What ID proof does the Sub-Registrar accept?

TNREGINET accepts only the Aadhaar card, PAN card, Voter ID card, driving licence, passport and ration card as ID proof. Bring the original ID of the executant, the claimant and the witnesses, and attach photocopies to the document. If the property value exceeds Rs 10 lakh, also give your PAN or Form 60.

How many witnesses do I need?

The Citizen Charter says two witnesses sign the last sheet of the document. The portal's document creation manual asks for two execution witnesses and two identification witnesses when you create the deed online. In paperless and presenceless registration, the witnesses must use Aadhaar as their ID proof.

What is presenceless registration?

It lets the parties register without visiting the Sub-Registrar office. Everyone authenticates with Aadhaar, photographs and biometrics are captured online, and all fees are paid online without stamp paper. The Department's FAQ says the deed is registered within 24 hours. From 17 August 2026 it is mandatory for the first sale of plots by promoters and of flats by builders.

Does the patta change automatically after registration?

In part. The Registration Department's FAQ says patta transfer applications received at the Sub-Registrar office go to the taluk office automatically after registration, except for Natham survey numbers. Under G.O.(Ms) No.84, fully automatic mutation began with transfers that involve no subdivision and a single owner. Other cases go through the normal Tamil Nilam workflow.

What if I miss my token slot?

Rule 12 of the Tamil Nadu e-Registration Rules, 2019 says you must book a new token for another date and time. A document created online must be presented within 30 days of its creation or first data entry, or the data must be entered again. You can check free slots without logging in under eServices > View Token Availability.

What if the Sub-Registrar refuses to register the deed?

The Citizen Charter says you can appeal to the District Registrar within one month of the refusal. Separately, if a document has been registered by fraud, the Department says only a competent civil court can cancel it once it is registered, though you can send a petition to the District Registrar concerned.

Topic guide

Registration Process in Tamil Nadu

Registering a property in Tamil Nadu means presenting the signed deed at the Sub-Registrar office that covers the property, through the TNREGINET portal (tnreginet.gov.in). You create the deed online, pay stamp duty and fees online, book a token for a date and time slot, and appear at the office with the original ID proof of every party and the witnesses. The Sub-Registrar captures photographs and fingerprints, registers the deed and returns it, usually the same day. For a sale, stamp duty is 7% and the registration fee 2% of the market value, plus a computer fee of Rs 200 for the first ten pages. Present the deed within four months of signing it. From 17 August 2026, the first sale of a plot by a promoter or a flat by a builder must use presenceless registration, which is done fully online without an office visit.

Definition

Property registration: Recording a signed deed with the Sub-Registrar under the Registration Act, 1908, so that it enters the public record. A deed for property in Tamil Nadu must be registered at the Sub-Registrar office with jurisdiction over that property. The Citizen Charter says such deeds registered outside the state have been void since 29 March 1997.

When you need it

When you buy, gift, settle, exchange or partition property, or create a mortgage by deposit of title deeds. Present the deed within four months of the date it was signed. The District Registrar can condone a further delay of up to four months with a fine of 25% to 100% of the registration fee, depending on the length of the delay.

Steps

Get the EC for the property from TNREGINET. The Registration Department advises this as the first step before you decide to buy.
Create a user login on tnreginet.gov.in.
Go to Registration > Document Registration > Create Document. Select the nature of document, link the previous document, and enter the party, property and consideration details. Save the draft.
Check the Document Valuation tab for the stamp duty and registration fee, then click Create Document. The Sub-Registrar office then does a pre-registration check.
After the check, open My Documents, enter the stamp paper details and print the deed, or pay the duty online.
Pay the fees under E-Services > E-Payment by net banking, card, UPI or an NEFT/RTGS challan.
Initiate a token within 30 days of the pre-registration check: choose the date and a free time slot, and download the token form.
Go to the Sub-Registrar office at the slot with the signed deed, the original ID of every party and the witnesses. Collect the registered deed after photo and fingerprint capture.

Fees

Registration Process fee. Source: tnreginet.gov.in, as of 2026-10-22.

Sale deed: stamp duty 7% and registration fee 2% of the market value. Computer fee Rs 200 for the first ten pages and Rs 100 for each further page; video processing fee Rs 100. Subdivision fee Rs 400 (rural), Rs 500 (municipality) or Rs 600 (corporation) per subdivision. (source: https://tnreginet.gov.in/portal/webHP?requestType=ApplicationRH&actionVal=viewTellMeHow&screenId=114&auditUSFlag=true, as of 2026-10-22. Verify with sub-registrar.)

How to read it

The office returns the registered deed to the person who presented it, or to the person authorised on the receipt counterfoil, with a snapshot of the video recording. Note the document number and year, then search the EC by document number on TNREGINET to confirm the entry. Some deeds are kept back, such as those needing a building inspection, those referred for under-valuation, and powers of attorney registered before 13 February 2018 that need verification.

Red flags

The seller cannot produce the original parent deed, so a police non-traceable certificate and a newspaper notice are needed
The sale relies on a power of attorney registered before 13 February 2018 that has not been verified
A first plot sale in a layout without a CMDA or DTCP approval or regularisation order
The owner has died and there is no death certificate or legal-heir certificate
A deed value below the guideline value
Land the Sub-Registrar suspects is government, HR&CE or Wakf board land, which needs a no-objection certificate

Questions

What ID proof does the Sub-Registrar accept?: TNREGINET accepts only the Aadhaar card, PAN card, Voter ID card, driving licence, passport and ration card as ID proof. Bring the original ID of the executant, the claimant and the witnesses, and attach photocopies to the document. If the property value exceeds Rs 10 lakh, also give your PAN or Form 60.
How many witnesses do I need?: The Citizen Charter says two witnesses sign the last sheet of the document. The portal's document creation manual asks for two execution witnesses and two identification witnesses when you create the deed online. In paperless and presenceless registration, the witnesses must use Aadhaar as their ID proof.
What is presenceless registration?: It lets the parties register without visiting the Sub-Registrar office. Everyone authenticates with Aadhaar, photographs and biometrics are captured online, and all fees are paid online without stamp paper. The Department's FAQ says the deed is registered within 24 hours. From 17 August 2026 it is mandatory for the first sale of plots by promoters and of flats by builders.
Does the patta change automatically after registration?: In part. The Registration Department's FAQ says patta transfer applications received at the Sub-Registrar office go to the taluk office automatically after registration, except for Natham survey numbers. Under G.O.(Ms) No.84, fully automatic mutation began with transfers that involve no subdivision and a single owner. Other cases go through the normal Tamil Nilam workflow.
What if I miss my token slot?: Rule 12 of the Tamil Nadu e-Registration Rules, 2019 says you must book a new token for another date and time. A document created online must be presented within 30 days of its creation or first data entry, or the data must be entered again. You can check free slots without logging in under eServices > View Token Availability.
What if the Sub-Registrar refuses to register the deed?: The Citizen Charter says you can appeal to the District Registrar within one month of the refusal. Separately, if a document has been registered by fraud, the Department says only a competent civil court can cancel it once it is registered, though you can send a petition to the District Registrar concerned.

Sources

TNREGINET - Registration Department, Tamil Nadu
Fee source — as of 2026-10-22

Last reviewed 22 Oct 2026 by LawyerDesk Team

Quality check: 8 of 6 required sections filled. General information only, not legal advice.

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