Djibouti

Registering Property in

Djibouti

Listed below is a detailed summary of the steps, time and cost involved in registering property, assuming a standardized case of an entrepreneur who wants to purchase land and a building that is already registered and free of title dispute.

The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.

  • Standard Property Transfer

  • Property Value: DJF 11,521,489.6
  • City: Djibouti Ville

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Buyer and seller go to the notary with the title to draft the sale-purchase agreement

The title file contains the following, and will already be in the possession of the seller: the title, the cadastral plan, the sale value, the names of the proprietors, and the surface area. It is obligatory that the notary draft the sale-purchase agreement. The transfer cost for a first time transfer of the property would be 2% + 7% property value.
1 day 2% + 10% (for second transfer or thereafter) property value, + (40,000 F to 180,000 F (notary fees)) + 500 F per page (x 6, stamp duties)
2 Notary checks for mortgages or liens on the property

This is conducted at the Service des Domaines (Conservation de la propriété foncière). Notary will check that the property has no liens or charges.

Agency: Conservation de la propriété foncière 		1 day DJF 1,500
3 Notary proceeds to tax authorities to check status of the property and capital gains

If there are capital gains to be paid, notary will collect them from the seller.

Agency: Tax Authority 		2 - 3 days no cost
4 Parties return to the notary to sign the sale-purchase agreement

At this point the buyer pays the seller a deposit. If there are capital gains to be paid the seller will pay them at a rate of 5%.
1 day (already paid in procedure 1)
5 Notary registers the sale agreement with the tax authority.

The sale-purchase agreement is registered with the tax authority (bureau de l’Enregistrement et du timbre). Payment of registration fees will be made directly at the l’hôtel des impôts. This procedure can sometimes take up two to three months.

Agency: Tax Authority 		up to 1 month 10% property value (already paid in procedure 1) + 500 F per page (x 6, stamp duties already paid in procedure 1)
6 Notary requests a name change on behalf of the new owner at the Conservation de la propriété foncière

This procedure is a mere conversion, not a new act of registration and it will take place approximately 10 months after provisional registration. The procedure involves checking all records, which are paper-based, and all history of transactions relevant to the property.

Agency: Conservation de la propriété foncière 		7 - 10 days 2% property value (Already paid in procedure 1)
7 Notary returns to the Service des Domaines to pick up new title file

The new title file contains the name change. The buyer remains holds the new title file from here forward.

Agency: Conservation de la propriété foncière 		1 day no cost
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