The NRI Tax Shortcut Changes Paperwork; The RERA Clock Still Decides The Flat

Mint reported on 27 August 2026 that resident individuals and HUFs buying property from NRIs can use PAN to deposit TDS from 1 October 2026; until 30 September 2026, the TAN-based process continues, per Mint, https://www.livemint.com/money/personal-finance/buying-property-from-an-nri-tan-is-mandatory-until-september-30-2026-know-tds-rules-and-what-changes-from-october-1-11787810474759.html.

That helps at the payment counter. It does not answer the buyer’s harder question: what is the flat’s registered project clock?

Quietlist’s read of the official MahaRERA, K-RERA, UP-RERA and HRERA project rows in this cross-city set shows 15 ongoing projects across 5 cities. The earliest possession date returned is 15 December 2027. The latest is 31 December 2035. That wide handover spread should control the buyer’s attention.

The RERA filing is not the tax document; it does not identify whether a later resale seller is resident or non-resident. Once that seller-side fact is checked, the buyer still has to read the project file.

The Rule Is National; The Calendar Is City-Specific

The Economic Times also reported that the 1 October 2026 relaxation lets a resident individual or HUF deposit TDS using PAN without obtaining TAN for the covered NRI-property transaction, per Economic Times, https://m.economictimes.com/wealth/tax/nri-cant-sell-indian-property-before-october-1-2026-if-buyer-does-not-have-tan-know-how-to-apply-for-tan-online/articleshow/133530979.cms. The Income Tax Department’s public page on TDS for immovable property says PAN can be used instead of TAN for resident-seller property TDS, per the Income Tax Department, https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/w/tds-from-sum-paid-to-buy-an-immovable-property.

For a buyer, the practical reading is narrow. Until 30 September 2026, Mint’s reported position is that the TAN route continues for an NRI seller. From 1 October 2026, the PAN route begins for covered resident individuals and HUFs.

A resale deal from an NRI seller can happen inside an under-construction project. The seller’s tax status decides the TDS route. The RERA row decides the project name, promoter, registration, status and possession date. Those are separate checks.

That separation matters because the city pattern is uneven. Pune has 4 projects in this set, with 3 due by 2029. Bengaluru has 4 projects, all due in 2031 or later. Mumbai has 3 projects, with 2 due by 2029 and 1 due in 2031 or later. Gurgaon has 2 projects, both due in 2031 or later. Noida has 2 projects, both due by 2029.

Five Cities, Two Buyer Clocks

Pune is the near-date side of the cut. Signature Business Centre in Bhugaon lists possession by December 2027, per its MahaRERA project row. Prestige Business Hub in Moshi lists possession by June 2028, per its MahaRERA project row. Signature Space Realty in Kirkatwadi lists possession by December 2028, per its MahaRERA project row. Prestige Platinum in Saswad lists possession by January 2030, per its MahaRERA project row.

Noida also sits on the nearer side. Mayflower AT THE Prestige City and Mulberry AT THE Prestige City in Indirapuram list possession by November 2029, per their UP-RERA project rows.

Mumbai is mixed. Panvel has Bhagwati Elysia III and Bhagwati Elysia IV, both under construction with possession by December 2029, per their MahaRERA project rows. Sewri has Sobha Inizio, under construction with possession by March 2034, per its MahaRERA project row.

Gurgaon and Bengaluru ask for a longer wait. Sobha Altus in Sector 106 lists possession by December 2031, per its HRERA filing dated 15 July 2026. Sobha Crescent Phase - 1 in Sector 71 lists possession by March 2033, per its HRERA project row.

In Fraser Town, the K-RERA Q4 2025 QPR filings dated 13 April 2026 show four Sobha Crystal Meadows phases with 0.0% construction progress and 0 units sold to registration in each filed phase. Their possession months run from June 2031 to December 2035, per the K-RERA QPR filings.

The Files To Put Side By Side

The Buyer’s Read

The PAN change is a process relief. It can reduce one step in a covered NRI-seller transaction from 1 October 2026. It should not make a buyer hurry through the project file.

The sharper screen is this: first classify the deal, then classify the wait.

If the seller is an NRI, follow the TDS route that applies on the signing date. If the project is under construction, read the RERA row as a separate document. A December 2027 Pune handover row and a December 2035 Fraser Town phase do not ask the same question of a buyer, even if the tax payment process becomes easier for both.

The best purchase file is not the one with the least paperwork. It is the one where the buyer can clearly match the seller’s tax status, the project registration, the possession date and the latest progress filing before money moves.