NRI Power of Attorney Format: Signing Abroad for Use in India
If you live outside India and need a parent, sibling or friend to deal with property, banks or offices in India, you sign the power of attorney abroad and send it home. The format matters, and so do three formalities: attestation or apostille, stamping in India, and registration where needed.
NRI power of attorney format
Executed outside India. To be attested by an Indian Embassy or Consulate, or notarised and apostilled, as accepted by the office where it will be used in India.
Non-judicial stamp paper or e-stamp certificate of value Rs. ______________ as applicable in the State of ______________
POWER OF ATTORNEY
executed outside India for use in India
I, Priya Mehta, D/o Shri Kiran Mehta, aged about 41 years, an Indian citizen / Overseas Citizen of India presently residing at 1450 Cedar Street, Apartment 5B, San Jose, California 95112, United States of America, holding Indian Passport No. Z1234567 (the "Principal"), do hereby appoint Kiran Mehta, S/o Late Shri Navin Mehta, aged about 69 years, residing at A-14, Sunrise Apartments, Kothrud, Pune, Maharashtra 411038, India, my father (the "Attorney"), as my lawful attorney in India.
Since I live outside India and cannot attend to my affairs there in person, I authorise the Attorney:
- To manage, maintain and let out the Property, sign leave and licence or rent agreements of up to eleven months, collect rent and deposit it into my NRO account.
- To pay property tax, society dues and utility bills for the Property and to deal with the municipal and society offices.
- To submit documents and correspond with my bankers in India, subject to each bank’s own rules and forms.
- To engage advocates and appear in proceedings relating to the Property.
- To apply for certified copies, mutation, and records relating to the Property.
PROPERTY REFERRED TO
Flat No. A-14, Sunrise Apartments, Survey No. 112, Kothrud, Pune 411038
I agree to ratify and confirm all acts lawfully done by the Attorney under this deed. This deed does not transfer any ownership in the Property to the Attorney.
Signed at San Jose, United States of America on 14 October 2026.
WITNESSES
1. Name: ______________
Address: ______________
Signature: ______________
2. Name: ______________
Address: ______________
Signature: ______________
Option A: Attested by the Consular Officer, Embassy / Consulate General of India at ______________ on ______________ Seal ______________
Option B: Notarised by ______________ and Apostille No. ______________ issued by ______________ on ______________
First received in India on ______________
Stamp duty paid / adjudicated at ______________ on ______________ Receipt or e-stamp No. ______________
An instrument executed only outside India may be stamped within three months after it is first received in India (section 18, Indian Stamp Act, 1899, as applied in the State).
Presented at the office of the Sub-Registrar ______________ on ______________
Registered as Document No. ______________ Book No. ______________ Volume ______________
Registration fee and stamp duty as per the rules of the State: ______________
Three ways the signature is authenticated abroad
| Route | How it works | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Embassy or Consulate | You sign before the consular officer, usually with two witnesses present, and the mission attests it. | Missions certify identity and signing only, not the contents. Fees, appointments and forms differ by mission; check its website. |
| Local notary plus apostille | A local notary attests your signature and the competent authority of that country issues an apostille. | India has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention since 2005; an apostilled document from a member country is treated as legalised in India. |
| Notary in a country outside the Convention | Notarisation followed by legalisation through that country’s authorities and the Indian mission. | Ask the mission for the exact chain. |
The Consulate General of India in San Francisco, for example, attests powers of attorney on appointment or by mail, asks for passport and visa status proof, two witnesses who are not immediate family, and accepts plain paper or Indian stamp paper. Non-Indian nationals must get the document notarised and apostilled first. Other missions have similar but not identical lists.
Stamping once it reaches India
Section 18 of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 provides that an instrument executed only outside India may be stamped within three months after it is first received in India. In practice the agent takes the original to the stamp office or Collector of the district (or uses the State’s e-stamp or adjudication process) and pays the duty applicable in that State. Note the date the document arrived, and keep the courier receipt.
An unstamped or understamped instrument cannot be admitted in evidence or acted on until the duty and any penalty are paid (section 35). Banks and Sub-Registrars therefore check stamping before they act on a power of attorney from abroad.
Registration
If the power must be registered, section 33 of the Registration Act recognises a power executed by a principal living outside India when it is executed before and authenticated by a notary public, a court, judge or magistrate, or an Indian consul or vice-consul. State rules on registering property powers also apply; Tamil Nadu, for example, excludes powers executed outside India from its compulsory registration clause but still sets photo and fingerprint rules for registration.
- Draft and checkFill the format, ask your agent in India to check names and property details against documents.
- Book the appointmentBook the Indian mission or a local notary. Take passport, address proof, two witnesses and copies.
- Sign and authenticateSign before the officer or notary. Get the apostille if you used a notary.
- Courier the originalSend the original to India and keep a scanned copy and the courier receipt.
- Stamp in IndiaWithin three months of receipt, the agent pays stamp duty in the State where it will be used.
- Register or fileRegister it or submit it to the bank or office as required.
Do
- Use the same name spelling as your passport.
- Mention your Indian passport or OCI number.
- Ask the bank or Sub-Registrar in India which route it prefers before you sign.
- Start early: appointments abroad can take weeks.
Do not
- Sign before you have checked the property description.
- Let the three month stamping window lapse.
- Send a scan and expect it to be accepted as the original.
Frequently asked questions
Is apostille enough, or do I also need the Indian embassy?
According to MEA, an apostilled document from a Hague Convention country is treated as legalised in India. Some banks and registries in India still prefer consular attestation, so ask the office that will use it.
Can I sign on Indian stamp paper while abroad?
Missions generally accept plain paper or Indian stamp paper, and the San Francisco consulate says so explicitly. Stamping can be completed in India within three months of receipt.
Do foreign citizens of Indian origin follow the same route?
Broadly yes, but missions often require non-Indian nationals to notarise and apostille the document before consular attestation, and ask for OCI or other status documents.
Can my agent sell my flat in India with this power?
Only if you tick the sale power, which requires your written approval of the price and payment by bank transfer. The sale must be by a registered sale deed, and State registration rules for sale powers apply.
Please note: these templates are for general information and are not legal advice. Laws, stamp duty, notarisation and registration rules vary by State. Consult an advocate for your case. This is an independent website, not a law firm and not a government office.