Registering Property in Eritrea

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

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Property Value: ERN 252,562
City: Asmara

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
1	Obtain building plans to give to notary	10-15 days	1% property value
2	Obtain original title deed at the Municipality	15 days	50 ERN
*3	Obtain tax clearance from Inland Revenue	14 days (simultaneous with procedures 4 and 5)	10 – 20 ERN
*4	Tax clearance from the bank	3 – 7 days (simultaneous with procedures 3 and 5)	10 – 20 ERN
*5	Tax clearance from Municipality	30 days (simultaneous with procedures 3 and 4)	10 – 20 ERN
6	Give receipts to Notary at the Municipality	1 day	no cost
*7	Cadastral Officers inspect land	15 days (simultaneous with procedure 8)	100 ERN
*8	Cadastral Office creates a map of land and assures compliance with all building regulations	15 days (simultaneous with procedure 7)	no cost
9	Committee notifies buyer how much to pay Inland Revenue	1 day	no cost
10	Buyer pays tax at Inland Revenue	1 day	4% of property value as valuated by committee
11	Register title with notary and prove payment of taxes	2 - 3 days	200 ERN (estimated nominal notary’s fees)
12	Finalize registration of title at the Cadastre	21 days	no cost

* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.

Procedure 1.: Obtain building plans to give to notary
Time to complete:: 10-15 days
Cost to complete:: 1% property value
Name of Agency:
Comment:: Parties must hire an engineer to draw up the plans in order to give them to the notary. He will use this as part of the documents necessary to complete the transfer.

Procedure 3.: Obtain tax clearance from Inland Revenue
Time to complete:: 14 days (simultaneous with procedures 4 and 5)
Cost to complete:: 10 – 20 ERN
Name of Agency:: Inland Revenue
Comment:: There is no cost involved unless there are unpaid taxes. The Inland Revenue also makes sure the property is free from mortgage.

Procedure 6.: Give receipts to Notary at the Municipality
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: no cost
Name of Agency:: Municipality
Comment:: Parties go to the notary at the Municipality and submit documents and receipts. The notary sends them to the Cadastre.

Procedure 7.: Cadastral Officers inspect land
Time to complete:: 15 days (simultaneous with procedure 8)
Cost to complete:: 100 ERN
Name of Agency:: Cadastral Office
Comment:: This is the maximum time necessary to complete this procedure. If the cadastral office is not busy, it may take less than 10 days. A committee checks the design, limits, and documents.

Procedure 8.: Cadastral Office creates a map of land and assures compliance with all building regulations
Time to complete:: 15 days (simultaneous with procedure 7)
Cost to complete:: no cost
Name of Agency:: Cadastral Office
Comment:: Upon completion of the procedure, the Cadastral Office provides parties with proof of compliance. Here the committee valuates the building for tax purposes.

Procedure 11.: Register title with notary and prove payment of taxes
Time to complete:: 2 - 3 days
Cost to complete:: 200 ERN (estimated nominal notary’s fees)
Name of Agency:
Comment:: If the buyer has obtained the property by succession, then he should publish the transaction at the Notaries Notice Board for 14 days, at a cost of ERN 500. Seller and buyer and two witnesses go to the notary office and make sure that all taxes and fees are paid (buyer brings receipts from Inland Revenue).

Procedure 12.: Finalize registration of title at the Cadastre
Time to complete:: 21 days
Cost to complete:: no cost
Name of Agency:: Cadastral Office
Comment:: At this point in the process the buyer obtains full possession of the title. They give copies of the title to the Cadastre and the Municipality.