Tamil Nadu Makes Online Registration Mandatory for First Sale of Plots and Flats

By The Realty Times | Real Estate News Services

Chennai : Buying a plot or apartment directly from a developer in Tamil Nadu no longer requires a trip to the Sub-Registrar Office.

The state government on Monday made online, presence-less registration mandatory for the first sale of plots in approved layouts and flats in apartment projects, marking the first phase of its transition to the upgraded STAR 3.0 (Simplified and Transparent Administration of Registration) system.  

Commercial Taxes and Registration Minister D. Logesh Tamilselvan, who announced the move last month, said the reform is aimed at improving transparency, reducing physical interface with registration offices and enabling citizens to complete registration from anywhere.  

Under the "Anywhere Registration" or "No-Visit Document Registration" system, first-sale documents for plots and flats can now be registered only online through the Registration Department's TNREGINET portal. The first phase also covers sale deeds relating to the Tamil Nadu Housing Board and memoranda of deposit of title deeds (MODs) linked to housing loans.  

Builders, developers, banks and financial institutions must create login credentials on the portal, upload documents, and complete Aadhaar-based biometric authentication of executants, claimants and witnesses using fingerprint or iris scanners linked to UIDAI.  

Once the Sub-Registrar approves the submission, the digitally signed document can be downloaded from the portal and is also sent to the registered email and mobile number. Applicants get 30 days to respond online if queries are raised.  

On day one, the system processed 248 property transactions — 123 land plots and 125 residential apartments — entirely online.  

Officials said the digital push is expected to curb the role of intermediaries, reduce corruption, cut travel costs for applicants, and ease overcrowding at Sub-Registrar offices, particularly on auspicious days when registrations spike.  

The department has been conducting capacity-building programmes for bankers, NBFCs, document writers, advocates and CREDAI representatives, and plans a toll-free grievance helpline as the system scales.  

Further phases are expected to extend presence-less registration to additional document categories, though the government has not yet announced a timeline.