NRI Property Valuation in India
Government-approved valuation reports for NRIs and overseas owners, handled entirely remotely. For selling inherited property, computing capital gains, supporting a lower TDS deduction application, repatriating funds, or proving net worth for a visa. You never have to fly to India.
We work in your time zone. Message us on WhatsApp from anywhere, no India number needed.
Why NRIs need a valuation more often than resident owners
If you live outside India and own property here, almost every transaction you attempt will ask for a number that somebody official has to accept. The buyer's chartered accountant wants it. The Income-Tax Department wants it. Your bank wants it before it will move money out of the country. An embassy wants it if you are declaring assets.
Resident sellers can often sort this out with a few visits. From Dubai, Toronto or New Jersey, that is not realistic. We have built the process so that the entire valuation runs without you setting foot in India, which is how we handle most of our overseas instructions.
The five situations we see most
1. Selling property and computing capital gains
The most common reason. If the property was acquired before 1 April 2001, you may substitute the fair market value as on that date for the original cost, which usually reduces the taxable gain considerably. This is the same mechanism explained on our capital gains valuation page, and it applies to NRIs as it does to residents.
2. Reducing the TDS the buyer has to deduct
This is the one that catches most NRIs by surprise, and it is worth understanding before you agree a sale.
When a resident buys property from a resident, the buyer deducts a small percentage as TDS. When the seller is a non-resident, a different provision applies. The buyer must deduct tax under Section 195, and critically, the deduction is calculated on the whole sale consideration, not merely on your gain. On a large sale that can lock up an enormous sum with the department while you wait to claim a refund after filing your return.
The remedy is an application to the Assessing Officer for a lower or nil deduction certificate under Section 197, made in Form 13. That application has to show what the actual gain is likely to be, and a registered valuer's report is the standard supporting evidence for the cost side of that computation. Getting the valuation done early, before the sale is agreed, is what makes this route practical.
Sequence matters. Speak to your chartered accountant and get the valuation moving before you sign an agreement to sell. Applying for a lower deduction certificate after the buyer has already deducted is far harder to unwind than arranging it in advance.
3. Repatriating the sale proceeds
Moving funds from an NRO account out of India is permitted within the limits set under the applicable exchange control rules, and the bank will ask for documentation supporting the source and the amount, typically including certification from a chartered accountant. A valuation report supports the underlying figures where the property was inherited or held for a long period and the cost basis needs establishing.
4. Inherited property
Inheriting property in India while living abroad brings its own paperwork, and a valuation is usually needed both to establish the cost basis for an eventual sale and to divide the asset fairly between heirs. Where the previous owner acquired the property before 1 April 2001, that earlier acquisition is what matters for the valuation date.
5. Visa, immigration and net worth
Embassies and consulates frequently ask for evidence of assets held in India, signed by an approved valuer. Our visa valuation page covers the format those applications expect.
How the remote process works
Message us from anywhere
WhatsApp or email works. Tell us where the property is, what type it is, and what the valuation is for.
Send documents digitally
Scans or clear photographs of the title deed and tax receipts are enough to start. No originals need to travel.
We arrange the site visit
Our local valuer visits. A relative, tenant, caretaker or your agent can provide access. You do not need to be there.
Report to you, wherever you are
Signed PDF by email, and a hard copy couriered internationally to your address abroad if you need the physical original.
Documents we usually need
- Title deed or the document through which you acquired or inherited the property
- Earlier chain documents showing when it was originally acquired, which decides whether the 2001 date applies
- Property tax receipt or municipal record
- Death certificate, will or succession certificate for inherited property
- Copy of your passport and OCI or PIO card, where the purpose requires identity evidence
- Approved plan, where available
Documents can be sent as photographs from your phone. If something is missing, which is common with older family property, tell us and we will work out what is genuinely needed.
Countries we regularly work with
We handle instructions from clients in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Australia, Singapore and across the Gulf. Practically, this means we are used to scheduling calls outside Indian business hours, working with a local family contact for access, and couriering originals to an overseas address.
On tax and exchange control. TDS rates, capital gains rates and repatriation rules change, and your position depends on your residential status for the year. We establish the value of the property. Your chartered accountant handles the TDS application, the return and the remittance certification. Please take that advice before committing to a sale.
NRI valuation FAQ
No. The entire process runs remotely. We need someone on the ground to let our valuer into the property, which can be a relative, a tenant, a caretaker or your property agent. Everything else, from documents to the final report, happens over WhatsApp, email and courier.
Yes. We send signed hard copies internationally through tracked courier services. Many clients only ever need the signed PDF, since that is what most chartered accountants and banks work from, so tell us whether the physical original is actually required before we send it.
Our reports are prepared as registered valuer reports in the form used to support cost of acquisition in tax computations, which is what the Section 197 application relies on for the gain calculation. Your chartered accountant prepares and files the application itself. We work alongside CAs on these regularly and are happy to coordinate directly with yours.
Yes, this is one of the most common NRI cases. We will need the title documents, the death certificate and whatever succession documentation exists, such as a will, succession certificate or legal heir certificate. Where the property is still in the deceased owner's name, tell us at the outset so the report is addressed correctly.
We will share payment details when we send the quote and can work with the methods normally available to overseas clients. Fees are fixed and quoted before we begin, so there is no currency surprise later.
Typically four to five working days from the site visit, the same as a domestic instruction. The variable is usually how quickly access to the property can be arranged, so the sooner you nominate a local contact, the sooner the clock starts.
Related valuation services
Further reading
Valuing India property from abroad?
Message us with the city and the reason you need the valuation. A registered valuer will reply personally, in your time zone.