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
- Section 17 Documents of which registration is compulsory
- Section 18 Documents of which registration is optional
- Section 19 Documents in language not understood by registering officer, Section 20 Documents containing interlineations, blanks, erasures or alterations
- Section 21 Description of property and maps or plans
- Section 22 Description of houses and land by reference to Government maps or surveys
Part IV - Time of presentation
- Section 23 Time for presenting documents
- Section 23A Re-registration of certain documents, Section 24 Documents executed by several persons at different times
- Section 25 Provision where delay in presentation is unavoidable
- Section 26 Documents executed out of India, Section 27 Wills may be presented or deposited at any time
Part V - Place of registration
Part VI - Presenting documents for registration
- Section 32 Persons to present documents for registration, Section 32A Compulsory affixing of photograph etc
- Section 33 Power of attorney recognisable for purposes of section 32
- Section 34 Enquiry before registration by registering officer
- Section 35 Procedure on admission and denial of execution respectively
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
- Section 47 Time from which registered document operates
- Section 48 Registered documents relating to property when to take effect against oral agreements
- Section 49 Effect of non-registration of documents required to be registered
- Section 50 Certain registered documents relating to land to take effect against unregistered documents
Part XI - Duties and powers of registering officers
- Section 51 Register-books to be kept in the several offices
- Section 52 Duties of registering officers when document presented
- Section 53, 54, 55, 56 of Registration Act
- Section 57 Registering officers to allow inspection of certain books and indexes, and to give certified copies of entries
- Section 58 Particulars to be endorsed on documents admitted to registration
- Section 59, 60, 61, 62, 63
- Section 64, 65 of Registration Act
- Section 66, 67
- Section 68, 69, 70 of Registration Act
Part XII - Refusal to register
- Section 71 Reasons for refusal to register to be recorded
- Section 72 Appeal to Registrar from orders of Sub-Registrar refusing registration on ground other than denial of execution
- Section 73 Application to Registrar where Sub-Registrar refuses to register on ground of denial of execution
- Section 74 Procedure of Registrar on such application
- Section 75 Order by Registrar to register and procedure thereon
- Section 76 Order of refusal by Registrar
- Section 77 Suit in case of order of refusal by Registrar
Part XIII - Fees for registration, searches and copies
Part XIV - Penalties
- Section 81 Penalty for incorrectly endorsing, copying, translating or registering documents with intent to injure
- Section 82 Penalty for making false statements, delivering false copies or translations, false personation, and abetment
- Section 83 Registering officers may commence prosecutions
- Section 84 Registering officers to be deemed public servants
Part XV - Miscellaneous
- Section 85 Destruction of unclaimed documents, Section 86 Registering officer not liable for thing bona fide done or refused in his official capacity, Section 87 Nothing so done invalidated by defect in appointment or procedure
- Section 88 Registration of documents executed by Government officers or certain public functionaries
- Section 89 Copies of certain orders, certificates and instruments to be sent to registering officers and filed
- Section 90 Exemption of certain documents executed by or in favour of Government
- Section 91 Inspection and copies of such documents
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.