Registration Act, 1908

The Registration Act, 1908 (Act No. 16 of 1908) consolidates the law relating to registration of documents in India. It came into force on 1 January 1909 and, after the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, extends to the whole of India.

Current-law note: The Registration Act, 1908 continues to be the operative central enactment. The Draft Registration Bill, 2025 is a proposed replacement and should not be treated as enacted law unless and until Parliament passes and the law is brought into force.

Key provisions at a glance

Compulsory registration: Section 17 identifies documents that must be registered, including specified instruments affecting immovable property.
Optional registration: Section 18 lists documents for which registration is optional, subject to the Act and applicable State amendments.
Time for presentation: Section 23 generally requires non-will documents to be presented within four months from execution, subject to Sections 24-26.
Wills: Under Section 27, a will may be presented for registration or deposited at any time.
Effect of non-registration: Section 49 governs the consequences where a document required to be registered is not registered, subject to its proviso.
State-specific rules: Registration procedure, fees, stamps, portals and amendments may vary by State or Union Territory.

Section-wise Registration Act, 1908

The links below are retained internal links to the section pages on this website.

Part I - Preliminary

Part II - Registration establishment

Part III - Registrable documents

Part IV - Time of presentation

Part V - Place of registration

Part VI - Presenting documents for registration

Part VII - Enforcing appearance of executants and witnesses

Part VIII - Presenting wills and authorities to adopt

Part IX - Deposit of wills

Part X - Effects of registration and non-registration

Part XI - Duties and powers of registering officers

Part XII - Refusal to register

Part XIII - Fees for registration, searches and copies

Part XIV - Penalties

Part XV - Miscellaneous

Repealed provisions

Section 92 (Burmese registration rules), Section 93 (repeals) and the Schedule were repealed by earlier repealing/adaptation legislation and are retained here only as historical references to the structure of the Act.