Everything we would check before committing money to a plot in Dholera, in the order we would check it. Tick items off as you go — your progress is saved in this browser, and nothing is sent to us.

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1. Before you engage with anyone

Work done before you talk to a seller is the cheapest work you will ever do.

Decide your time horizon honestly, in writingDholera is a multi-year, illiquid position. Write down the year you would be comfortable still holding this if nothing had changed. If that year is less than five out, the rest of this checklist may not be worth your time.
Size the position as capital you can leave aloneAssume you cannot sell for the entire horizon at any price you would accept. Any amount that fails that test is the wrong amount.
Confirm your own eligibility under FEMANRI, OCI, and foreign-citizen-of-Indian-origin statuses are not interchangeable. Get your specific position confirmed by a qualified advisor before you shortlist anything.
Open or confirm the account you will fund fromNRE, NRO, or FCNR — the funding route determines your repatriation rights on exit. Decide this at the start, not at the exit.

2. The plot itself

Everything here is about one specific plot. General reassurance about "Dholera" is not an answer to any of it.

Get the TP scheme number in writingNot "TP1 area", not "near TP1" — the scheme number, in a written message you keep. Ambiguity here is the single most common wrapper around a bad plot.
Get the Final Plot (F.P.) number in writingThe F.P. number identifies the exact plot within a finalised scheme. If a scheme is finalised, this number exists.
Confirm the TP scheme is finalised, not draft or preliminarySchemes move through draft, preliminary, and final stages. Boundaries and allotments can change before finalisation. Ask which stage, and verify it independently.
Confirm the land is non-agricultural (NA)Agricultural land carries both FEMA restrictions and construction restrictions. Do not accept a verbal assurance that conversion "is in process."
Locate the plot on a map yourselfPlot the coordinates independently and check the actual distance to the Activation Area, the expressway, and the airport site. Compare that to what the brochure implies.
Check what is actually adjacent to itRoad access, drainage, high-tension lines, reserved land, and planned road widening all affect usability. Look at the surroundings, not just the parcel.

3. Title and legal

This section is non-negotiable, and it is the section people skip when they are excited.

Engage your own lawyer — not the seller'sYou pay them, you instruct them, and they have no relationship with the other side. A lawyer recommended by the person selling to you is not performing due diligence; they are performing reassurance.
Commission a full title search covering at least 30 yearsA short search will not surface older encumbrances, inheritance disputes, or defective transfers upstream in the chain.
Obtain a current Encumbrance CertificateIt shows registered charges and mortgages against the property. Get a current one, not a copy the seller supplies.
Verify the seller is legally entitled to sellMatch identity documents against the title record. For inherited land, confirm all heirs have consented. For company-owned land, confirm the signatory is authorised.
Check for litigation and disputes on the parcelAsk your lawyer to search for pending proceedings. Disputed land in a rapidly appreciating area is not a rare occurrence.
Verify any RERA registration claimedCheck the number on the Gujarat RERA portal yourself. A registration number that does not resolve is a complete answer.

4. The seller and the offer

You are also doing due diligence on a counterparty, not just on a parcel of soil.

Check how long the entity has actually operated in DholeraCompany registration date, not the "20 years of experience" claim on the website, which frequently refers to a different business entirely.
Refuse any guaranteed or projected returnNobody can guarantee land appreciation. A projected-return chart in a plot pitch is a marketing artefact, and its presence tells you how the seller expects to close.
Refuse urgency"Only a few plots left at this price" is a closing technique, not market information. A legitimate plot survives you taking three more weeks.
Get a live, unedited video walk of the boundariesOn a live call, with a visible landmark and the plot markers in frame. A pre-recorded clip proves nothing about which parcel you are being sold.
Send someone independent to physically stand on itIdeally not the broker, and ideally someone you know. This is the highest-value hundred dollars you will spend in this process.

5. Money and registration

The last section, and the one where mistakes become permanent.

Pay only through banking channels, to the seller of recordNo cash, no third-party accounts, no "company associate" accounts. The payee must match the person on the title.
Budget the all-in cost, not the land rateStamp duty, registration, legal fees, and any scheme development charges. The real number is meaningfully above the quoted rate.
Keep every remittance record permanentlyForeign Inward Remittance Certificates and bank statements are what make repatriation possible years later. Losing them is expensive and irreversible.
Keep any Power of Attorney narrow and time-boundSpecific to this plot, this transaction, and an expiry date. Never grant a general POA, and never grant one to anyone connected to the seller.
Register the sale deed properly and obtain the certified copyRegistration is what makes the transfer enforceable. Get the certified copy and check that every detail on it matches what you agreed.

This checklist is general guidance, not legal advice, and it is not exhaustive. It does not replace a qualified Indian property lawyer or a chartered accountant engaged by you. Requirements change, and your circumstances may add steps that are not listed here.

Want help working through this on a specific plot?

Send us what you have — the scheme number, the F.P. number, the seller's name, and whatever documentation you have been shown. We will tell you what we would check next, at no cost and with nothing to sell you.

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The Dholera due-diligence checklist