Punjab Lets Assistant Commissioners Register PropertyPakistan

The notification also makes it clear that all land and property registrations across Punjab will now be processed exclusively through the Punjab Land Records Authority’s (PLRA) e-registration system. No registration will be carried out outside the digital system, the notification states, in a step aimed at keeping property records in one official electronic channel.

Part of a wider move to digitise land records

The change fits into a wider push by the Punjab government to digitise land administration. In February 2026, the provincial governor promulgated amendments to the Punjab Land Revenue law under which all land transfers were to be processed through e-registration, and the role of patwaris was restricted to hereditary transfers. In April, the Board of Revenue also moved to delegate some sub-registrar powers to private housing schemes through the PLRA’s software, so that transfers in approved schemes could be completed through the online e-registry.

The Board of Revenue has formally communicated the decision to all divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and the Punjab Land Records Authority, so that the new arrangement can be put into practice across the province. For buyers and sellers, the practical effect is that property registration can now also be handled by additional assistant commissioners at divisional headquarters, rather than only through the existing sub-registrar offices, although every transaction must still pass through the PLRA’s e-registration system.

Property registration is the legal process by which the transfer of land or a building is formally recorded, and a registered deed is the key proof of ownership in a sale. By routing all registrations through a single digital system and widening the number of officers who can complete them, the Punjab government is seeking to make the process faster and more transparent, and to reduce the scope for disputes over ownership records. The notification does not mention any change to registration fees or to the documents required for a transfer.