period are on par with resident borrowers. The loan is secured by a mortgage on the property, and instalments can be paid by remittance from abroad, from the buyer's NRE, FCNR(B), NRO or other non-resident accounts, from rent on the property, or by a relative in India.
Two examples from banks' own pages:
- SBI's NRI Home Loan is for NRIs and PIOs aged 18 to 70, from ₹15 lakh, repayable over up to 30 years.
- ICICI Bank's NRI home loan FAQs say repayment can be linked to an NRE or NRO account, the tenure can be up to 30 years depending on the borrower, and a power of attorney is needed only if an applicant cannot come to India for the disbursement formalities.
Plot loans are a separate product, and not every lender offers them to NRIs: SBI Realty, SBI's plot loan, lists resident Indians only. See plot loans in India. Ask the banks your buyers use what they need for your project, and keep that set of papers ready to send.
Reply in the buyer's time zone
An NRI buyer may write in their evening, which can be night in India. Decide who replies overnight, and plan live calls from the site in Indian daylight. India Standard Time (IST) is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of UTC.
| Where the buyer lives | Compared with India | A daylight site call in India is, for them |
|---|---|---|
| UAE, Oman | 1 hour 30 minutes behind | 10 am to 4 pm IST is 8:30 am to 2:30 pm |
| Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain | 2 hours 30 minutes behind | 10 am to 4 pm IST is 7:30 am to 1:30 pm |
| United Kingdom | 4 hours 30 minutes behind in summer, 5 hours 30 minutes in winter | 2 pm to 5 pm IST is 9:30 am to 12:30 pm in summer |
| US East Coast | 9 hours 30 minutes behind in summer, 10 hours 30 minutes in winter | 7 am to 8 am IST is 9:30 pm to 10:30 pm the evening before, in summer |
| Singapore, Malaysia | 2 hours 30 minutes ahead | 10 am to 4 pm IST is 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm |
What a remote buyer needs to see: a virtual site tour and papers
- A video tour. The whole project, from the main road to the plot or flat, filmed as it stands today. On Gmore every listing is a vertical video tour of up to 90 seconds; see how Gmore works for developers.
- Approvals in writing. The layout or building approval, the approved plan and the RERA registration. In Tamil Nadu, buyers can find registered layouts on the TNRERA website. Section 11(3) of the RERA Act requires you to make the sanctioned plans and a stage-wise completion schedule available at booking.
- A live video call from the site. Walk to the exact plot or flat, show the boundary stones or the view, and answer questions on camera.
- A sample agreement. Send the draft agreement for sale before any money moves. In Tamil Nadu it follows the model agreement in the state's RERA rules. Section 13 caps the advance at 10% of the cost until a written agreement for sale is signed and registered.
- Payment instructions. Your bank details, the payment schedule and the permitted ways to pay, in writing.
Registration when the buyer cannot travel
A buyer who cannot come to India for registration can authorise someone they trust with a power of attorney. How to sign one abroad, get it stamped and use it in Tamil Nadu is set out in our guide to power of attorney for property in Tamil Nadu. Tell buyers early, because the paperwork takes time.
Where NRI buyers look
Plan for each place an NRI buyer may look:
- Search engines. Answer common questions, such as whether an NRI can buy a plot, on your project page.
- Property portals and apps. Use the same video, price and RERA number everywhere.
- Video platforms. A full walk-through answers more than photos.
- Family in India. Relatives may visit the site for the buyer. Make your video link easy to forward on WhatsApp.
What Gmore's data shows about far-away buyers
In the 90 days to 14 October 2026, 1,070 of the 1,682 people who watched a property on Gmore lived more than 100 km from it, and people in 14 countries watched. The figure measures distance, not residence status: a viewer 100 km away may live in another Indian city or abroad. Either way, most were looking at a property far from where they live, so the video and the papers have to do the work of a first visit. For the whole launch, from approvals to the video shot list, see how to sell plots in a new layout online.
List your project on Gmore
On Gmore, every listing is a short vertical video tour with a permanent Gmore ID and a short link you can send to a buyer anywhere. Verify your ID once for a verified developer profile; buyers can only call and message verified professionals, and every chat, site-visit request and call request reaches one Buyers inbox. See Gmore for property developers.
Checked in October 2026 against the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 as updated on the RBI website, the RBI's Master Directions and FAQs, the RERA Act, TNRERA, and the SBI and ICICI Bank NRI home loan pages. Written by the Gmore team.
