Tips For NRIs Interested In Buying A Home In India

Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) may use NRI home loans to finance their plans to buy a home in India. However, the mechanism should also ensure that the Foreign Exchange Management Act of 1999 (FEMA) and related RBI regulations get followed because of the cross-border remittance requirements. As a result, when applying for a home loan for NRI in India, NRIs must keep the following points in mind:

• Home loans are available for a wide range of residential properties, including new construction and ready-to-move properties. In addition, a home loan can get used to finance the purchase of a plot, building works, and maintenance and improvement costs. However, under current FEMA legislation, an NRI gets no permission to purchase agricultural land, plantations, or farmhouses, among other things.  

As a result, even if an NRI wants to be a co-borrower, no loan can be obtained for such a house. 

• According to RBI regulations, an NRI home loan can only get repaid with NRI accounts, like NRE and NRO accounts. Apart from debits from an NRI account, a foreign money transfer from abroad may get used to credit the Home Loan directly.
  
  
• An NRI should prepay their NRI home loans in the same way that residents can. However, credits into the home loan account must come from the borrower's NRI accounts or foreign remittances to meet the standard repayment conditions.
  
  
• Banks typically charge slightly higher credit spreads due to the higher risk perception of the person staying out of the region. As a result, the home loan interest rate for NRI is slightly higher than for locals. If an NRI returns to India with the aim of settling, the loan account must be converted to a residential home loan so that lower interest rates can get obtained.
  
  
• Compared to a standard home loan for Indian citizens, NRI home loans come with additional paperwork requirements. You will need to submit a copy of your passport and a valid visa along with the application form. A General Power of Attorney (GPA) will need in favour of a resident Indian with whom the bank can interact in India.
  
  
• Though NRIs may jointly purchase a property in the name of another NRI, this is not possible with a resident Indian or those who are not permitted to buy property in India.