To sum up the previously long process of land title registry, the Land Registration Authority recently implemented an overall computerized program. This agency wide offer has led to a five-step process which can generally be accomplished within a one-time visit at the office of the Register of Deeds.
Here are the five steps to follow:
Step 1: Secure the conveyance instrument together with all the supporting documents then submit to the Register of Deeds counter. As a form of receipt, an electronic primary entry book number will be given to applicants.
Step 2: Pay the fees at the cashier.
Step 3: The submitted documents will be examined and the encoding of information is performed.
Step 4: Upon the completion of all the necessary requirements, an approval will be given to the applicant.
Step 5: The land title will now be handed to the applicant.
Reminders:
- Land titles are on the basis of “first in registration, first in right” procedure. The first person who gets to register the land first will have the legal rights to own it.
- It is also important to take note that other claimants do not have the authority to stop the processing of registration once the first applicant successfully complied all the necessary requirements and payment. The exemption to this is when the first applicant has failed to secure all the necessary documents or through a restraining order from the court.
- For denied applications, the applicant can still appeal for ‘consulta’ which serves as a means to reverse the previous decision of the Register of Deeds.
How To Register Unregistered Lands
- Judicial Process – is a process of filing the original registration for the title of the property. Proof of land ownership and other important documents should be presented to the court. Once resolved, a decree of registration from the Land Registration Authority will be issued by the court. The decree will be used to register in the Register of Deeds.
- Administrative Process – Applicants need to go to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and any other services to acquire the authorization for the issuance of a public land title.
The submitted documents will undergo meticulous screening but after that, the land title will be registered to the registry office.
Please see next page for the Land Registration Offices
