Property
State-level land law, and RBI rules on who may buy
Land is a state subject, so registration and stamp duty differ by state. Non-resident Indians may buy residential and commercial property; other foreign nationals generally cannot without RBI permission, and nobody may buy agricultural land.
Key rules
- Deadline — Deed presented for registration within four months of execution
- Deadline — RERA registration of a project before any marketing or sale
Governing law
- Transfer of Property Act, 1882
- Registration Act, 1908
- Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016
- Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999
- State Stamp Acts
In practice
RERA 2016 was a substantial consumer reform: projects above a size threshold must register, deposit seventy percent of receipts in a dedicated escrow account, and face adjudication before state RERA authorities rather than ordinary courts. Title remains deed-based with no state guarantee, so encumbrance certificates and a thirty-year title search remain standard. Benami transactions are prohibited and property can be confiscated under the 1988 Act as amended.