Dominica

Registering Property in

Dominica

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: XCD 664,864.86
  • City: Roseau

About This Topic

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
* 1 Lawyer prepares Memorandum of Transfer

It is mandatory for companies in such a transaction to be represented by a lawyer. For the 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 legal services was introduced in 2006.
2 days (simultaneous with procedure 2) 3% of property value (lawyer’s fees) + 15% VAT on fees
* 2 Lawyer searches the title at the Land Registry

The records at the Land Registry are recorded by number in the computer system, while the original certificates are kept in paper form. The XCD 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.

Agency: Land Registry 		1 day (simultaneous with procedure 1) XCD 5
3 Payment of government fees and Stamp Duty at the Accountant General’s Office

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.

Agency: 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

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.

Agency: Certified Surveyor 		2 days XCD $1,500
5 Memorandum of Transfer is lodged with Registry

The Registrar signs the Memorandum of Transfer and the copy of the Certificate of Title, which is given back to the lawyer. Documentation required by the Registry includes: a) Memorandum of Transfer (embossed); b) 3 copies of the Survey Plan; c) 2 duplicate originals of the Certificate of Title

Agency: Land Registry 		14 – 60 days no additional cost
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
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