Buying Property in Patna from Outside: NRI & Migrant Guide 2026
Short answer: If you live in another Indian state, you can buy property in Patna on exactly the same terms as someone living in Patna; the only difference is distance. NRIs and OCI cardholders can buy houses, flats and plots in Patna, but not agricultural land, farmhouses or plantation property (an RBI rule), and payment must go through banking channels. Check the records online, be at the registry office in person if you can, and otherwise use a properly executed power of attorney. On purchases of ₹50 lakh or more, deducting 1% TDS is the buyer's job.
A huge number of Patna families have someone working in Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Dubai, Riyadh or Doha who wants to buy a plot or flat back home. The common fear is simple: "I'm not there, what if someone cheats me?" This guide covers what you can verify yourself from far away, the legal rules you must follow, and the steps where you, or someone you trust, really need to be in Patna.
At a glance: where you live decides what to watch
| You are | What you can buy in Patna | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Living elsewhere in India (Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi…) | Anything: plots, houses, flats, farmland | Remote document checks; being present on registry day or using a power of attorney |
| NRI (Indian citizen living abroad) / OCI cardholder | Houses, flats, plots and commercial property | No purchase of agricultural land, farmhouses or plantations; payment only through banks; separate rules for a power of attorney signed abroad |
| Both | 1% TDS on purchases of ₹50 lakh or more (when the seller is resident in India); online dakhil-kharij after registry | |
Living in another state: is there any restriction on buying in Patna?
No. For an Indian citizen, the rules for buying a plot, house or flat in Patna are the same whether you live in Patna or Pune. Registry costs are the same too: normally 6% stamp duty plus 2% registration fee, charged on the deed price or the MVR, whichever is higher (full breakdown: Patna registry charges guide).
The real challenge is distance: you can't walk the land yourself, papers come through a middleman, and the registry means taking leave. Each of these has a fix, below.
What can an NRI buy in Patna, and what not?
Under Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rules, an NRI (an Indian citizen resident outside India) or an OCI cardholder:
- Can buy any immovable property in India, such as a house, flat, plot or shop, except agricultural land, farmhouses and plantation property. The seller can be a resident Indian, an NRI or an OCI.
- Needs no prior RBI permission to buy or sell such (non-agricultural) property.
- Can inherit property, and can receive non-agricultural property as a gift from a resident of India or from a relative who is an NRI/OCI.
- Already owns farmland (say, inherited)? It can be sold or gifted only to an Indian citizen resident in India.
A Patna-specific warning: around Bihta, Naubatpur, Punpun, Fatuha and the Danapur side, many "plots" are pieces cut out of farmland. If the land is agricultural, buying it in an NRI's name can put the purchase at risk. Before paying any token money, check the land type in the khatiyan/jamabandi and how the land is actually used on site, and if in doubt, ask an expert or a CA. If you are thinking of buying in a relative's name instead, remember: the legal owner is whoever's name is on the deed.
How should an NRI pay for property in Patna?
- Payment has to be received in India through banking channels: money remitted from abroad, or paid from your NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account.
- Traveller's cheques and foreign currency notes are not allowed.
- Pay only into the seller's or builder's own bank account, in the same name as on the papers, and get the amounts written into the sale deed (kewala). Never pay cash or into a middleman's account.
The same advice applies if you live elsewhere in India: every payment by bank transfer, with a receipt.
How to check land or a flat in Patna without being there
The good news is that most Bihar land records are now online. You can do all of this from Pune or Dubai:
| What to check | Where (online) |
|---|---|
| Seller's jamabandi, khata-khesra, area, khatiyan | Bihar Bhumi portal; how-to: check jamabandi, khatiyan and LPC online |
| Whether the land is on the registry-prohibited list | enibandhan.bihar.gov.in → "View Prohibited Properties" |
| Certified copy of the seller's deed; Encumbrance Certificate | enibandhan.bihar.gov.in → "Certified Copy", "Encumbrance Certificate" |
| Apartment project | rera.bihar.gov.in; how-to: Patna flat-buying checklist |
| Master plan zone of the land | Patna Master Plan 2031 explained |
Some things can't be checked online:
- Who is actually in possession: who occupies the land, how wide the access road is, what the neighbours say. Send someone you trust and walk the site with them on a video call.
- Measurement: get an amin to measure it. Patna plots are sold in kattha and dhur (typically 1 kattha ≈ 1,361.25 sq ft = 20 dhur, though it varies by area, so match it with the area written in the deed).
- Waterlogging: after the 2019 floods in Patna, this is the first question to ask. Get a video of the site during the monsoon.
Most frauds happen where the buyer trusts papers and photos supplied by a middleman. Match every document yourself against the government portals.
Do you have to come to Patna on registry day?
The safest option is to be at the sub-registrar's office yourself on registry day. Your identity and signature on the deed then come directly from you, with no one else in between.
If you can't come, Section 32 of the Registration Act, 1908 allows a document to be presented by a party's agent holding a power of attorney, provided that power of attorney was executed and authenticated as Section 33 requires (see below). Ask the same sub-registrar's office in advance what they will need from you in your absence: papers, ID, photographs and so on (Bihar Registration Department helpdesk: 14544). A badly drafted or wrongly authenticated power of attorney can stall the registry.
Practical tip: do the checks, token payment and draft deed remotely, then take 2–3 days off just for the registry. Apply for dakhil-kharij the same week.
How to make a power of attorney while living outside
Where the power of attorney must be executed depends on where you live at the time (Registration Act, Section 33):
| You live in | Executed before and authenticated by |
|---|---|
| India (e.g. Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi) | The Registrar or Sub-Registrar of the district or sub-district where you live |
| Abroad (e.g. Dubai, USA) | A Notary Public, a court, judge or magistrate, an Indian Consul or Vice-Consul, or a representative of the Central Government |
- Stamping a power of attorney signed abroad: under Section 18 of the Indian Stamp Act, a document executed outside India may be stamped within three months of first arriving in India. Don't let it sit.
- Stamp duty in Bihar (official table):
- For purposes other than selling property in Bihar (for example, to buy or complete a registry on your behalf): ₹1,000
- To sell property in Bihar, given to a family member: ₹1,000
- To sell property in Bihar, given to someone outside the family: 6% of the MVR-based value (same as a sale)
- Whom to give it to: a trusted family member, and only for one specific property (a special power of attorney), not a general "do everything" power. Have it revoked once the job is done.
If the seller lives outside and someone is selling on their behalf under a power of attorney, be careful: speak to the actual owner on a video call, read the date and scope of the power of attorney, and make sure it hasn't been revoked.
TDS on property worth ₹50 lakh or more: what the buyer must do
The Income-tax Act, 2025 has applied since 1 April 2026, and the property TDS rule now sits in its Section 393 (previously Section 194-IA).
| Point | Rule |
|---|---|
| When it applies | Purchase of any immovable property other than agricultural land, where the price or the stamp duty value is ₹50 lakh or more, and the seller is resident in India |
| How much | 1% of the price or the stamp duty value, whichever is higher |
| Who deducts | The buyer, at the time of payment (even if the buyer is an NRI) |
| How to deposit | Income Tax e-filing portal → PAN login → e-Pay Tax → Income Tax Act 2025 → Form 141 (replaces Form 26QB) |
| Deadline | Within 30 days from the end of the month in which tax was deducted |
Seller is an NRI? Then the 1% rule doesn't apply; a separate rule under Section 393(2) does (since 1 October 2026 it is reported in Schedule E of Form 141). Have a CA work out the TDS before you pay; getting it right is the buyer's responsibility.
Looking after your Patna property from far away
- Dakhil-kharij (mutation): apply online after the registry. You can do it from anywhere, and there is no government fee. How-to: dakhil-kharij online in Patna.
- Land rent (lagan): once the new jamabandi is in your name, pay the rent online every year at bhulagan.bihar.gov.in and keep the receipt. It is everyday proof of your possession.
- SMS alert: switch on SMS alerts for your khesra on Bihar Bhumi, so you are told before any change such as a mutation is made on it.
- Physical possession: put up a boundary wall and a board with your name on an empty plot, and have someone you trust visit every few months.
- Reserve Bank of India: "Purchase of Immovable Property" FAQ (updated 6 April 2023), Part II, Q1, Q2 and Q7 (rbi.org.in); RBI Master Direction on acquisition and transfer of immovable property (rbi.org.in); RBI press release on OCIs, 29.12.2021
- Income Tax Department: Form 141 FAQ (Schedule B: Section 393(1), Table Sl. No. 3(i); Schedule E: Section 393(2) from 1 October 2026; 30-day deadline; PAN login) (incometax.gov.in); Income-tax Act, 2025 (as amended by the Finance Act 2026), Section 393: 1%, ₹50 lakh, excluding agricultural land
- Registration Act, 1908: Section 32 (who may present a document, including a power-of-attorney agent), Section 33(1)(a) and (c) (authentication of powers of attorney) (indiacode.nic.in)
- Indian Stamp Act, 1899: Section 18 (documents executed outside India, three months) (indiacode.nic.in)
- "Table of Stamp Duty & Registration Fee", Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department, Bihar: page 7, item 43 (power of attorney, Article 48(a) and 48(b)), nibandhan.bihar.gov.in
- enibandhan.bihar.gov.in: services Certified Copy, Encumbrance Certificate, View Prohibited Properties; helpdesk 14544
- All sources checked on 14.10.2026.
What should you do? (our advice)
- Trust the government portals, not the middleman: check the jamabandi, the prohibited list, the seller's deed and RERA yourself.
- NRI? Check the land type first. If it is agricultural, stop and take advice.
- Pay only by bank, into the seller's own account, never cash and never a third party.
- Come for the registry yourself. If you can't, give a family member a power of attorney for this one property only, made the Section 33 way, and confirm with the registry office beforehand.
- Deal of ₹50 lakh or more? Sort out TDS before the first instalment. For the complete plot checklist, see our Patna plot-buying guide.
FAQs: buying property in Patna from outside
- Can an NRI buy land in Bihar?
Yes. NRIs and OCI cardholders can buy houses, flats, plots and commercial property in Patna and the rest of Bihar without RBI permission. They cannot buy agricultural land, farmhouses or plantation property.
- Can I buy a plot in Patna while living in another state?
Yes. For an Indian citizen the rules are the same as for a Patna resident. Check the records online, have someone you trust verify possession and measurement on site, and either attend the registry yourself or give a power of attorney.
- Can a registry in Bihar be done through a power of attorney?
Yes. Under Sections 32 and 33 of the Registration Act, an agent can present the document under a power of attorney, provided it was executed before and authenticated by the right authority: the sub-registrar where you live (in India), or a notary or Indian consul (abroad). Ask the registry office beforehand what they will need from you in your absence.
- What is the stamp duty on a power of attorney in Bihar?
Per the official table: to sell property in Bihar, ₹1,000 if given to a family member and 6% of the MVR-based value if given to someone outside the family. For purposes other than selling (such as buying or completing a registry), ₹1,000.
- How does an NRI pay for property in Patna?
Through banking channels: money remitted from abroad, or from an NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO account. Traveller's cheques and foreign currency notes are not allowed.
- When do I have to deduct 1% TDS when buying property?
When the price or stamp duty value of a non-agricultural property is ₹50 lakh or more and the seller is resident in India. The buyer deducts 1% and deposits it with Form 141. If the seller is an NRI, a different rule (Section 393(2)) applies.
- How do I get dakhil-kharij done after the registry while living outside?
Dakhil-kharij is applied for online on the Bihar Bhumi portal, with no government fee. Apply within 90 days of the registry, and turn on SMS alerts for your khesra.
This article is based on information published by the RBI, the Income Tax Department, the Registration Act 1908, the Indian Stamp Act 1899 and the Bihar Registration Department as of 14 October 2026. It is not legal or tax advice. Before making a large payment, have your documents and tax position checked by someone qualified.
