TN Mandates Online Registration for First Sale of Plots and Flats

Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay launched a new initiative at the Secretariat in Chennai on Monday, making online, presence-less registration mandatory for the first sale of plots and flats across the state. The reform was introduced by the Tamil Nadu government to enhance transparency in property transactions and eliminate the need for citizens to make physical visits to sub-registrar offices.

According to an official press release, the move forms part of the first phase of the Registration Department's transition to the advanced STAR 3.0 ecosystem. Under this new framework, first-sale documents for plots located in layouts as well as apartments must be registered exclusively through the online system.

As part of the streamlined process, builders, developers, and individual applicants are required to register and create login credentials on the Registration Department's official TNREGINET portal before submitting their property documents.

To verify identity without in-person visits, executants, claimants, and witnesses are required to upload their Aadhaar details and complete biometric authentication. This verification can be conducted through either fingerprint or iris scanning, thereby completely removing the requirement for any party to visit a Sub-registrar office in person.

The government has also set strict turnaround timelines for officials handling these submissions. Registering officers are mandated to process every application within 24 hours of submission, with options to approve the application, return it for necessary corrections, or reject it. In instances where documents are returned for rectification, applicants are permitted to resubmit the corrected paperwork within 30 days.

Several security features have been incorporated into the system to prevent forgery and unauthorized alterations. The final registered documents will feature the sub-registrar's digital signature, a dynamic five-colour endorsement, and a QR code printed on every page containing full registration details. Following successful registration, users can access and download their verified documents directly from their portal accounts for a period of 60 days.