Where Indian Investors Should Put Their Money in Global Real Estate in 2026

Under the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Master Direction on the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, every resident individual can send up to USD 250,000 abroad per financial year, and buying immovable property is a permitted use. The RBI's FAQ on property outside India confirms no separate approval is needed. So an Indian resident can buy property outside India in any country that allows foreign ownership, as long as the money moves through LRS.

Four rules decide how far that money goes.

The USD 250,000 limit is per person, but families can combine theirs. A family can pool limits, so four relatives can send up to USD 1 million in a year, but only if each one is a co-owner of the property. Minors qualify with a parent's signature. Companies, HUFs and trusts cannot use LRS.

What it means: Plan who will own the property before you plan how to pay for it.

TCS takes 20% above ₹10 lakh up front. The Finance Bill 2026 memorandum kept the 20% rate for property remittances, now under section 394 of the Income-tax Act 2025. On a ₹1 crore transfer, the bank collects ₹18 lakh, which you claim back against your tax bill. It is a cash-flow cost, not a final tax, but it has to be funded.

What it means: Budget about 20% more cash than the remittance itself and expect to recover it at tax time.

There is no leverage. You can’t borrow to buy. The LRS rules bar Indian banks from lending for capital account remittances, and FEMA gives residents no general permission to borrow from a foreign bank. That makes yields matter more: a resident Indian buyer is almost always a cash buyer.

What it means: You’ll almost certainly be paying cash, so rental yield matters more than it would with a mortgage.

Declare it every year. Foreign property goes in Schedule FA of the income tax return, and foreign rent in Schedule FSI, as the Income Tax Department's guide explains. Missing it risks a ₹10 lakh penalty under the Black Money Act. Unspent foreign currency must come back within 180 days.

What it means: Add it to your annual tax checklist, and only send money when you’re ready to pay.

Resident Indians sent USD 528.7 million abroad for property in FY2025-26, up 64% on the year before, according to RBI Bulletin data. NRIs investing from money earned abroad are outside LRS; our article on NRI property investment in London and Dubai covers their routes.

We scored markets on four things an Indian cash buyer cares about: gross rental yield, the latest annual price change, the currency the income is earned in, and whether the purchase can lead to residency. These are the places where Indians can buy property on the same terms as most foreign buyers, with the numbers behind each.

Every yield here is gross, from asking prices. Net yields run lower once service charges, tax, management, and vacancy are paid. Our rental yield ranking explains the gap.

UAE: Income in a pegged currency

Dubai remains the first stop for Indian money. Indians were the largest group of foreign buyers in 2025 at 22%, according to an Anarock report cited by Khaleej Times. Global Property Guide puts the city's gross yield at 5.53%, and Cavendish Maxwell data reported by Gulf News puts apartments close to 7%. The dirham is pegged to the dollar, so rent earned in Dubai has held its value against a weaker rupee.

The case is now about entry price as much as income. Average prices fell 1.7% in the year to August 2026, the first annual fall since February 2021, according to Cavendish Maxwell via Khaleej Times, as a record 24,800 homes were handed over in the first half. For a cash buyer, a softer market means room to negotiate. A purchase of AED 2 million or more qualifies for a 10-year Golden Visa, Gulf News reports.

Must-read: UAE investor guide and property for sale in the UAE

Turkey: The highest yield, and why it is not the best return

Istanbul's 9.92% gross yield, from Global Property Guide, is the highest on this list. Turkish prices rose 23% in the year to August 2026, but consumer inflation ran at 31.5%, so prices fell 6.5% in real terms, the ninth straight month of real declines, according to central bank data reported by Daily Sabah. An Indian investor earns the yield in lira and converts it back at whatever the lira is worth that year. A purchase of USD 400,000 held for three years still qualifies for citizenship, per the Investment Office.

Related article: Turkey investor guide

Georgia: The low-cost income play

Tbilisi yields 7.23% and Batumi 7.28%, according to Global Property Guide, at entry prices well below any other market on this list. Foreigners can buy apartments and houses freely, though agricultural land is reserved for citizens. From 1 March 2026, the property value needed for a residence permit rose to USD 150,000, according to Erickson Immigration Group. Resale liquidity is thinner than in Dubai or London, so plan to hold.

Learn more: Georgia investor guide

United Kingdom

London is bought for sterling, schools and the depth of its resale market rather than for growth this year. Prices in London fell 2.2% in the 12 months to August 2026, while the UK as a whole rose 0.9%, according to the Office for National Statistics. Global Property Guide puts London's gross yield at 6.49% and Liverpool's at 8.64%. The cost is stamp duty: a non-resident who already owns a home anywhere, including in India, pays between 7% and 19% across HMRC's bands.

Must-read: UK investor guide and London city guide

United States

Indians were the fourth-largest group of foreign buyers in the US, at 9% of purchases between April 2025 and March 2026, worth USD 3.7 billion, according to the National Association of Realtors. US prices rose 2.1% in the year to Q2 2026, per the FHFA. Yields vary widely by city: 5.03% in New York against 8.87% in Philadelphia, according to Global Property Guide. There is no federal restriction on foreign buyers, and the sale is taxed through 15% FIRPTA withholding. See the US investor guide to know more about these market.

Indians can buy property in foreign countries across most of Europe, and three markets offer the best mix of growth and residency in 2026. Spain closed its property Golden Visa on 3 April 2025, KPMG confirms, which narrows the residency choice to the three below.

Portugal: The growth leader

Portuguese house prices rose 16.5% in Q2 2026, the biggest rise in the EU, according to Eurostat data reported by Euronews. The trade-off is income: Lisbon yields just 3.76%, per Global Property Guide. Costs rose too. Since May 2026, Decreto-Lei 97/2026 charges non-resident buyers a flat 7.5% transfer tax, refundable if you become tax resident within two years or let at a moderate rent. Property no longer leads to a Golden Visa. See the Portugal investor guide.

Cyprus: Growth with a residency route

Cypriot prices rose 8.5% in Q2 of 2026, led by Limassol at 7.8%, according to the Central Bank of Cyprus. Limassol yields 5.38%, per Global Property Guide. Non-EU buyers need a District Administration permit, which is free and takes two to three weeks. A new home bought for €300,000 plus VAT, with foreign income of €50,000 a year, can lead to permanent residence.

Read: Cyprus investor guide

Greece: The EU residency on a budget

Greek prices rose 5.8% in the year to Q1 2026, according to Knight Frank, and Athens yields 5.52%. The Golden Visa needs €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and larger islands, €400,000 elsewhere, and €250,000 for converted or restored listed buildings, as the International Bar Association sets out. Golden Visa homes cannot be let short-term. Watch the finance ministry's plan to raise transfer tax for non-EU buyers from about 3% to about 15% from 2027, reported by To Vima; it is not yet law. See the Greece investor guide.

Bangkok yields 5.93% gross, according to Global Property Guide. Foreigners can own condominium units within a 49% foreign quota per building, paid for in foreign currency, but cannot own land. A proposal to raise the quota to 75% has not been enacted, The Nation reported in June 2026.

Learn more about investing in Thailand with Intric Global's Thailand investor guide.

Mauritius is a residency purchase more than an income one, with a national gross yield of 3.29%. Foreigners buy through approved schemes, and a purchase above USD 375,000 carries a residence permit, according to the Economic Development Board. See the Mauritius investor guide.

Indians can buy property in foreign countries almost everywhere, but not always on equal terms. Several markets popular with Indian families are closed or costly for a buyer living in India. Our roundup of 2026 rule changes for foreign buyers covers each in detail.

Most Indian families who buy abroad end up with more than one property, because none of the places where Indians can buy property does everything. A common shape is one income asset and one growth or residency asset: a Dubai apartment for dirham rent, paired with a Lisbon or Limassol home for appreciation, or a Greek property for an EU base. Because LRS limits are per person per year, the order and timing matter. Plan which co-owner sends what in which financial year before you choose the second market.

Then stress-test the numbers. Take each yield down by two points for costs, run the currency against the rupee at today's rate and 10% weaker, and price in the TCS cash flow. Our article on currency risk in cross-border property shows how, and our guide to estate planning and inheritance tax covers how each holding passes on.

You can browse Golden Visa property and high rental yield property across 70+ countries on INTRIC, with enquiries going directly to the developer or agency selling each home.

1. RBI: Master Direction, Liberalised Remittance Scheme
2. RBI: FAQs on acquisition of immovable property outside India
3. RBI Bulletin, 25 August 2026: outward remittances under LRS, FY2025-26
4. Ministry of Finance: Finance Bill 2026 memorandum (TCS under section 394)
5. Income Tax Department: step-by-step guide to Schedule FA and FSI, March 2026
6. Knight Frank: Global House Price Index, Q1 2026
7. Global Property Guide: UAE rental yields
8. Global Property Guide: Turkey rental yields
9. Global Property Guide: Georgia rental yields
10. Global Property Guide: United Kingdom rental yields
11. Global Property Guide: United States rental yields
12. Global Property Guide: Portugal rental yields
13. Global Property Guide: Cyprus rental yields
14. Global Property Guide: Thailand rental yields
15. Global Property Guide: Mauritius rental yields
16. Khaleej Times, 7 September 2026: Dubai prices fall for the first time in over five years (Cavendish Maxwell)
17. Khaleej Times, 19 July 2026: Indians and Britons top Dubai buyers (Anarock data)
18. Gulf News, 30 July 2026: Dubai handovers, prices and yields, H1 2026
19. Gulf News, 29 April 2026: Dubai residency by property investment
20. Daily Sabah, September 2026: Turkey's real house price decline extends to ninth month
21. Invest in Türkiye: acquiring property and citizenship
22. Erickson Immigration Group: Georgia raises the property threshold for residence permits
23. Office for National Statistics: private rent and house prices, UK, October 2026
24. HMRC: Stamp Duty Land Tax residential rates
25. National Association of Realtors, July 2026: international transactions in US residential real estate
26. FHFA: House Price Index, Q2 2026
27. IRS: FIRPTA withholding
28. KPMG: Spain abolishes the Golden Visa
29. Euronews, 1 October 2026: Portugal records the biggest EU rise in house prices
30. Portuguese Tax Authority: Decreto-Lei 97/2026
31. Cyprus Mail, 24 September 2026: Cyprus property prices climb (Central Bank of Cyprus)
32. International Bar Association, September 2026: the Greek Golden Visa after the 2024 to 2026 overhaul
33. To Vima, September 2026: Greece raises property transfer tax for non-EU buyers
34. The Nation, June 2026: Thailand's foreign condo quota
35. Economic Development Board Mauritius: real estate schemes
36. Australian Government: Budget Paper No. 2, 2026-27
37. Department of Finance Canada: extension of the foreign buyer ban
38. IRAS: Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty
39. LINZ: reform of the Overseas Investment Act
40. The Star, December 2025: the Malaysian tax landscape in 2026

Hero image: Dubai Marina Skyline by Norlando Pobre, licensed under CC BY 2.0, cropped.