Under the general permission available, the following categories can freely purchase immovable property in India:
- Non-Resident Indian (NRI) - that is a citizen of India resident outside India
- Person of Indian Origin (PIO) - that is an individual (not being a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh or Sri Lanka or Afghanistan or China or Iran or Nepal or Bhutan), who
- at any time, held Indian passport, or
- who or either of whose father or grandfather was a citizen of India by virtue of the Constitution of India or the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955).
The general permission, however, covers only purchase of residential and commercial property.