- +91 80768 85539
- info@expertvuw.com
- Pan-India service available.
Home / NRI & Global Services / NRI Succession & Inheritance
Last updated: 2 October 2026
Inherited a flat, shares, bank deposits or land in India while living abroad? Our team maps the assets, sets out the documents each one needs, and coordinates transfer into your name — and the remittance of the proceeds abroad — mostly without you travelling to India.
NRIs and OCIs can inherit any property in India — including agricultural land, plantations and farmhouses, which they cannot buy. What changes from case to case is the document needed to prove your right to each asset:
A nominee on a bank account or demat account is not always the final owner — the legal heirs may still have a claim. Once the documents are in place, shares are transmitted, bank balances released and property mutated in the heir’s name.
India has no inheritance tax. Tax arises later — on rent, dividends or interest from the asset, and on a future sale, where the previous owner’s cost and holding period are used.
Based on the Indian Succession Act, 1925, RBI rules under FEMA and the Income-tax Act, 2025. Last updated: 27 September 2026.
NRIs and OCIs can inherit all property, including agricultural land
Required for a will in some cases; granted by a court
Issued by a civil court where there is no will, for shares, deposits and debts
Issued by the revenue authority, such as the Tahsildar
Receiving an inheritance is not taxed in India
Inherited funds can be sent abroad from NRO within this limit per financial year
Most delays come from documents rather than the law itself.
A nominee may hold assets only on behalf of the legal heirs; transfers made on that basis can be challenged.
Affidavits and indemnities signed abroad usually need notarisation and an apostille or Indian consulate attestation.
Old dividends and shares may already have moved to IEPF and need a separate claim.
An inheritance usually leads to a share claim, a property sale or a remittance.
Claim shares and dividends moved to IEPF.
Sell inherited property with the right TDS.
Send inherited funds abroad within RBI limits.
Report income from inherited assets.
We list the Indian assets and who holds records for each.
We set out which document each bank, company or office will accept.
Probate or a succession certificate through independent advocates; legal heir certificates through the revenue authority.
Transmission of shares and funds, and mutation of property in your name.
Tax on income from the assets, and on any sale you plan.
Remittance of the proceeds abroad within RBI limits.
Receiving an inheritance is tax-free; what you do with it next may not be.
India has no inheritance or estate tax.
A later sale uses the previous owner’s cost and holding period to work out the gain.
Rent, dividends and interest from inherited assets are taxable in the heir’s hands.
Inherited funds can be sent abroad from NRO within USD 1 million per financial year after tax.
Share your query and our team will reply during business hours.
Yes. NRIs and OCIs can inherit any property, including agricultural land, plantations and farmhouses, even though they cannot buy them.
No. India has no inheritance or estate tax. Tax arises on income from the asset and on a later sale.
A succession certificate is issued by a civil court and lets the holder collect debts and securities such as shares and deposits. A legal heir certificate is issued by the revenue authority and identifies the heirs; it is often accepted for smaller values.
Often not. Most documents can be signed abroad, notarised and apostilled or attested at an Indian consulate, and sent to India.
Yes. Inherited funds held in an NRO account can be sent abroad within USD 1 million per financial year, after tax and with the required remittance forms.
ACS – Director, Expertvuw Management Pvt Ltd
Succession cases are coordinated by Expertvuw’s team. Court proceedings such as probate or succession certificates are handled by independent advocates, and certificates are issued by the relevant court or revenue authority.