India

01 · Why Dubai

Indian capital into Dubai real estate is a long-running flow. The 3-hour direct flight, AED-INR convertibility through normal banking channels, the Indian diaspora across the UAE, and the Golden Visa residency option together explain most of the volume. For Indian-resident buyers, the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) caps annual outbound remittance at USD 250,000 per individual per financial year, with TCS (Tax Collected at Source) applied above the threshold (subject to change in subsequent Finance Bills).

NRI (Non-Resident Indian) and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) buyers operate under different RBI rules and tax-residence positions — the categorisation matters more than the citizenship for India-side tax treatment.

02 · Golden Visa

The UAE Golden Visa qualifies from AED 2M in real-estate value. For an Indian-resident investor, the Visa does not by itself change the India tax position — that depends on residential status under the Income Tax Act (RNOR / NRI / ROR) and the relevant tax-year facts. For an NRI buyer already outside India, the visa provides the UAE residency outcome typically sought as part of the diversification mandate.

03 · Tax + regulatory questions partner counsel resolves

• Q01LRS compliance — is the buyer's annual remittance ceiling within USD 250K and is TCS applied correctly?
• Q02RBI A2 form and required documentation for outward remittance for property purchase.
• Q03What's the buyer's residential status under the Income Tax Act this financial year? RNOR / NRI / ROR each have different rental + capital gains treatment.
• Q04India-UAE DTA — application to rental income and capital gains on UAE property.
• Q05Estate-planning interaction — Indian Hindu Succession Act vs UAE inheritance (Sharia default vs DIFC/ADGM Wills for non-Muslims).
• Q06Black Money Act + foreign-asset reporting (Schedule FA in ITR) for Indian residents.

04 · Structuring patterns commonly used

A menu, not a recommendation. The right structure depends on your facts.

• · Direct ownership in personal name — most common; NRI/OCI buyers use this routinely.
• · Joint ownership with spouse — possible, with LRS treated per person.
• · ADGM Limited or DIFC entity — used selectively, typically for portfolio scale or estate-planning sophistication.
• · Indian-resident funding via remittance under LRS — documentation chain must hold up under RBI audit.

05 · How partner counsel works

Raj routes Indian mandates to an Indian chartered accountant (preferably with cross-border / FEMA exposure) plus a UAE-side advisor where structuring is involved. Raj coordinates the property side; partner counsel handles tax + RBI compliance.

Primary sources

• UAE Golden Visa — ICA Federal Authority →
• RBI — Liberalised Remittance Scheme →
• Income Tax India — residential status →
• India-UAE Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement →

Cross-border brief

From India to Dubai.

Tell Raj what you're looking at and what you already have in place on the Indiaside. He'll coordinate the UAE property work + the partner-counsel referral.