CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Registration Department has announced an ‘anywhere registration’ facility that would allow citizens to register property documents entirely online without visiting a sub-registrar’s office.
The system is set to be made mandatory for select property transactions shortly, shifting from the decades-old in-person registration system that often led to procedural delays and graft at sub-registrar offices.
The department earlier had STAR 3.0, an online-assisted system that allowed buyers and sellers to prepare documents, pay fees, book appointments and access encumbrance certificates online.
However, the registration generally required the parties to appear before the sub-registrar for identity verification and completion of the registration process. The new ‘anywhere registration’ system eliminates that final visit for eligible categories of documents.
Under the new system, property buyers, sellers and financial institutions can complete registration formalities remotely, with approved documents being digitally signed by the sub-registrar and delivered electronically to users through the registrant’s login account and delivered via WhatsApp, replacing the stamped physical copy that parties previously had to collect in person. The facility will enable document registration on a 24x7 basis.
Aadhaar verification must for transactions
The mandatory online registration regime will initially cover first-sale transactions involving plots and apartments, sale deeds executed by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board, and mortgage and receipt documents linked to bank loans, all of which are considered low-risk and easily-verifiable categories.
To facilitate the transition, the department has asked the public, builders, document writers, banks and legal professionals to create user accounts on the registration portal and submit documents online. Aadhaar authentication through fingerprint or iris verification will be mandatory for all parties involved in a transaction, including executants, claimants and witnesses. All parties must upload Aadhaar card details, verified through UIDAI using fingerprint or iris scan.
For the registration process, a webcam and a UIDAI-approved Level 1 biometric device are required at the user’s end. Alternatively, a mobile phone could be used or the user could complete the process at an e-seva centre. Further, the department has provided contact details of TCS personnel for hardware and software support in this regard.