Land Title Registration Form (Ghana)

A Land Title Registration Form in Ghana submits the applicant's details to the relevant authority for the approval it seeks.

The Lands Commission, established under the Lands Commission Act 2008 (Act 767) and operating through its national headquarters in Accra and regional offices across Ghana's sixteen regions, is the statutory body responsible for land title registration in Ghana. The Lands Commission Act 2008 (Act 767) merged four previously separate agencies — the Lands Commission, the Land Title Registry, the Survey Department, and the Land Valuation Board — into a single institution with four divisions: the Land Administration Division, the Land Registration Division, the Survey and Mapping Division, and the Land Valuation Division.

First registration under Section 110 of the Land Act 2020 (Act 1036) applies to land that has never been registered under the title registration system. Land previously covered only by deeds registered in the deeds registry (at the regional Lands Commission offices) must undergo a separate conversion process to bring it within the title registration framework. The Land Title Registration Act 1986 (PNDCL 152) established compulsory registration areas (CRAs) within which all land transactions must be registered by title. Accra and Tema were declared the first compulsory registration areas; subsequent declarations have progressively extended title registration across urban and peri-urban areas.

The legal foundation for land tenure in Ghana rests on a hierarchy of interests. The allodial title — the highest form of land ownership — is held by stools (in southern Ghana), skins (in northern Ghana), families, or clans, and cannot be alienated. Below the allodial title, the customary freehold interest (also called the usufructuary right) is held by subjects of the stool or members of the family who have settled and farmed the land. The freehold interest can be registered. The leasehold interest — granted by the stool, skin, or family to a developer or occupier — is the most commonly registered form of interest in urban Ghana.

When first registration is applied for under Section 110 of the Land Act 2020 (Act 1036), the applicant must produce the root of title document — typically an indenture, conveyance, or lease granted by the landowner — together with site plans prepared by a licensed surveyor registered with the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) and bearing the stamp of the Lands Commission's Survey and Mapping Division. The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) must have assessed and received stamp duty under the Stamp Duty Act 2005 (Act 689) before the application is lodged.

The Land Title Register maintained by the Lands Commission's Land Registration Division records the identity of the registered proprietor, the nature of the interest (freehold or leasehold), any encumbrances (mortgages, charges, cautions, restrictions), and the plot details referenced to the official survey sheets. Once registered, the title is guaranteed by the state under the principle of the conclusiveness of the register enshrined in the Land Title Registration Act 1986 (PNDCL 152).

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Domestic Tax Revenue Division administers the collection of stamp duty and capital gains tax on land transactions. Every instrument affecting land in Ghana — including indentures, conveyances, leases, assignments, and mortgages — must be stamped at the GRA before registration at the Lands Commission. Failure to stamp an instrument renders it inadmissible in evidence before the High Court of Ghana under the Stamp Duty Act 2005 (Act 689).

A Land Title Registration Form in Ghana is needed whenever a landowner or holder of a registrable interest in land wishes to formally register that interest at the Lands Commission and obtain a Land Title Certificate confirming their registered title.

A Land Title Registration Form is required when a person acquires land by purchase through an indenture or conveyance from a landowner in Ghana and wishes to have their ownership formally recorded in the Land Title Register at the Lands Commission. Without registered title, the purchaser's interest is vulnerable to subsequent dealings by the vendor and cannot be used as security for a mortgage with a bank licensed by the Bank of Ghana.

A Land Title Registration Form is needed when a tenant who holds a leasehold interest granted by a stool, skin, family, or private landowner under a registered or unregistered lease wishes to bring that interest within the title registration system. Registered leasehold interests are recognised by commercial banks and the Ghana Home Loans mortgage market as acceptable security for property finance.

A Land Title Registration Form is required in a compulsory registration area (CRA) declared under the Land Title Registration Act 1986 (PNDCL 152). Within a CRA, registration of title is compulsory for all new transactions. The Lands Commission enforces compulsory registration in Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and other designated urban areas.

A Land Title Registration Form is needed when a person inherits land under the Intestate Succession Act 1985 (PNDCL 111) or under a will administered by the High Court of Ghana (Probate Division) and wishes to have the inherited title registered in their name at the Lands Commission. Succession to registered land requires a transmission application supported by the grant of probate or letters of administration from the High Court.

A Land Title Registration Form is required when a company incorporated under the Companies Act 2019 (Act 992) acquires land for commercial or industrial development and wishes to register the company's freehold or leasehold interest at the Lands Commission. The company's Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) registration number and the company's GRA TIN must be provided in the application.

Parties should lodge the Land Title Registration Form at the Lands Commission regional office for the region in which the land is situate — Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western, Central, Eastern, Volta, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Bono, Ahafo, Bono East, Oti, North East, Savannah, or Western North Region.

A Land Title Registration Form in Ghana that meets the requirements of Section 110 of the Land Act 2020 (Act 1036) and the Land Title Registration Regulations 1986 (LI 1341) must include the following essential elements.

Applicant Details: Full legal name, residential or business address, Ghana Card number (GHA-XXXXXXXXX-X) issued by the National Identification Authority (NIA), and GRA TIN issued by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). Where the applicant is a company registered under the Companies Act 2019 (Act 992), the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) registration number must be stated.

Nature of Interest: Whether the application is for registration of a freehold interest (customary freehold or common law freehold) or a leasehold interest. The nature of the interest determines the register folio category and the supporting documents required by the Lands Commission Land Registration Division.

Root of Title: Identification of the instrument by which the applicant acquired the interest — for example, an indenture dated DD/MM/YYYY, a conveyance, a lease granted by the relevant stool or family, an assent by a personal representative, or a court order from the High Court of Ghana. The instrument must have been stamped at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) under the Stamp Duty Act 2005 (Act 689).

Land Description: Plot number, block reference, locality, and administrative region of the land, together with the site plan number from the Lands Commission Survey and Mapping Division or a licensed surveyor registered with the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS). The total area of the land must be stated in square metres or acres.

Encumbrances: Disclosure of all mortgages, charges, cautions, restrictions, and third-party rights affecting the land that are known to the applicant at the date of the application.

Declaration: A statutory declaration by the applicant confirming the truth of the particulars in the application, executed before a commissioner for oaths or notary public in Ghana.

Stool Land Endorsement: Where the land is stool land or skin land, endorsement of the application by the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) under the Administration of Stool Lands Act 1994 (Act 481) confirming that the transaction has been duly vetted.

Forms-legal.com provides this Land Title Registration Form template as a starting point for applicants seeking to register land title in Ghana. Applicants should engage a licensed land surveyor registered with the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) and a solicitor enrolled with the Ghana Bar Association experienced in land title registration to prepare and lodge the application at the Lands Commission.

Additional compliance elements for a Land Title Registration Form (Ghana) used in Ghana include: Under the Land Act 2020 (Act 1036), the Lands Commission manages land registration in Ghana. Section 43 of the Land Act 2020 governs leases of stool and skin lands. The Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) manages stool land revenue under Article 267 of the Constitution of Ghana 1992. The Land Court (High Court division) adjudicates land disputes. The Stamp Duty Act 2005 (Act 689) imposes duty on property instruments. Forms-legal.com provides this template as a starting point for Ghana-compliant documentation.