Q.1274 Selling property in India

through Power of Attorney.

Registrar wants life certificate

Question: Hi, I live in US and I'm selling a property for which i've given POA to my father-in-law. This is in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. The registrar asked for life certificate. I had couple of questions on obtaining life certificate. 1. Should this be back dated to 30 days before i gave the POA? 2. Can this letter be signed by a doctor here in USA or a doctor from india whom i can contact over video call? 3. Is it a must to get the letter signed by Indian Consulate? Thanks in advance, Answer: Regarding your questions: 1. Back dating life certificate to a date 30 days before you gave Power of Attorney [POA] makes no sense. It should be current. POA would not be valid if the person who gave the POA expires. 2. I doubt if any property registrar in India would accept a life certificate issued by a doctor on the basis of a video call. 3. Getting the life certificate signed/stamped by Indian Consulate will definitely be the right way to go. You will have to visit the consulate to get life certificate. Indian consulates generally issue life certificates to many pensioners who get Indian pensions. The procedure should be fairly simply. Call the nearest Indian consulate for information such as timings, documents to take to prove identity and applicable fee.