Registering Property in Bolivia

This topic examines the steps, time, and cost involved in registering property in Bolivia.

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Property Value: BOB 603,109
City: La Paz

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
*1	Obtain a non-encumbrance certificate (“Folio real”) that includes the “Certificado Alodial” and a 10-year certificate of the property (“Certificado Decenal”) at the Real Estate Office	7 days (simultaneous with procedures 2 and 3)	BOB 165 each certificate
*2	An architect of the Municipality inspects the property and prepares the cadastral plan	60 days (simultaneous with procedures 1 and 3)	BOB 800 (architect’s fees)
*3	The seller must obtain the Cadastral Unified Form at the Municipality including the cadastral value of the property	1 day (simultaneous with procedures 1 and 2)	no cost
4	Lawyer prepares the sale agreement (“minuta”)	2 days	BOB 300 + 1% of the price of the transaction
5	The “minuta” is delivered to the Municipality for payment of transfer taxes and the name of buyer is recorded	2 days	3% transfer tax levied on the cadastral value of the property or purchase price, whichever is higher
6	The notary notarizes the “minuta” and prepares the public deed	2 days	BOB 30 for each page of the “minuta” (assuming 4 pages)
7	The public deed is delivered to the Real Estate Office for its recording under the name of the buyer	25 days	BOB 400 + 0.5% on the cadastral value of the property or purchase price, whichever is higher (registration fee)

* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Procedure 1.: Obtain a non-encumbrance certificate (“Folio real”) that includes the “Certificado Alodial” and a 10-year certificate of the property (“Certificado Decenal”) at the Real Estate Office
Time to complete:: 7 days (simultaneous with procedures 2 and 3)
Cost to complete:: BOB 165 each certificate
Name of Agency:: Real Estate Office (Registro de derechos reales)
Comment:: Both certificates must be obtained by the seller before starting the transaction formally. The 10-year certificate shows all the owners of the property in the last 10 years.
The documentation shall include application forms.

Procedure 2.: An architect of the Municipality inspects the property and prepares the cadastral plan
Time to complete:: 60 days (simultaneous with procedures 1 and 3)
Cost to complete:: BOB 800 (architect’s fees)
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: An architect of the Municipality must go and verify the property to determine its cadastral value and prepare a cadastral plan. This plan is required to obtain the Cadastral Unified Form in the Municipality.

Procedure 3.: The seller must obtain the Cadastral Unified Form at the Municipality including the cadastral value of the property
Time to complete:: 1 day (simultaneous with procedures 1 and 2)
Cost to complete:: no cost
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: The seller picks up the map prepared by the architect at the Municipality, and at the same time obtains Cadastral Unified Form, including the cadastral value of the property.
This form is usually not in possession of the seller or it is not up to date due to modifications on the property.

The documentation shall include:
Public Deed of the purchase of the property
Public Deed of the purchase by the previous owner
Property Title issued by the Real Estate Office
Yearly property taxes for the last 5 years
ID of the seller
Proof of payments of electricity services
Cadastral map/plan of the property prepared by an architect (obtained in Procedure 2)

Procedure 4.: Lawyer prepares the sale agreement (“minuta”)
Time to complete:: 2 days
Cost to complete:: BOB 300 + 1% of the price of the transaction
Name of Agency:
Comment:: The seller is responsible for gathering all the documentation, which includes:
Property title issued by the Real Estate Office
Non-encumbrance and 10 years certificate of the property (obtained in Procedure 1)
Yearly property taxes proof of payment for the last 5 years
Public deed of the purchase of the property
Legal representative power
Cadastral Unified Form issued by the Municipality (obtained in Procedure 3)

Procedure 5.: The “minuta” is delivered to the Municipality for payment of transfer taxes and the name of buyer is recorded
Time to complete:: 2 days
Cost to complete:: 3% transfer tax levied on the cadastral value of the property or purchase price, whichever is higher
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: A sales tax certificate is obtained, and the name of the buyer is registered at the Municipality. The documentation shall include the sale agreement or “minuta.”

Procedure 6.: The notary notarizes the “minuta” and prepares the public deed
Time to complete:: 2 days
Cost to complete:: BOB 30 for each page of the “minuta” (assuming 4 pages)
Name of Agency:
Comment:: The “minuta” is executed by a Public Notary, who prepares the public deed. The number of pages of the “minuta” or sale agreement depends on the lawyer and the clauses in the contract between the buyer and the seller.
The documentation shall include:
Sales tax certificate
Certificate that buyer is registered at the Municipality

Procedure 7.: The public deed is delivered to the Real Estate Office for its recording under the name of the buyer
Time to complete:: 25 days
Cost to complete:: BOB 400 + 0.5% on the cadastral value of the property or purchase price, whichever is higher (registration fee)
Name of Agency:: Real Estate Office (Registro de derechos reales)
Comment:: Even though the Real Estate Office has been computerized recently (http://ddrr.poderjudicial.gov.bo/), most of the information on previous titles is not in the system, requiring large amounts of time to search physically for old titles. This step would require a considerable less amount of time when all the information is included on the system.
The documentation shall include:
The “minuta” notarized
Public deed