Investing in India without living in it.

Yes. Non-residents can incorporate and hold shares in an Indian private limited company, and in most sectors investment is permitted under the automatic route without prior government approval. The practical constraints are the documentation — identity and address proof executed abroad must be apostilled or consularised — and the requirement that at least one director be resident in India. We plan for both before filing.

Inbound investment carries exchange-control reporting. When shares are allotted to a non-resident, the company reports the issue to the Reserve Bank through the FC-GPR filing within the prescribed period, and there are annual return obligations on foreign assets and liabilities thereafter. These are routinely missed by first-time promoters and carry penalties, so we calendar them rather than leaving them to be remembered.

Yes, if it is structured that way from the beginning. Investment made through normal banking channels on a repatriable basis allows dividends and sale proceeds to be remitted abroad after tax, subject to pricing guidelines on exit. Investment made on a non-repatriable basis does not, and converting after the fact is difficult. This is a decision to take at entry, not at exit.

Some are prohibited outright and others are capped or need government approval. There are also specific restrictions on non-residents acquiring agricultural land, plantation property and farmhouses. We give you a written route-and-cap position on your particular sector before you commit funds.

Yes, and most NRI promoters need exactly that. A monthly retainer covering contracts, compliance calendars, notices and disputes gives you standing counsel who will tell you when something is going wrong in a company you cannot visit — which is worth considerably more than engaging someone transaction by transaction.