Power of Attorney from Dubai or Singapore for Ghaziabad Property

The short answer

Yes, a relative in Ghaziabad can sell, buy, register or manage your property while you live in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Singapore. You sign a power of attorney before the Indian Embassy or Consulate, or in Singapore before a notary with an apostille; your relative has it stamped in Uttar Pradesh within three months of its arrival and then signs and presents the deed at the Ghaziabad sub-registrar. For a court case rather than property, see LawAired's page on Ghaziabad cases for Indians abroad.

What the power of attorney should say

The chamber drafts it for the named property and the acts you want done: to sign and present a sale deed or accept a purchase, pay stamp duty and fees, appear before the sub-registrar, apply for mutation, and let the property and collect rent. Name the attorney exactly as in the attorney's identity proof, because the stamp duty on a power to sell in Uttar Pradesh turns on who the attorney is.

Signing it in the UAE

The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so a UAE notary's attestation has to pass through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then the Indian Embassy or Consulate. The shorter route is to sign before the Indian consular officer at the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi or the Consulate General of India, Dubai.

Since 1 July 2026 the Embassy and the Consulate General give these services directly; BLS International and SGIVS no longer handle them. Appointments are booked only on book.passportindiauae.com, free of charge. Dubai takes no walk-ins; Abu Dhabi allows limited walk-ins from 9 to 11 am. Fees are paid in cash. The Embassy's attestation guidelines ask for:

• the power of attorney in original with a duplicate copy, signed only in the presence of the consular officer;
• your original passport, with photocopies of its first five pages and of the page bearing your current UAE residence visa;
• a recent passport-size photograph of you, and of the attorney if present, fixed on top of the front page.

You must attend in person. The Embassy's 2026 fee structure lists AED 80 for attesting a real estate document, including a power of attorney, and AED 155 if the consular officer drafts or helps draft it; confirm the Dubai fee when you book. For a court case run from the UAE, see a Ghaziabad case from Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

Signing it in Singapore

The Apostille Convention has applied to Singapore since 16 September 2021, and India is a party, so a power of attorney signed before a Singapore notary and apostilled there needs no further attestation by the High Commission of India for use in India.

You can instead have it attested at the High Commission. From 1 September 2026 applications go through SEWA, the Indian Consular Services System: you upload scans, then submit the papers and fee in person at BLS International with your original passport and IC. The High Commission's own power of attorney page could not be opened when this was checked, and the counter may change under a new outsourcing contract, so check the requirements on SEWA when you apply. For a court case run from Singapore, see a Ghaziabad case from Singapore.

Stamping it within three months

A power of attorney executed only outside India may be stamped within three months after it is first received in India; if it cannot be stamped with the right kind of stamp, it is taken within those three months to the Collector, who stamps it (Section 18, Indian Stamp Act, 1899). After three months the Collector cannot certify the duty under Section 32, and the deed is liable to be impounded under Section 33 and a penalty charged.

Stamp duty on a power to sell in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh replaced Article 48 of Schedule I-B with effect from 28 December 2023, by UP Ordinance No. 19 of 2023 and then the Indian Stamp (Uttar Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2024. The duty depends on the attorney:

• A listed family member, with proof of relationship: a fixed ₹5,000. The list is father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter-in-law, daughter, son-in-law, brother, sister, and grandchildren through a son or a daughter.
• Anyone else authorised to sell immovable property: the same duty as a conveyance, on the market value of the property.
• An irrevocable power to sell, or one given for consideration: the same duty as a conveyance, on the market value. This clause has no family exception.

Two cautions. The final Act number of the amending law could not be confirmed, and the stamp schedule PDF still posted on igrsup.gov.in shows the old Article 48, so do not rely on it. Confirm the duty for your deed with the Ghaziabad stamp office before you execute it abroad. Where conveyance duty applies, the Ghaziabad stamp duty calculator gives a working figure at the circle rate.

At the Ghaziabad sub-registrar

An agent may present a deed for registration on a power of attorney executed and authenticated as the Registration Act, 1908 requires (Section 32). For a principal who does not live in India, Section 33(1)(c) requires execution before and authentication by a Notary Public, a Court, Judge or Magistrate, an Indian Consul or Vice-Consul, or a representative of the Central Government, and under Section 33(4) such a deed is proved by producing it. Courts presume the same under Section 84 BSA (old Section 85 Evidence Act). The chamber found no Uttar Pradesh provision for an owner abroad to appear before the sub-registrar by video, which is why the power of attorney carries the transaction.

A power of attorney does not sell the property

In Suraj Lamp & Industries (P) Ltd. v. State of Haryana, (2012) 1 SCC 656, the Supreme Court held that a sale agreement, general power of attorney and will do not convey title or create any interest in immovable property; a sale is made only by a registered deed. A genuine sale by an attorney through a registered conveyance is unaffected. Your attorney therefore signs and registers a sale deed in your name in favour of the buyer.

What an NRI or OCI may buy, and inherited property

Rule 24 of the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt Instruments) Rules, 2019 lets an NRI or OCI buy any immovable property in India other than agricultural land, a plantation or a farm house, and acquire any property, farmland included, by inheritance. Farmland, a plantation or a farm house can be sold only to a person resident in India. The price must come through banking channels or from an NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account.

For inherited land in the Khatauni, mutation (dakhil kharij) runs under Sections 33 to 36 of the UP Revenue Code, 2006: the heir reports the succession to the Revenue Inspector, a disputed case goes to the Tahsildar, an appeal lies to the Sub-Divisional Officer within 30 days, and no mutation is recorded until land revenue dues are paid. Name transfer of a city flat or house in the municipal or GDA record is a separate process, not covered here.

A will made in Uttar Pradesh of property in Uttar Pradesh does not need probate. Section 213 of the Indian Succession Act never applied to it, and the Repealing and Amending Act, 2025 omitted Section 213 from 20 December 2025.

Tax and sending the money abroad

When an NRI sells, the buyer must deduct tax at source from the price under Section 393(2) of the Income-tax Act, 2025; the rate and any lower-deduction certificate are for a chartered accountant. Under the RBI's Master Direction on Remittance of Assets, a bank may let an NRI remit up to USD one million a financial year out of sale proceeds, on documents, through the same bank.

Questions people ask

Can I sign the power of attorney before a notary in Dubai?

You can, but because the UAE is not an apostille country, the UAE notary's attestation must then be attested by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and after that by the Indian Embassy or Consulate. Signing before the Indian consular officer in Abu Dhabi or Dubai skips both steps, and the Registration Act names an Indian Consul among the authorities before whom a principal living abroad may execute a power of attorney.

How long do I have to stamp the power of attorney in India?

Three months from the day it is first received in India, under Section 18 of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899. Within that time it is stamped, or taken to the Collector for stamping. After three months the Collector cannot certify the duty under Section 32, and the deed is liable to be impounded and a penalty charged. Keep the courier receipt that shows when it arrived.

What is the stamp duty on a power of attorney to sell property in Ghaziabad?

Since 28 December 2023 Uttar Pradesh charges a fixed ₹5,000 where the attorney is a listed family member and proof of relationship is filed. Where the attorney is anyone else, or the power to sell is irrevocable or given for consideration, the duty is the same as on a conveyance, on the market value of the property. Confirm the figure with the Ghaziabad stamp office before you sign abroad.

Can my brother sell my flat on the power of attorney alone?

No. Under Suraj Lamp & Industries v. State of Haryana, a power of attorney does not pass title. Your brother, as your attorney, signs a sale deed in your name in favour of the buyer and presents it for registration, and the sale is complete only when that deed is registered. A buyer who is handed only a power of attorney does not become the owner.

Can an NRI inherit farmland in Ghaziabad?

Yes. Rule 24 of the FEMA Non-debt Instruments Rules, 2019 lets an NRI or OCI acquire any property by inheritance, although an NRI or OCI cannot buy agricultural land, a plantation or a farm house. Inherited farmland can later be sold only to a person resident in India. The heir reports the succession for mutation in the Khatauni under Section 33 of the UP Revenue Code, 2006.