NRI estate administration in India
When a family member passes away and you are abroad, we take charge of settling their Indian estate: establishing the heirs, obtaining any court document needed, transmitting each asset, handling tax, and repatriating your share, coordinated for you from start to finish.
Administering an Indian estate means gathering the deceased's assets, establishing who inherits, obtaining any court document that a bank, company or registrar requires, transmitting each asset to the heirs, settling tax, and, for an NRI, repatriating the share abroad. For families spread across countries this is slow and unfamiliar. NexGen manages the whole process, coordinating the banks, depositories, registrars and professionals, and running most of it remotely through a properly scoped power of attorney so you need not travel repeatedly.
- There is usually no rush. Most transmission has no fixed deadline; it is more important to establish the correct heirs and documents than to act in haste.
- Whether a court document (probate, letter of administration or succession certificate) is needed depends on the assets and whether there is a Will; it is not always required.
- A nominee usually receives an asset as a custodian for the legal heirs and is not automatically its owner.
- Inheriting is generally not taxed in India, but income from the assets and any later sale are taxable, and repatriation follows the NRO route. [VERIFY]
- Most steps can be completed from abroad through a trusted representative under a carefully scoped power of attorney.
The service
What NexGen handles for you
Work out who inherits under the Will, or under the succession law that applies where there is none.
Obtain probate, a letter of administration or a succession certificate where an institution requires one.
Transmit balances and deposits, using the bank's forms or the indemnity route within limits.
Transmit demat holdings and fund folios through the depository and registrars.
Transmit immovable property to the heirs and update the municipal or revenue records.
Coordinate the deceased's final return, the estate's tax, and repatriation of your share abroad.
For the wider background, see managing India assets as an NRI and the general guide to comprehensive estate administration.
The key question
Which document does the estate need?
Families often assume one “death paper” does everything. In practice the route depends on how each asset was held and whether there is a Will.
How it works
Our NRI estate-administration process
Money across borders
Tax and repatriating your share
Inheriting assets is generally not taxed in India, as there is no inheritance or estate tax. However, the deceased's final income-tax return may need to be filed, income from the estate can be taxable, and capital gains arise if an asset is later sold. For an NRI heir, the share is usually routed through an NRO account and remitted abroad within the applicable annual limit, using a chartered accountant's certificate and Forms 15CA and 15CB.
Tax rates, thresholds and the repatriation limit change and depend on your facts. We coordinate with a qualified chartered accountant so the figures are correct for your situation. [VERIFY against the current FEMA rules and the Income-tax Act, 2025.]
Getting ready
What we need from you
- The death certificate (several certified copies).
- Any Will, and details of the executor named in it.
- A list of the deceased's Indian assets and how each was held.
- Nominee and joint-holder details for each account and property.
- Property title, tax receipts and mutation records, if any.
- The heirs' details, PAN, passports/OCI and countries of residence.
- NRO/NRE account details for receiving and repatriating funds.
- Whether the heirs can travel to India, or need a power of attorney.
Settling a family member's estate from abroad?
Tell us the assets and whether there is a Will, and we will take it from there, mapping the route, obtaining any document needed, and running the whole process for you. No obligation.
Talk to us about the estateDo it right
Mistakes NRI heirs make
- Assuming one court document is needed for everything, and paying for it where no institution requires it.
- Believing the nominee automatically owns the asset and can keep it.
- Withdrawing or moving money before the heirs and documents are clear.
- Registering a property transmission but never completing mutation.
- Overlooking the deceased's final tax return, or the repatriation documentation.
- Signing an open-ended power of attorney that can be misused.
Answers
NRI estate administration: frequently asked questions
Do NRI heirs have to travel to India to settle an estate?
Usually not. Most of the process can be handled from abroad through a trusted representative under a properly drafted and, where needed, registered power of attorney. Because a PoA can be misused, it should be carefully scoped.
Is a court document always needed?
No. Whether probate, a letter of administration or a succession certificate is needed depends on the assets and whether there is a Will. Many transmissions are completed with institutional forms; a court document is required only where a bank, company or registrar insists on one.
Is inherited money taxed in India?
Inheriting is generally not taxed, as India has no inheritance or estate tax. However, income from the estate and capital gains on any later sale are taxable, and the deceased's final return may need to be filed. Verify the current position.
How do we bring an inherited share abroad?
An NRI heir's share is usually routed through an NRO account and remitted within the applicable annual limit, using a chartered accountant's certificate and Forms 15CA and 15CB. We coordinate this with a CA.
There is no Will. Who inherits?
The estate passes by the succession law that applies to the family, which depends on religion. We establish the heirs and their shares and obtain any document the institutions require.
How long does it take?
It depends on the assets, whether a court document is needed, and how quickly information and heirs' documents are available. There is generally no fixed deadline, so it is better to establish the correct position than to rush.
What if the heirs are in different countries?
That is common, and manageable. We coordinate the documents and powers of attorney across the heirs so the estate can be administered without everyone needing to be in India.
Next step
Let us settle the estate for you
Understand a succession certificate, a letter of administration and probate; transfer an inherited property with NRI property transfer; and make an India Will to spare your own family this process.
Reviewed by Dr. Deepak Jain, CTEP, CWM
Founder and Managing Director, NexGen Estate Planning Solutions; Co-founder and Director, AAFM India. Written by the NexGen Content & Research Team and reviewed for legal accuracy. NexGen has helped 3,000+ families, including NRIs, structure and transfer wealth across generations.
- Indian Succession Act, 1925 — succession certificate (Part X), letters of administration, probate (probate provision omitted by the Repealing and Amending Act, 2025), and applicable personal law for intestate succession.
- Registration Act, 1908 — registration and mutation of immovable-property transmissions.
- Insurance Act, 1938, s.39 — beneficial nominee for specified close-family members.
- FEMA and the Income-tax Act, 2025 — the deceased's final return, taxation of estate income and later gains, and repatriation (NRO route, Forms 15CA/15CB). [VERIFY current position with a qualified professional.]
Content reviewed by Dr. Deepak Jain, CTEP, CWM — 23 July 2026.