The ministry of rural development on May 27, 2025 has drafted the Registration Bill 2025 that will align with a modern, online, paperless and citizen centric registration system. Once enacted, the Bill shall replace the pre-Constitution Registration Act, 1908, the 117- year old law governing registration of immovable property and other transactions. If passed, the way property is bought or sold will change. Also, this will have an impact on how ownership of the property is proved. In this guide, we detail what the proposed Registration Bill 2025 supports.
What is the proposed Registration Bill 2025?
The draft of the Registration Bill 2025 is prepared by the department of land resourced under the ministry of rural development. While the present law supports online document registration of immovable property, the Registration Bill 2025 supports going digital completely.
Key points proposed in the Registration Bill 2025
The proposed bill pushes for online registration with transparency, faster transactions and ease of use being the aim.
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Facilitating online registration
The Registration Bill 2025 proposes online registration of properties, electronic presentation and admission of documents, issuance of electronic registration certificates and digital maintenance of records.
Aadhaar-based authentication with informed consent is permitted, alongside alternative verification mechanisms for individuals who do not possess Aadhaar or choose not to use it. To prevent fraud, people who opt for not sharing their Aadhaar number will be notified through electronic means to physically appear before the SRO before issuing the registration certificate.
The Bill also enables electronic integration with other record-keeping systems to enhance the efficiency and integrity of information flows.
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Expanding the scope of compulsory registration
The Bill expands the list of documents such as agreements to sell, powers-of-attorney, sale certificates issued by competent authorities, equitable mortgage arrangements, and certain instruments based on court orders requiring compulsory registration.
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Reinforcing legal and procedural rigour
Recognising the reliance placed on registered documents in legal and commercial contexts, the Registration Bill, 2025 proposes clear and objective grounds under which a registering officer may refuse registration. It also provides an enabling provision for appropriate governments to issue rules on cancellation of registration subject to certain standards, including compliance with principles of natural justice. These provisions are intended to ensure that the registration process operates within the bounds of law while upholding the reliability and evidentiary value of registered instruments
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Institutional strengthening and governance reforms
The Registration Bill 2025 modernises the organisational structure of the registration establishment by creating a more agile and responsive hierarchy, including the introduction of Additional and Assistant Inspectors General of Registration. It also streamlines the appointment process for Registrars in case of vacancies and vests rule-making authority with the appropriate government to ensure alignment with local governance structures.
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Accessible and citizen-centric processes
The Bill promotes plain language drafting, digital enablement, and transparent procedures to make the registration process more accessible, especially for individual citizens and small businesses. It encourages simplification without compromising on legal certainty or procedural safeguards.
Present registration act vs Registration Bill, 2025
| Registration Act, 1908 | Registration Bill, 2025 | |
| Persons to present document for registration | According to the present law, one has to be physically present in the registrar office for document registration.
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According to the Registrar Bill 2025, the documents can be presented digitally or in-person. |
| Photo and fingerprints | During registration, people have to fix passport size photo and fingerprints to the document. | An individual will have to affix in the document their signature, passport-size colour photograph/ get a photo clicked by digital camera and thumb impression, either manually or through a biometric device and PAN. |
| Signature | Physical signatures | Physical signatures, electronic signature under IT Act, 2000 are allowed. |
| Offline verification, online verification once a document is submitted. | Under this Act, documents will be verified on the basis of consent-based Aadhaar authentication, or offline verification or consent-based verification through officially valid documents or equivalent e-documents under applicable law.
A person who refuses to share Aadhaar details can also get online registration done. |
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| SRO can reject documents in case of any problem. | The SRO must give a copy of the reasons recorded for refusal, on an application made by any person executing or claiming under the document, without payment or unnecessary delay. |
Till when can one give feedback on the proposed Registration Bill 2025?
Following the protocol, the draft of the Registration Bill 2025 has been opened to the public. The government has called for a feedback on it within 30 days on or before June 25, 2025, based on which future steps will be taken.
Proforma for sending suggestions/comments/views
| S. No. | Section No. of the draft Bill | Title of the Section | Proposed modification, if any | Remarks/comments |
The suggestions/ comments on the draft Bill may be shared at sanand.b@gov.in in either MS Word or machine-readable PDF format.
Housing.com POV
The Indian real estate segment has come a long from being an unorganised sector filled with fly-by-night operators to becoming an organised one with many listed real estate companies today. This has been possible by way of the many important steps taken by way of implementing different acts. For instance, with the implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, the segment took a big leap in protecting the rights of both buyers and developers, and getting in the trust factor that the segment lacked in the past. The introduction of the Registration Bill, 2025, which proposes for going fully digital is another positive step in the growth of the real estate segment as this will promote transparency, compliance and user-friendliness.
Conclusion
The Registration Act, 1908 currently is the basis on which immovable properties are registered. This important step has helped in making legal, financial and administrative decisions. Going digital completely is inevitable for a service to be reliable and robust and many Indian states have already taken the first step towards this direction by offering payment of stamp duty online, online document submission and identity verification under the existing Registration Act, 1908 etc. According to an official PIB statement, it is equally important to clearly delineate the roles and responsibilities of registering officers, enabling them to uphold the integrity and reliability of the registration process in a manner consistent with applicable law. Building upon these advancements, there is now a need to provide a harmonised and enabling legislative framework to support secure, efficient, and citizen-centric registration practices across the country. The Registration Bill, 2025 has been designed to realise this vision.
| Got any questions or point of view on our article? We would love to hear from you.Write to our Editor-in-Chief Jhumur Ghosh at jhumur.ghosh1@housing.com |
