NRI Property in Punjab: How to Protect Your Property While Living Abroad

By Advocate Narinder Kumar, NK Associates · Updated October 2026

Many families in Punjab have members living in Canada, the UK, the USA, Australia and elsewhere. Property left behind in India is often managed by relatives or tenants, and disputes are common. A few simple steps protect it.

Common problems

• Relatives or tenants refusing to vacate.
• Property sold or mortgaged using a forged or misused power of attorney.
• Wrong mutation entries in revenue records.
• Encroachment on plots and agricultural land.

Keep your records up to date

• Check the jamabandi and mutation of your land regularly. Punjab land records are available online.
• Keep certified copies of sale deeds and other title documents with you abroad.
• Pay property tax in your own name and keep receipts.

Power of Attorney from abroad

• Prefer a Special Power of Attorney for a specific job (for example, to sell one plot, or to appear in one case) instead of a General Power of Attorney.
• Sign it before the Indian Embassy or Consulate, or get it notarised and apostilled where the country follows the Hague Apostille Convention.
• After it reaches India, it must be stamped in India within 3 months of receipt, usually through the office of the Collector.
• If you no longer trust the attorney holder, revoke the power in writing and inform the Sub-Registrar and the other side.

Renting out your property

• Always have a written rent agreement for a fixed period.
• Get the tenant verified by the local police.
• Take rent by bank transfer so there is a record.

If someone has taken illegal possession

• A civil suit can be filed for possession, injunction and recovery of rent or damages.
• Forgery, cheating or criminal trespass can be reported to the police.
• Punjab has a State Commission for NRIs and an NRI wing of Punjab Police where NRIs can file complaints.
• Many courts now allow parties abroad to join hearings by video conferencing.