Affordable Selling agricultural land in India as an NRI

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An NRI generally may not acquire agricultural land in India, and selling inherited agricultural land runs into both the tax definition of a capital asset and the exchange-control rules on who may buy it. Ask us about affordable selling agricultural land in India as an NRI: call the 24-hour helpline on +1 (416) 619-0068, or request a written fixed quote today.

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  • 15+Years of cross-border experience
  • 18,000+Clients served
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  • 4Global offices — India, USA, Canada & UAE
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Secure a fixed quote

Begin with the papers you already have. The engagement is priced from them, in writing, before the work.

24-hour helpline: +1 (416) 619-0068
  • 18,000+ clients served
  • 15+ years of cross-border experience
  • Google rating 5.0 out of 5
The short answer

An NRI generally may not acquire agricultural land in India, and selling inherited agricultural land runs into both the tax definition of a capital asset and the exchange-control rules on who may buy it. Whether the land is a capital asset for tax purposes depends on its location relative to defined municipal limits, and the class of permitted purchaser is restricted under exchange-control law.

Do you need this?

  • You are an NRI with Indian property, deposits or investments
  • Tax was deducted at source in India before the money reached you
  • You are returning to India after years abroad
  • You hold foreign assets and are, or will be, an Indian resident
  • A buyer, tenant or bank has deducted tax against your Indian identifier

That list is deliberately concrete. If you recognise yourself in it, this page is the right starting point; if you do not, tell us and we will point you elsewhere without charging for it.

The team at work in the open-plan office

What selling agricultural land in India as an NRI costs here

The fee on an agricultural land sale turns on two things: whether the land's position relative to municipal limits has to be established from survey records, and how far back the inherited title and cost history must be traced. Repatriating the proceeds is a separate piece of work, quoted separately.

NRI Indian return (ITR-2) — fixed-fee price

From $349

fixed, quoted before work starts

The Indian return on India's own year, reconciled against the department's information statement, with treaty relief and the deduction-at-source credits properly claimed.
See the full fee page

NRI property sale package — India desk price

From $349

fixed, quoted before work starts

The whole transaction handled end to end: the certificate application before closing, the Indian return afterwards, and the remittance certification that moves the proceeds out.
See the full fee page

Individual tax filing

From $349

fixed, quoted before work starts

A personal filing built from your own documents — employment, investment and rental income across borders, with the treaty position set out.
See the fee schedule

Non-resident & departure filings

From $349

fixed, quoted before work starts

Arrival and departure years priced as one engagement, with the part-year residence position and the assets deemed disposed of on exit.
See the fee schedule

Foreign asset & information reporting

From $349

fixed, quoted before work starts

Accounts, property and company interests held outside the country of residence, reported on the schedules that carry penalties whether or not tax is owed.
See the fee schedule

Estate & trust filing

From $799

fixed, quoted before work starts

Estates and trusts with assets or beneficiaries in more than one country, with both sides prepared together.
See the fee schedule

Corporate cross-border filing

From $999

fixed, quoted before work starts

Corporate compliance for a group that trades or holds assets in more than one country, prepared on both sides together.
See the fee schedule

Catch-up & voluntary disclosure

From $349

fixed, quoted before work starts

Voluntary disclosure handled as one piece of work, from the review of what is outstanding to the returns that close it.
See the fee schedule

All published fees on one page — the whole fee schedule in one place, with no from-to bands to decode.

What the rule does, step by step

An NRI generally may not acquire agricultural land in India, and selling inherited agricultural land runs into both the tax definition of a capital asset and the exchange-control rules on who may buy it.

Whether the land is a capital asset for tax purposes depends on its location relative to defined municipal limits, and the class of permitted purchaser is restricted under exchange-control law. Repatriation of the proceeds is a further, separate question.

What that means in practice is that the work happens before the filing season, not during it. By the time a return is being prepared the facts are fixed; everything that could have changed the answer — a date, an election, a certificate, a valuation — had its own window, and most of those windows close earlier than people expect.

The standard here is simple: no figure without a source for your year. Anything that cannot meet it is written as a mechanism, so you can see exactly what the rule does even where the number has to be confirmed before filing. See also ais & tis — annual information statement (India) and dividend repatriation from India.

What we actually file

  • Lower-deduction certificate applications before the transaction
  • Remitter declarations and accountant certificates for repatriation
  • The Canadian or US return that reports the same income
  • The Indian tax identifier application where one is missing
  • The treaty declaration India requires alongside a foreign residency certificate

What this looks like with numbers

The arithmetic is more persuasive than the description, so:

Deduction on the price against tax on the gain

An NRI sells Indian property for ₹30,500,000 with an indexed cost of ₹13,115,000. Assume the buyer must deduct at 14% of the consideration, and assume tax on the gain at 16%.

ItemAmount
Sale consideration₹30,500,000
Cost taken into account₹13,115,000
Gain actually arising₹17,385,000
Deduction on the consideration (assumed 14%)₹4,270,000
Tax on the gain (assumed 16%)₹2,781,600
Cash held back beyond the real tax₹1,488,400

₹1,488,400 more is deducted than the transaction actually owes. A lower-deduction certificate obtained before closing is what releases it at the table; without one it sits with the department until a return recovers it. Your version of this table is the useful one, and it takes a short call and a document pack to produce.

These amounts illustrate the mechanism only. The rates and thresholds are assumptions of the example, not your numbers: each is checked against the issuing authority for your specific tax year before any return is filed.

The four steps

  1. 1We start with the chronology: dates, countries, and what has already been filed
  2. 2You get the scope and the fee in writing before we touch anything
  3. 3The work is prepared and reviewed by a named person, not a queue
  4. 4Nothing is filed until you have read it

Fees for this work

Pricing works the way it should: a defined scope and a fixed fee agreed in writing before anything starts. If the scope turns out to be larger than we thought, that is a conversation before the work, not a line on the bill. Comparable engagements and their fixed fees are set out on the pricing pages.

  • Authorisation with each authority, so we see the assessments and slips directly rather than asking you for them.
  • 18,000+ clients served across 4 global offices: India, the USA, Canada and the UAE.
  • Documents move through one secure portal, and you can meet us in person at any of our offices.

Where to go from here

If you already have an adviser, we will tell you what they should be asking rather than replacing them. If you want to arrive prepared: the prior-year returns, the dates that matter, and any letter or slip that prompted the question. If you would rather just talk it through first, that works too.

Reviewed for the 2025 and 2026 filing seasons by Udit Gupta, Cross-Border Tax Expert, Legal Quotient Consultants. General information, not advice for your circumstances — call our 24-hour helpline to discuss your own position.

NRI double taxation — what this page covers

Read this page for NRI double taxation. It works through selling agricultural land in India as an NRI from the beginning — whether it applies to you at all, what has to be filed if it does, and what the engagement costs, priced up front.

An NRI generally may not acquire agricultural land in India, and selling inherited agricultural land runs into both the tax definition of a capital asset and the exchange-control rules on who may buy it.

How the engagement runs, phase by phase

  1. Tell us the dates and we will tell you the position

    Arrival, departure, the years in between — the residence question turns on those before anything else.

  2. Fixed fee, defined scope, in writing

    Both agreed before work starts, so the engagement cannot grow into a larger bill.

  3. Prepared together, not passed between firms

    You are not the go-between for two sets of advisers working from two sets of assumptions.

  4. Reviewed, approved, filed

    A named practitioner checks it, you approve it, and then it goes.

How selling agricultural land in India as an NRI is handled here

Factor Legal Quotient Hourly billing model
Pricing A fixed fee, agreed in writing before work starts Hourly, billed as incurred
Experience 15+ years of cross-border work, 18,000+ clients Varies by file
Both sides of the border Prepared together by one team, so relief is claimed exactly once One country at a time, reconciled later
Who reviews it A named practitioner, published on the page Whoever the queue reaches
Where the work happens Our offices in India, the USA, Canada and the UAE Whichever single office you can travel to

The vocabulary this page leans on

Corresponding adjustment
The matching adjustment in the other country that stops a transfer-pricing assessment taxing the same profit twice. Usually obtained through the treaty procedure.
FTC basket
A category into which foreign income and foreign tax are grouped for credit purposes. Credit in one basket cannot shelter tax in another, which is why sourcing work matters.
FDII
Foreign-derived intangible income — a US deduction for income a US corporation earns from serving foreign markets.
Backup withholding
US withholding applied where a payee has not provided a valid taxpayer identification number or certification, independent of any treaty position.
selling agricultural land in India as an NRI: Our analysis

Whether the land is a capital asset for tax purposes depends on its location relative to defined municipal limits, and the class of permitted purchaser is restricted under exchange-control law.

Whichever way the facts cut, you keep the same footing: a fee agreed in writing beforehand, a named practitioner reviewing the file, and nothing filed until the work is delivered and approved.

Selling agricultural land in India as an NRI — what the published fees look like

An NRI seller also has the question of who may lawfully buy agricultural land, and that constrains the sale before any tax computation begins. Files where the buyer class is settled and the papers are complete price differently from those where title, heirs or exchange-control consent still have to be worked through.

NRI Indian return (ITR-2)

$349fixed, before work starts

Covers: The Indian return on India's own year, reconciled against the department's information statement, with treaty relief and the deduction-at-source credits properly claimed.

What makes it bigger: Property and capital gains together. Rent with deduction at source is routine; a property sale in the same year brings computation, indexation and often a certificate application.

See this fee page

NRI property sale package — India desk price

$349fixed, before work starts

Covers: The whole transaction handled end to end: the certificate application before closing, the Indian return afterwards, and the remittance certification that moves the proceeds out.

What makes it bigger: Succession and title. Inherited property brings documents that have to be in order before a sale can complete, and that work precedes the tax work.

See this fee page

India–Canada dual filing (ITR + T1) — India desk price

$349fixed, before work starts

Covers: Both returns as one engagement across two mismatched fiscal years, with the Indian deduction at source reconciled and the Canadian credit claimed where it is usable.

What makes it bigger: The fiscal-year mismatch multiplied by income streams. Each stream has to be mapped from India's year onto Canada's before the credit can be computed.

See this fee page

What working with us on selling agricultural land in India as an NRI looks like

Residence is tested, not assumed

Where you are resident for treaty purposes is a question with a method. We work through it and write down the answer, with the facts it rests on.

A named reviewer on every file

Every page on this site and every file we deliver says which practitioner reviewed it — a person, not a team inbox.

We say early if it is not our work

If a file needs something this practice does not do, you hear that at the start rather than after a bill.

The quote comes from your documents

Nothing is priced from a phone call. We read what you have first, then the fee is set — so the scope and the number are agreed on the same evidence.

Two of the firm’s advisers at the glass desk in the Delhi office

Selling agricultural land in India as an NRI — the four phases

Step 1

Initial call

A call to our 24-hour helpline to establish the facts and the dates that matter

Step 2

Scope and fee

A written scope and a fixed fee before any work starts

Step 3

Preparation and review

Preparation, then a named reviewer's sign-off before anything is filed

Step 4

Filing and payment

Filing, then payment — after you have seen and approved the result

The team reviewing a file together at a desk

The engagement, start to finish

  • Step 1: Upload the file as it stands – A secure link arrives after the first call. Incomplete is fine; that is what the review is for.
  • Step 2: The number is settled up front – Priced from your own documents and confirmed in writing before any preparation begins.
  • Step 3: Both returns on one desk – One engagement covers every country the file touches, reconciled line against line.
  • Step 4: Your approval, then the filing – The return is yours to check first. We file once you say so.

Quoted up front, in writing.

Contact Us 24-hour helpline +1 (416) 619-0068

More of the same work, from other angles

Browse sideways: the pages below answer the neighbouring questions.

Core services for this situation

Family business succession across borders The full guide to family business succession across borders, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Regulation 105 waiver Its own page: regulation 105 waiver — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
Indian withholding on software payments Everything on Indian withholding on software payments, at the same depth as this page.
Non-resident with Canadian dividends or interest Non-resident Canadian dividends interest — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Family office structures The full guide to family office structures, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Form 8804 / 8805 — partnership withholding Its own page: form 8804 8805 partnership withholding — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
Intercompany management fees and transfer pricing Everything on what is transfer pricing, at the same depth as this page.
Form 3CEAD — CbCR filing (India) Form 3cead India — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Form 3CEAE — CbCR designation (India) The full guide to form 3ceae India, with the fee fixed before any work starts.

Clients who arrive with this exact page

Manufacturers cross-border tax The full guide to manufacturers cross border tax, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Team-sport athletes — what we charge Its own page: team-sport athletes what we charge — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
Shopify & DTC brands cross-border tax Everything on shopify & dtc brands cross border tax, at the same depth as this page.
Tax for influencers & content creators Influencers & content creators tax — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Tax for seasonal agricultural workers The full guide to seasonal agricultural workers tax, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Tax for data scientists & ai engineers Its own page: data scientists & ai engineers tax — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
Investors & property owners cross-border tax Everything on investors & property owners cross border tax, at the same depth as this page.
Tax for forex traders Forex traders tax — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Oil & gas rotational workers — relief you're probably missing The full guide to oil & gas rotational workers relief you're probably missing, with the fee fixed before any work starts.

The corridors we work every week

Bahrain tax for expats — country guide The full guide to Bahrain tax for expats, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Malta tax for expats — country guide Its own page: Malta tax for expats — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
France tax for expats — country guide Everything on France tax for expats, at the same depth as this page.
Indonesia tax for expats — country guide Indonesia tax for expats — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Senegal tax for expats — country guide The full guide to senegal tax for expats, with the fee fixed before any work starts.
Thailand tax for expats — country guide Its own page: Thailand tax for expats — mechanism, deadlines and published fees.
India–United Kingdom tax corridor Everything on India United Kingdom tax, at the same depth as this page.
Latvia tax for expats — country guide Latvia tax for expats — the guide, the FAQ and the fixed fee.
Slovakia tax for expats — country guide The full guide to slovakia tax for expats, with the fee fixed before any work starts.

The people on your file

Five named practitioners, each with the part of a cross-border file they carry. Every page on this site says who reviewed it, and the reviewer is one of these people rather than an unnamed team.

Udit Gupta

Udit Gupta

Cross-Border Tax Expert

CA (ICAI), In-Depth Tax Trained

Reviews and signs off the practice's cross-border positions, and carries final responsibility for the treaty analysis on every file that leaves the office.

Abhinav Gupta

Abhinav Gupta

Canada Tax / International Tax

Canada Tax, International Tax, Cross-Border Tax, Transfer Pricing

Canadian returns with foreign income, non-resident filings, and the transfer-pricing documentation that runs alongside intercompany work.

Raghav Gupta

Raghav Gupta

International Tax

International Tax, Transfer Pricing Specialist

Benchmarking, method selection and the local-file and master-file sets that support a group's pricing policy under examination.

Anmol Mittal

Anmol Mittal

Canada and US tax

CPA Canada, CPA USA, CA (ICAI)

Files that have to be right on both sides of the border at once — dual filings, streamlined catch-ups, and the foreign tax credit reconciliation between them.

Vinayak Indolia

Vinayak Indolia

CFO advisory

CPA, CA. Fractional CFO and Senior Advisory Specialist

Groups that need the tax position and the finance function to agree: structure reviews, intercompany policy, and the reporting a board can act on.

Meet the whole team

Files that look like this one

Case study 1

Tax Deducted When Buying From an NRI

Withholding on a sale by a non-resident is applied to the sale value rather than to the gain, so it routinely exceeds the tax due. A lower-deduction certificate obtained before completion avoids locking the difference up.

Read how this one runs
Case study 2

The Year of Leaving India

The departure year carries a transition status with its own treatment of foreign income, and the position for the following years follows from how it is set. Getting the first year right saves arguing about the rest.

Read how this one runs
Case study 3

Options Granted in India and Exercised Elsewhere

Where the grant, the vesting and the exercise happen in different countries, each may claim part of the same gain. Apportioning it across the period worked is what prevents the whole amount being taxed twice.

Read how this one runs
Case study 4

Indian Transfer Pricing Certification With a Hard Deadline

An Indian entity with international related-party transactions needs an accountant's report filed by a date of its own, ahead of the return. The work is reconciling the transactions to the books first, because the report is only as defensible as that reconciliation.

Read how this one runs
Case study 5

Inheriting Property in India While Living Abroad

India does not tax the inheritance itself, but the later sale and the money leaving the country both have positions of their own. The file establishes the cost base to use on that sale and what the remittance will require.

Read how this one runs
Case study 6

Withheld at the Statutory Rate When a Treaty Rate Applied

Where withholding has already gone out at the full domestic rate, the treaty rate is recovered rather than applied. The file establishes entitlement for each payment, then puts the documentation in place so the following year runs at the correct rate from the start.

Read how this one runs
Case study 7

Paying a Beneficiary Who Lives Abroad

Distributions to a non-resident beneficiary carry withholding and a designation that decides its rate. Getting the designation right before the payment avoids recovering the difference through a return afterwards.

Read how this one runs
Case study 8

A Canadian Property Sale Held Up for a Clearance Certificate

When a non-resident sells Canadian real estate the purchaser must hold back a portion of the price until the seller produces a certificate. The file applies for it on the correct basis and works to the closing date, because the holdback is released against the certificate, not against the sale.

Read how this one runs

All case studies — every published engagement in one place.

Where we deliver this work

Every link below is a full page of its own — the same depth as this one, for its own subject.

Where the work is delivered

More coverage detail

Core International & Cross-Border Tax Services

International Tax Planning & Advisory

Strategy and compliance for income, assets and families spread across borders.

Treaty residency & tie-breaker
FATCA reporting (Form 8938)
Foreign tax credit (Form 1116)
Multi-country filing calendar
Real estate holding structures
International tax planning
Pre-immigration tax planning
Family office structures
One coordinating team: filings on every side of the border are sequenced so treaty relief and foreign tax credits are claimed once — and in the right country.

U.S. & Cross-Border Tax Returns

Form 1040 from abroad
US state non-resident returns
FBAR (FinCEN 114) filing
Form 5472 — foreign-owned US corp
FIRPTA withholding (Form 8288)
US estate tax exposure
IRS streamlined foreign offshore
PFIC reporting (Form 8621)
Dual filers: U.S. citizens in Canada and Canadians with U.S. income run two parallel systems — we prepare both, in the right order, every year.

Expat & Emigration Tax

Departure tax leaving Canada
T1161 properties on emigration
Residency planning
Step-up in cost base on arrival
Split-year residency
Employment income under a treaty
Social security totalization
Returning to Canada after years abroad
The move year is its own project: the elections and valuations filed that year decide the next decade of both countries’ returns.

Non-Resident Canadian Tax

Section 216 rental return
NR4 & NR6 withholding
Section 217 pension return
Section 116 clearance certificate
Regulation 105 waiver
Non-resident employment income
Taxable Canadian property
Part XIII withholding review
Default withholding is 25% of gross: elective returns routinely turn over-withheld rent and pensions into refunds.

Transfer Pricing & BEPS

s.247 contemporaneous documentation
Functional & risk analysis
Benchmarking study
Intercompany agreements
Country-by-country report
BEPS & Pillar Two
Permanent establishment risk
TP audit defence file
Documentation prepared with the return is the cheapest insurance in international tax; reconstructing it during an audit is the most expensive.

Cross-Border Estates & Trusts

Cross-border wills
US estate tax for non-resident aliens
Terminal return & clearance certificate
Non-resident trusts (s.94)
T1141 & T1142 trust reporting
Inheriting property abroad
Graduated rate estates
Post-mortem planning & pipeline
Wills drafted for one country routinely misfire in the other — deemed disposition here, estate tax there, credits in between.

Cross-Border Corporate Tax

Entity selection across borders
Business profits & PE
Intercompany loans & thin cap
Paying dividends to a foreign parent
Global mobility & day tracking
Debt vs equity funding
Branch or subsidiary
Cross-border M&A due diligence
Expansion raises the same four questions every time — entity, PE, repatriation, payroll. We answer them before the tax authorities do.

India Tax for NRIs & Returning Residents

NRI residency day tests
NRE, NRO & FCNR accounts
TDS on property (s.195)
Lower or nil TDS certificate
Repatriating sale proceeds
Capital gains on Indian shares
India–Canada DTAA
ITR-2 for NRIs
The deduction is taken on the sale price, not the gain — which is why an NRI property sale strands cash unless the certificate is applied for before closing.

Canadian Tax with a Foreign Element

T1135 foreign property
T1134 foreign affiliates
Departure tax
Newcomer's first return
Returning to Canada
Split-year residency
US citizens in Canada
Canada–US corridor
Residency is decided on facts, not on a form — and the year you arrive or leave is the one where the largest amounts turn on the smallest details.

UAE Tax for Expats & Their Home Country

Expat tax in the UAE
Moving to the UAE
Moving back from the UAE
UAE property purchases
Retiring in the UAE
Canada–UAE corridor
India–UAE DTAA
US–UAE corridor
A zero-tax country is only half the answer — the question that decides the bill is whether the country you came from still treats you as resident.

Industries & Client Types We Serve Worldwide

Global E-commerce & Marketplaces
Technology & SaaS
Professional Services Firms
Cross-Border Real Estate
Importers, Exporters & Manufacturers
Athletes, Artists & Entertainers
Remote Workers & Digital Nomads
Investment Funds & Holding Companies

Global E-commerce & Marketplaces

  • Foreign VAT / GST / sales tax registrations
  • Marketplace withholding reviews
  • Inventory nexus & PE analysis
  • Multi-currency books reconciled
Explore E-commerce & Marketplaces

Technology & SaaS

  • Cross-border revenue sourcing & withholding
  • IP structuring with real substance
  • Equity for cross-border teams
  • U.S. expansion: entity & PE setup
Explore Technology & SaaS

Importers, Exporters & Manufacturers

Related-party purchasing, customs value versus transfer price, and foreign-affiliate structures put trading businesses inside the s.247 documentation rules.

Goods crossing a border move the tax question from income to indirect: registration thresholds, place of supply, the customs value and the transfer price between related entities all have to agree with each other. When they do not, the adjustment arrives from two authorities at once and each one uses the other's number.

  • Transfer pricing documentation (s.247)
  • Customs value vs transfer price
  • Foreign affiliate reporting (T1134)
  • Country-by-country reporting
Explore Trade & Manufacturing

Athletes, Artists & Entertainers

  • Reg 105 & U.S. CWA agreements
  • Multi-state & country calendars
  • Touring income allocation
  • Royalty & image-rights withholding
Explore Athletes & Entertainers

Remote Workers & Digital Nomads

  • Residency analysis before moving
  • Employer payroll exposure
  • Totalization & social security
  • Foreign tax credits
Explore Remote Workers

Investment Funds & Holding Companies

  • Treaty access & PPT reviews
  • FAPI & surplus computations
  • Withholding-efficient routing
  • Governance & substance
Explore Funds & Holdcos

Selling agricultural land in India as an NRI — questions we are asked

Selling agricultural land in India as an NRI — can I handle this myself?

Some of it, yes — and we will say so on the call if that is the honest answer. The parts that are worth paying for are the ones where a missed election, a missed deadline or an unverified threshold costs more than the fee: whether the land is a capital asset for tax purposes depends on its location relative to defined municipal limits, and the class of permitted purchaser is restricted under exchange-control law.

What if I have already filed and got it wrong?

That is a common starting point. We re-derive the position, identify whether an amendment or a disclosure route is the right vehicle, and tell you which one preserves the relief that is still available. The order matters more than the speed.

How long will it take?

It depends on the documents rather than on us. Once the pack is complete most filings turn around inside a fortnight; anything that needs a certificate from a tax authority runs on that authority's timetable, which we tell you at the start rather than at the end.

Is my Indian provident fund or PPF still tax-free now that I live abroad?

The exemption is an Indian one, and it does not travel. Your new country of residence taxes worldwide income under its own rules, and several — the United States in particular — may treat the annual growth in a foreign retirement or savings plan as currently taxable and separately reportable, whether or not you withdrew anything. So an account that is genuinely tax-free in India can be a taxable, reportable asset where you now live. See Indian pensions received abroad.

How do I get a refund of TCS collected on a foreign remittance?

You claim it on your Indian return for that year. The collected amount is credited against your total tax, and if it exceeds the tax due the balance is refunded like any excess payment. Two practical conditions: the collector must have filed its statement so the credit appears in your annual tax statement, and your PAN must be correctly recorded on the remittance. A salaried remitter can also ask their employer to account for it against salary withholding. See LRS limits and TCS.

Do NRIs have to file an Indian tax return?

If you have Indian-source income above the filing threshold, or you want a refund of tax withheld at source, or you are claiming treaty relief — then yes. Interest, rent, capital gains on Indian shares or property, and TDS deducted at a rate higher than your real liability all commonly force or reward a return. Filing is also how a lower-rate treaty claim and a foreign tax credit get onto the record. See NRI tax return filing.

What if I disagree with the position you recommend?

We set out the alternatives with their exposure and let you choose. Where a position is defensible but aggressive we say so in writing rather than filing it quietly.

How long does it take?

It depends on the documents rather than on us. Once the pack is complete most individual filings turn around inside a fortnight; anything that needs a certificate or a foreign authority runs on that authority's timetable.

Tax terms explained

Chapter 4 withholdingScope boundaryFirst-time penalty abatementCost plus methodMutual agreement procedureSecondmentFTC basketZero-rated supplyEmigrantEqualisation levySimplified registrationInput tax creditReassessment noticeSplit-year treatment Browse the full A–Z glossary

Related pages

Related in this section

All India deskPlace of effective management (POEM) riskLeaving India — becoming an NRILower or nil TDS certificate for NRIs (Form 13, s.197)Indian mutual fund TDS for NRIsAdvance tax and self-assessment for NRIsNRE, NRO and FCNR accounts — how each is taxed

Connected engagements

Permanent establishment in India — service PE and secondmentsForm 13 — lower or nil TDS certificate (India)Section 195 — TDS on payments abroad (India)Credit method vs exemption method under Indian DTAAsIndian GST registration for foreign suppliersForm 3CEB — TP accountant's report (India)

Answered questions

Selling agricultural land in India as an NRI
Fixed fee agreed before we start

A fixed fee for selling agricultural land in India as an NRI

Tell us the situation and we quote in writing before any work starts. You approve the result before it is filed.

Contact Us 24-hour helpline +1 (416) 619-0068 See fixed fees
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  • 18,000+ clients served
  • 24-hour helpline, +1 (416) 619-0068

Our practitioners are alumni of leading accounting and tax institutions

Where our partners studied — CPA Canada (In-Depth Tax Program), AICPA, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

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