Commercial Tax Minister Orders Zero-Tolerance on Bribery, Anywhere Property Registration from Aug 17

"Registration Department to Introduce Online 'No-Visit' Document Registration" Statement of Hon'ble Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration, Thiru T. Velmurugan Tamilselvan A review meeting on the performance of all District Registrars, District Registrars (Administration and Audit), District Revenue Officers/Special Tahsildars (Stamps), and Assistant Executive Engineers of the Registration Department for the month of June 2026 was held today (07.07.2026) at the Integrated Commercial Taxes Complex conference hall, Nandanam, Chennai, under the chairmanship of the Hon'ble Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration, Thiru T. Velmurugan Tamilselvan. At the review meeting, the Hon'ble Minister stated that, since the new government took office in Tamil Nadu on 10.05.2026, steps have been taken to completely eradicate the practice of bribe-taking in the Registration Department and to ensure transparent administration. He instructed officials to provide proper seating facilities for members of the public who come for registration, to carefully address their grievances, to avoid accepting bribes, to complete document registration promptly, and to hand over deeds to the rightful persons on the same day. Speaking later at a press meet, the Hon'ble Minister said that, since taking office, the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has made clear that this Government would function by understanding and responding to the needs of the people. In keeping with this, he has been conducting review meetings and issuing guidance across all departments. Accordingly, a review meeting on Commercial Taxes and Registration was held yesterday under the chairmanship of the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, followed by today's review meeting of the Registration Department under his own chairmanship. Within this short period since the new Government took office, transfer orders have been issued for Sub-Registrar-level officials. Between 10.05.2026 and today, transfer orders have been issued in respect of 259 Sub-Registrars. Through this, not only vacancies at 249 Sub-Registrar offices but also 10 Administrative Sub-Registrar posts have been filled. All these transfer orders were issued based on staff requests, with transparency, and based on the competence of the Sub-Registrars concerned. These transfer orders have been issued to ensure that permanent Sub-Registrars are posted at high-revenue-generating offices and offices handling large volumes of document registration in Tamil Nadu. This ensures that members of the public can obtain services at Sub-Registrar offices without inconvenience. Issued strictly in accordance with transfer rules and with administrative welfare in mind, these transfer orders help establish transparency in administration. Furthermore, a notification is being issued mandating "Anywhere Registration" — online, no-visit document registration — in the Registration Department. This facility will enable the public to submit and register their documents online from anywhere, at any time (24x7x365), without having to visit a Sub-Registrar office in person. This procedure will be made mandatory from 17.08.2026 for the following documents: a) First sale of Plot b) First sale of Flat New Procedure: 1. Construction firms and land sellers can create their own dedicated login on the Registration Department's website and submit the above documents online. 2. Details of executants, claimants and witnesses, along with their Aadhaar cards, must be uploaded. 3. Photographs of executants and witnesses must be taken, and Aadhaar verified via iris or fingerprint scan. 4. After paying the fee online, the document can be filed entirely online without visiting the concerned Sub-Registrar office in person. 5. If any additional information is required, the Sub-Registrar may seek it online, and the applicant may respond within 30 days. 6. The registered document and payment receipt, digitally signed by the concerned Sub-Registrar, will be sent to the executant online on the same day of submission or by the next working day. 7. The registered document can be downloaded for up to 60 days after registration. 8. New online registration rules have been framed by amending Rules 32, 52 and 69 of the Registration Act, 1908, providing legal recognition to documents registered online. 9. A dedicated help desk will operate to resolve queries relating to this facility. Technical Requirements: 1. Internet connection 2. A UIDAI-certified L0 & L1 fingerprint scanner and iris scanner 3. A webcam Through this new procedure, the public will be able to submit and register their documents at Sub-Registrar offices at a time convenient to them. This will significantly reduce crowding at certain Sub-Registrar offices. It will also balance the workload across offices and speed up registration processes. This will reduce waiting time for the public while improving the quality, efficiency and service delivery of registration services, the Hon'ble Minister stated. The meeting was attended by Secretary, Commercial Taxes, Registration and Charitable Endowments Department, Thiru Se. Kumaraguruparan, IAS; Inspector General of Registration, Thiru G.K. Arun Sundar Dayalan, IAS; Additional Inspectors General of Registration; and senior officials of the Registration Department. Issued By: - DIPR, Secretariat, Chennai – 9