An NRI with assets in India — property, bank accounts, shares — needs an Indian will alongside whatever will their solicitor abroad has drafted for their foreign assets. Relying on a single foreign will to cover Indian property is one of the most common causes of a stalled probate years later.
What is handled
- Drafting a will covering Indian assets, coordinated with (not duplicating) a will already made abroad for foreign assets
- Registration of the will in India, and guidance on whether registration or a sealed deposit with the Registrar suits your situation better
- Probate and letters of administration before the Indian courts, including matters where the applicant is themselves an NRI and needs to act through a Power of Attorney
- Succession certificates for movable assets — bank accounts, shares, mutual funds — where a relative has died without a will
- Contested succession, including cases where an NRI heir has been excluded from a family settlement made without their knowledge
- Transmission of property and repatriation of inherited sale proceeds under FEMA
Why an Indian will, separately
A will drafted by a solicitor abroad, valid under that country's law, does not always translate cleanly into an Indian probate proceeding — different countries have different formalities around execution, witnesses and revocation. A separate Indian will for Indian assets, drafted to work alongside the foreign one rather than against it, avoids a probate court in either country having to interpret a document written for another jurisdiction.
Acting through a Power of Attorney
Probate and succession matters can run for months, and an NRI heir or executor is rarely able to attend every hearing in Gurugram. A Power of Attorney, properly attested, lets the matter proceed without repeated travel — see Power of Attorney for NRIs.
Why choose this office
- Wills and succession matters run alongside — not against — what your solicitor abroad has already drafted
- Direct handling of contested succession where family members in India have moved without informing an NRI heir
- Clear guidance on FEMA repatriation rules once a sale or inheritance is realised
For a free first consultation, call +91 82954 13475 at any hour, or send the details of your matter. See also NRI legal services and will writing in Gurugram.