Registering Property in Dominica

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

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Change Selection

Property Value: XCD 641,140
City: Roseau

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
*1	Lawyer prepares Memorandum of Transfer	2 days (simultaneous with procedure 2)	3% of property value (lawyer fees)
*2	Lawyer searches the title at the Land Registry	1 day (simultaneous with procedure 1)	EC$ 5
3	Payment of government fees and Stamp Duty at the Accountant General’s Office	1 day	1% of property value (assurance fund) + 4% property value (Purchaser’s Stamp Duty) + 2.5% property value (Vendor’s Stamp Duty) + 2.5% property value (judicial fee)
4	Obtain survey plan from certified surveyor	2 days	EC$1,500
5	Memorandum of Transfer is lodged with Registry	14 – 60 days	no additional cost

* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Procedure 1.: Lawyer prepares Memorandum of Transfer
Time to complete:: 2 days (simultaneous with procedure 2)
Cost to complete:: 3% of property value (lawyer fees)
Name of Agency:
Comment:: It is mandatory for companies in such a transaction to be represented by a lawyer. The. For preparation of the Memorandum of Transfer, the vendor presents his proof of payment (receipts) of municipal taxes to the City Council and brings his duplicate original of the deed, including the copy of the survey plan. A 15% VAT on services was introduced in 2006.

Procedure 2.: Lawyer searches the title at the Land Registry
Time to complete:: 1 day (simultaneous with procedure 1)
Cost to complete:: EC$ 5
Name of Agency:: Land Registry
Comment:: The records at the Land Registry are recorded by number in the computer system, while the original certificates are kept in paper form. The $5 stamp fee is for an adhesive stamp that can be obtained at a post office, but normally a lawyer would have a supply of these for this purpose.

Procedure 3.: Payment of government fees and Stamp Duty at the Accountant General’s Office
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: 1% of property value (assurance fund) + 4% property value (Purchaser’s Stamp Duty) + 2.5% property value (Vendor’s Stamp Duty) + 2.5% property value (judicial fee)
Name of Agency:: Accountant General’s Office
Comment:: The lawyer pays all fees on behalf of the clients. Fees are paid by the purchaser, except the Vendor’s Stamp Duty (2.5%). The fees are paid and the Memorandum of Transfer and the new copy of the Certificate of Title are embossed with proof of payment. The copy of the Certificate of Title is a blank copy obtained from the lawyer’s office.

Procedure 4.: Obtain survey plan from certified surveyor
Time to complete:: 2 days
Cost to complete:: EC$1,500
Name of Agency:: Certified Surveyor
Comment:: The survey plan must be produced by a certified surveyor. When there are no changes in the property such as in the Doing Business case study, the surveyor just copies the previous survey plan without an actual visit to the site. This can take around 2 days depending on the availability of the surveyor. The surveyor fees are standardized.

Procedure 5.: Memorandum of Transfer is lodged with Registry
Time to complete:: 14 – 60 days
Cost to complete:: no additional cost
Name of Agency:: Land Registry
Comment:: The Registrar signs the Memorandum of Transfer and the copy of the Certificate of Title, which is given back to the lawyer. Documentation required: a) Memorandum of Transfer (embossed); b) 3 copies of the Survey Plan; c) 2 duplicate originals of the Certificate of Title