Frequently Asked Questions

Our Public Counters are open for advanced booking. You can book an appointment on our Appointment booking system.

We have offices located in Dublin, Roscommon and Waterford.

Names Index: A record of the names and addresses of every Registered Owner.  The index is kept in respect of each county and shows the folio number(s) corresponding to the name.

Folio: This is a part of the register with its own distinct number on which details of the property, its ownership and any burdens affecting it appear.

Map: Original Ordnance Survey and other maps with all registered property delineated thereon are maintained in the Registry.

Instrument: When a Dealing is finally completed, the title documents retained here are called Instruments. They bear the number which they were given when they were lodged as Dealings e.g. D2012LR005555X.

A plain copy of a folio can be viewed and printed on our online service delivery channel landdirect.ie. This costs €5 per folio. A certified copy of the folio can also be ordered on landdirect.ie and the fee for this is €40. Certified copy folios with maps (title plans) can be ordered by the same method and the fee for this is also €40.

If you do not have access to landdirect.ie, then you can inspect or order these documents at our public offices or by lodging an application by post.

Please see the Contact section of this website for the relevant postal address. 

Yes. This can be done provided the property is registered. Fee is €5 per name and searches can be done by specific or multiple counties.

A names search can be carried out at our public offices or by postal application while landdirect.ie account holders can do this online. 

You need to lodge a Withdrawal of Name application in Form 47, copy of death certificate, Application for Registration (Incorporating Form 17) and €40 fees.

N.B. This affidavit should only be used where the joint ownership has not been severed by act or by operation of law.

Please also see our Legal Office Notice No. 5/2010 – Applications in Person for details of our requirements for lodgement of personal applications.

Application Pre-Lodged: Application entered on system by solicitor but not yet lodged for registration

Awaiting Attention:  Application received but documents not yet assessed. Application may still be rejected

For Further Attention: Used when dealing has been assessed and where no other status is applicable

To be Mapped: Awaiting the preparation of a new map

Mapped: Mapping stage completed. Awaiting the drafting of a new folio

Mapping Query:  Query issued in relation to the mapping of the application

Queried:  Query issued by dealing section

To be Printed: For copy map and copy folio applications only. Awaiting printing and issue

Completed: Application completed

Abandoned: Documents returned, unable to proceed with registration

Withdrawn: Documents returned at request of lodging party

Refused: Application refused and documents returned

Transferred: Documents lodged transferred to another application

Rejected: Documents returned, as not in order 

There are two separate systems for recording transactions in relation to property in Ireland:

•  The Registry of Deeds system operated by the Registry of Deeds.
•  The Registration of Title system operated by the Land Registry.

Both systems are under the control and management of the Property Registration Authority.  For administrative purposes both Registries form part of the Property Registration Authority. The two systems are mutually exclusive in the sense that in a particular transaction relating to land the title will be either:

•  “unregistered” (i.e. the title is not yet registered in the Land Registry and so the Registry of Deeds system applies) or
•  “registered” (i.e. the title has been registered in the Land Registry and so the Registry of Deeds system is irrelevant)

Approximately 90% of the land in Ireland is registered which represents 85% of titles. The primary function of the Registry of Deeds system is to provide a system of recording the existence of deeds and conveyances affecting unregistered property. A failure to register may result in that document losing priority to a subsequent document which is registered. A search in the Registry of Deeds will disclose only whether documents have been executed dealing with the land in question – to discover the effect of these documents, the documents themselves (which are not retained by the Registry of Deeds) will have to be examined.

When a title is accepted for registration in the Land Registry the original title documents are retained and permanently filed.  A folio is opened in respect of the property and generally it is not necessary to refer to the original title documents again. A certified copy of this folio can be obtained with or without a copy of the map outlining the property.

The title shown on the folio is guaranteed by the State which is bound to indemnify any person who suffers loss through a mistake made by the Land Registry. A purchaser can, therefore, accept the folio as evidence of title without having to read the relevant deeds.

Any unregistered property purchased in the state after 1 June 2011 is subject to compulsory first registration.

Registration is compulsory in the following cases:

• Land bought under the Land Purchase Acts.
• Land acquired after 1st January 1967 by a statutory authority.
• Land sold in Counties Carlow, Meath. Laois from 1 January 1970.
• Land sold in Counties Westmeath, Longford and Roscommon from 1 April 2006.
• From 1st October 2008, compulsory registration is extended to six additional counties, Clare, Kilkenny, Louth, Sligo, Wexford and Wicklow.  See Statutory Instrument 81 of 2008.
• With effect from 1 January 2010, compulsory registration is extended to the following additional counties; Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Monaghan, North Tipperary, Offaly, South Tipperary and Waterford and cities Galway, Limerick and Waterford [as defined in Section 10 of the Local Government Act 2001] See Statutory Instrument 176 of 2009.
• From 1 June 2011, compulsory registration is extended to the cities and counties of Cork and Dublin.  See Statutory Instrument 516 of 2010.

It is not possible even when using the highest order of survey techniques to achieve perfect accuracy when drawing/digitising features on a map. OSI maps are therefore subject to accuracy limitations. This means that scaled measurements between features shown on the map may not exactly match the actual distance measured between the same features on the ground. Different levels of accuracy apply depending upon the scale of the map and the original method used to create it.

Paper maps (particularly copy maps included in deeds) can be subject to distortions and inaccuracies, as any copying processes (such as photocopying, scanning) and printing processes can lead to the distortions in the map image.