Registering Property in the Central African Republic

This topic examines the steps, time, and cost involved in registering property in Central African Republic.

View all indicator data and topic details for this economy.

Change Selection

Property Value: XAF 9,859,799
City: Bangui

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
*1	The notary drafts the Sale agreement and both parties sign it	5 days (simultaneous with procedure 2)	2% of property value
*2	Check with the Land Registry that the seller is providing a clear and non-encumbered title	7 days (Simultaneous with procedure 1)	no cost
3	Publish the Sale Agreement at the Municipality	45 days	no cost
4	Register the Sale Contract with the Fiscal Authorities	2 days	15% of purchase price + FCFA 10,000 (Stamp Duty)
5	File for name change at the Land Registry “Conservation Foncière”	21 days	1% of purchase price (Taxe de publicite Fonciere) + 0.4% purchase price (Salary of the Registrar ‘Conservateur’) + 5000 (Deposit Tax)

* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Procedure 1.: The notary drafts the Sale agreement and both parties sign it
Time to complete:: 5 days (simultaneous with procedure 2)
Cost to complete:: 2% of property value
Name of Agency:
Comment:: The parties contract the services of a notary to draft the sale agreement.

Procedure 2.: Check with the Land Registry that the seller is providing a clear and non-encumbered title
Time to complete:: 7 days (Simultaneous with procedure 1)
Cost to complete:: no cost
Name of Agency:: Land Registry
Comment:: The notary will contact a surveyor (géomètre au niveau du chef de service de la conservation foncière). The surveyor will identify the property; verify in the archives of the Cadastre that the seller is the real owner of the property.
The certificate summarizes the property’s characteristics. It confirms the identity of the owner, indicates its extent and boundaries, states whether it is encumbered with a mortgage or other liens, and shows whether any tax relating to the property is still unpaid or outstanding.

Procedure 3.: Publish the Sale Agreement at the Municipality
Time to complete:: 45 days
Cost to complete:: no cost
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: By law, it is mandatory to publish the sale agreement to avoid future dispute. This can be done by posting at the local Municipality.

Procedure 4.: Register the Sale Contract with the Fiscal Authorities
Time to complete:: 2 days
Cost to complete:: 15% of purchase price + FCFA 10,000 (Stamp Duty)
Name of Agency:: Fiscal Authorities
Comment:: The notary files the original of the sale contract "the minute” and pays the Stamp Duty 4000 FCFA (1000 FCFA/page, 4 pages in general) + three copies of the sale contract (“expeditions” and 6000 stamp duty) to the Tax department (Service des Impots).
Note: if payment is not made within the deadlines, there is 100% of penalty. The deadline is one month (1 month) if the sale agreement is prepared by a notary and of three (3 months) if the sale is under private signature

Procedure 5.: File for name change at the Land Registry “Conservation Foncière”
Time to complete:: 21 days
Cost to complete:: 1% of purchase price (Taxe de publicite Fonciere) + 0.4% purchase price (Salary of the Registrar ‘Conservateur’) + 5000 (Deposit Tax)
Name of Agency:: Land Registry ("Conservation Foncière")
Comment:: The employees of the Land Registry take all due diligence steps to avoid any mistake regarding the property file. When satisfied, the owner name is changed on the property files and the new owner is issued a new title.