For a community as large and long-settled as Canada's, it is striking how often Indian legal matters are simply left to drift. A house in a Punjab village, jointly owned by four siblings after their parents' passing, sits unregistered for a decade because no single sibling in Brampton or Surrey wants to be the one who takes on the paperwork alone. A commercial property in Ludhiana or Ahmedabad, purchased as an investment years ago, generates rental income that nobody is formally declaring anywhere, in India or Canada. And an ageing General Power of Attorney, handed to a cousin or family friend a decade ago and never revoked, remains active and technically capable of being misused long after the original purpose for granting it has been forgotten.

A dedicated Indian lawyer for Canadian NRIs turns this drift into a managed process. With a narrow, correctly registered Power of Attorney, a clear paper trail, and a legal team that reports back regularly, an Indian property, inheritance, or litigation matter can be resolved methodically — without requiring anyone to take unpaid leave from a job in Calgary or Ottawa to fly back for a single hearing or signature.

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Canada's position on Power of Attorney legalisation changed meaningfully in January 2024, when Canada formally joined the Hague Apostille Convention. Before that date, Canadian documents intended for use in India typically required a longer chain of authentication and consular legalisation; today, a single apostille from Global Affairs Canada is generally sufficient on its own. As with every other jurisdiction we work in, we recommend a narrow, purpose-specific Special Power of Attorney (SPA) over a broad General Power of Attorney (GPA) wherever possible, since GPAs carrying the power to sell remain the single most common vehicle for property fraud against NRIs.

Route 1 — Canadian Notary Public and Global Affairs Canada Apostille

• Drafting: We draft the Power of Attorney in India, specifying the exact property, transaction, or matter it authorises, and email it to you for review.
• Canadian Notarisation: You sign the document, typically on plain letter or A4-sized paper, before a Canadian Notary Public.
• Global Affairs Canada Apostille: The notarised document is submitted for an apostille through Global Affairs Canada (or the relevant provincial authentication office, such as Ontario's Document Services for certain document types). Standard processing generally takes between 3 and 15 business days, with expedited options available for urgent matters.
• Dispatch to India: The apostilled original is couriered to your appointed attorney-in-fact or our office in India.
• Adjudication Within 90 Days: The POA must be adjudicated at the relevant Sub-Registrar's office in India within 90 days of arrival, failing which a penalty — typically several times the ordinary stamp duty — applies to regularise it.
• Registration & Execution: Once adjudicated and registered, your attorney-in-fact proceeds with the underlying transaction, with regular updates sent to you throughout.

Route 2 — Indian High Commission or Consulate Attestation

Alternatively, you can book a consular appointment at the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, or the Consulates General in Toronto or Vancouver, and sign the Power of Attorney in person before a Consular Officer. This route avoids the notary and apostille steps entirely and remains a well-established option, particularly for applicants who prefer in-person consular processing over the newer Global Affairs Canada apostille route.

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Beyond individual NRI matters, we support Canadian companies and investors entering the Indian market, structuring entity incorporation, joint ventures, and liaison offices in line with the Companies Act 2013, sector-specific FDI thresholds under FEMA, and applicable state-level licensing. Our due diligence lawyer India Canada engagements typically examine title and litigation history for land or facilities under consideration, review an Indian target company's corporate records and material contracts, and identify liabilities that should be addressed before a transaction closes.

We also support NRI investment legal services India Canada — for individuals rather than corporates — including FEMA-compliant investment structuring, RBI reporting for repatriable and non-repatriable investment, and compliance advisory for Canadian NRIs holding real estate, securities, or private business interests in India.

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Every engagement follows a consistent process, supported both by our India-based legal team and our associate office in Ontario:

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