To get a certified copy of a registered deed, apply to the office where the document was registered and ask for a certified copy of the entry in the register. The application goes to the sub-registrar who registered it, or to the district registrar whose office holds the book if the registration was done there. What decides success is not the address of the property but the registration particulars printed on the deed or on the receipt: the year, the book, the volume, the serial number, and the names of the executant and claimant as recorded. Get those right and the copy issues; get them wrong and the search comes back "not traced".
A certified copy of a registered document stands in place of the original for most purposes, which is why banks, buyers and courts accept it. The original itself is returned to the party who presented it at registration, so the certified copy is the proof you carry and keep. Where a search proves difficult, our property law team handles the follow-up at the registration office.
Before you start
- The registration particulars: the year, book, volume and serial number shown on the original deed or on the receipt the office gave when it was registered.
- The exact names of both parties as they appear in the deed, including spelling variants and any alias.
- A description that lets the office match the entry: survey, plot, dag or khatian number, mouza and district.
- Your identity proof and, if you are not a party, proof of the legal interest that entitles you to inspect or copy the record.
- The application in the form the state registration portal or the office prescribes, with the search fee and the copying fee that the state schedule fixes.
Steps
- Locate the registering office. A deed of transfer is registered where the property sits, and other deeds where they were executed, so confirm which sub-registry holds the book before you travel. A deed registered outside the district cannot be copied at your local office.
- Run a name or property search if you lack the particulars. The office searches its indexes by the parties' names across a range of years, or by the property description. This is slower and is charged separately, but it is the only route when the original and the receipt are both lost.
- Fill the application. State the purpose (own record, bank requirement, court use), the particulars you are furnishing, and whether you want the copy attested by the registering officer. Sign it before the clerk and keep the acknowledgment.
- Pay the prescribed fee. Search fee, copying fee and, where you want it certified, the certification charge, all as the state schedule prescribes. The copy is not released without the receipt, so pay and keep it.
- Collect the certified copy. It comes with the registering officer's endorsement, which is what gives it the standing of the original. Check the pages, the serial number and the office seal at the counter before you leave.
- Where the original is with a bank, apply as a party or through the party; the bank does not have to release the original for you to obtain a certified copy. Where the deed is lost, produce the certified copy from the register, and keep a notarised loss statement alongside if a bank or court asks for it.
Documents to keep
- The acknowledgment slip and the fee receipt for the search and the copy.
- The certified copy, stored flat; a folded or damaged copy invites a fresh objection.
- A photocopy of the application you filed, so a follow-up reference is easy.
- The deed's registration particulars written on the back of the copy for future transactions.
What goes wrong
- Wrong office. People go to the office near the property when the deed was registered elsewhere; the file is not there and the application is returned.
- Name mismatch. A maiden name, an initial or a spelling variant in the register defeats a search run under the current name.
- Expecting the original back. The office does not return the original; it holds the book and issues copies, so plan to rely on the certified copy.
- Fees short. Search and copying are charged separately, and paying one does not buy the other.
- Taking an uncertified copy. A plain copy without the endorsement may be refused by a bank or court, so say clearly that you need it certified.
Common questions
Can I get a copy without knowing the registration number?
Yes. The office will run a search by the parties' names across a year range or by the property description. It takes longer and the search fee applies, but it is how a copy is obtained when both the original and the receipt are lost.
Is a certified copy as good as the original?
For most purposes, yes. Under Section 57 of the Registration Act 1908 the registering officer issues certified copies of entries in the register, and such a copy is admitted in place of the original where the original is lost or held by a bank or another party.
Can someone who is not a party get a copy?
Inspection and copies are governed by the Registration Act and the state rules. A party, a legal heir, or a person with a demonstrated legal interest may apply; a stranger cannot, and the office will ask why the record is needed.
What if the certified copy is for a court case?
Ask for a certified copy with the endorsement intact and keep the fee receipt, because the court and the other side may want to see how it was obtained. Our property registration team arranges these copies routinely, and the range of property registration formats we publish shows what each deed should contain.