Solomon Islands

Registering Property in

Solomon Islands

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: SBD 417,567.21
  • City: Honiara

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Check the parcel number with the Registrar

Parties obtain these copies at the Ministry of Lands/Registrar of Titles.

Agency: Registry of Titles Office 		1 - 2 days SBD 30
2 Obtain tax and encumbrances clearance

Parties obtain tax clearance and assurance of no encumbrances or liens on the land from the Commissioner of Lands.

Agency: Registry of Titles Office 		1 day SBD 10
3 Confirm boundary maps of the property

This is not mandatory but it is standard practice to confirm the boundary maps. Limits to the property are marked with cement "pegs", and It is necessary to verify them. Most properties in Honiara have property pegs.

Agency: Survey Department at the Ministry of Land 		4 days no cost
4 Contract a surveyor to survey the land

One may be able to hire staff from the Survey Department at the Ministry of Land, but there is a shortage of staff there so it is usually necessary to hire a private surveyor.

Agency: Survey Department at the Ministry of Land 		20 days SBD 1000
5 Get consent to transfer from the Commissioner of Lands

The Commissioner of Lands checks the files and authorizes the transfer. He cannot delegate his signature for transfers.

Agency: Commissioner of Lands 		25 days SBD 300
* 6 Prepare and sign transfer contract

Exchange of contracts is in accordance with the law. Lawyers must act for the Company. They will need to have checked consent boundaries and investigate the title. The parties choose the law firm and the lawyers act for the companies. The vendor company agents must either have the company seal or be authorized to sign on behalf of the company with a power of attorney. In Honiara, the transfer will refer to a leases or a fixed term estate (both last 25-50 years generally).
1 day (simultaneous with procedure 7) 0.5% of the value of the transaction (legal fees)
* 7 Verify registration of the vendor company

Lawyers are instructed to ensure completion in accordance with the law and ensure the transfer of title.
With the introduction of the online registration for companies, it is now possible to search for a company online at no cost, saved the proof as a pdf.
http://www.companyhaus.gov.sb/app/search/entity?advanced=false&search=search&pageNum=1&ascending=&name=mermaid+fashion&type=&status=&businessSector=®isteredDateFrom=®isteredDateTo=&address4=&annualFilingMonth=
The evidence of incorporation must be presented in accordance to
Evidence of incorporation LN 85/1968
An application for registration of a dealing whereby a corporation acquires an interest shall be accompanied by such evidence of incorporation as the Registrar may require.


Agency: Registrar of Companies 		1 day (simultaneous with procedure 6) No cost - online search
8 Notarize the transfer contract

This contract must be witnessed or notarized by either a public notary, a solicitor or civil servant (surveyor above level 5 or land officers). Fees are not regulated and vary between SBD 10 and 50.

Agency: Registry of Titles Office 		1 day SBD 10 – 50
9 Pay Stamp Duty at Inland Revenue

Every document executed which is chargeable to duty under the Stamp Duty Act must be stamped within two months of execution.




Agency: Inland Revenue 		1 - 3 days Stamp duty on transfer of properties according to the following scale: [amount between] a. $10,000.00 and $20,000.00 2% b. $25,000.00 and $50,000.00 3% c. $50,000.00 and above 4%
10 Register the transfer

The time includes the delay in obtaining the final confirmation of registration.
The registrar of titles covers all the country. It uses a Torrens system and records on paper the information related to a title (ownership, encumbrances …) Titles are scanned as a backup. A computer system records all the transactions requested about a parcel (encumbrances checking, title transfer request …). However, this computer system does not record ownership or encumbrances; it just records that someone registered a transfer.
The owner is informed that the transaction is registered by the “Advice of registration of a dealing” sent by post.



Agency: Registry of Titles Office 		1 month SBD 100
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
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