Sale deed, transfer and registration: the paperwork explained

Once price and terms are agreed, most transactions begin with a written agreement (bainapatra) that records the deposit and closing timeline. This is not the transfer of ownership itself, but a binding commitment between buyer and seller.

The actual transfer happens through a registered sale deed executed at the Land Revenue Office, where both parties (or their attorneys) appear with citizenship documents, the lalpurja, tax clearance certificates and the valuation report.

Registration fees and capital gains tax are calculated based on the government-assessed value or transaction value, whichever is higher, and are typically split between buyer and seller by local convention, though this is negotiable.

Only once the new lalpurja is issued in the buyer's name at the Malpot office is the transfer legally complete — keep certified copies of every document exchanged during the process.