The Ministry of Justice affirmed that Law No. (5) of 2024 on real estate registration, which H.H. the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani graciously issued today, represents a qualitative leap in public services and introduces electronic registration for the first time.

The Ministry, in a statement, shed light on the law aimed at enhancing real estate registration services in a first-of-its-kind step since the issuance of law No. (14) of 1964, in line with the comprehensive development of the country in various real estate fields, and reinforces the future directions of the real estate sector, including facilitating citizens' access to real estate registration services, according to the latest technological methods, and considering the best experiences and practices adopted in this sector.

It explained that as part of the legislation update and alignment with the goals of Qatar Vision 2030, the provisions of the new law were formulated in 55 articles, replacing the law that had been in force for about 60 years, including comprehensive and substantive amendments that would bring about a qualitative shift in the field of services provided to the public, especially real estate registration services, record-keeping, documents, and indices related to real estate registration, adjudication of applications submitted by interested parties for the registration of unregistered properties, objections raised therein, adjudication of ownership rights of unregistered properties and those expropriated for public benefit, organizing the competencies of the Real Estate Registration Committee, procedures for updating real estate registry data, and other amendments that prioritize flexibility and accommodate all aspects of the development witnessed by the state and Qatari society.

The new law also takes into account public service and the real estate sector in general by facilitating transactions and reducing procedures, whether for the benefit of natural persons (individuals) or legal entities such as companies, and others.

The law stipulated the possibility of electronically conducting the real estate registration procedures provided for in the law, according to the regulations and procedures issued by the Minister, and the law provides that these electronic copies, procedures, requests, and transactions have the legal validity prescribed for paper originals.

To ensure the rights of citizens, the law mandated the registration of all acts that would establish ownership rights, original real rights, transfer, change, or termination, as well as final judgments confirming these rights.

The law stipulated that the stakeholders be notified through their national address in all actions taken under the provisions of the law. According to the law, the real estate registration administration, under the provisions of the law, is the evidence of ownership based on what is recorded in the real estate registry, according to the model prepared for this purpose.

The law also regulated the procedures for partitioning and unifying properties and the specified penalties for anyone who unlawfully registers, records an instrument for a property, arranges, transfers, changes, or cancels any real right thereon. The law authorized reconciliation in offenses prescribed before the initiation of litigation or during its consideration and before the final judgment, in exchange for paying the maximum fine prescribed and removing the causes of the violation.

Commenting on the issuance of the law, Saeed Abdullah Al Suwaidi, who is the Assistant Undersecretary for Real Estate Registration and Documentation Affairs, praised the issuance of the law, which came after extensive discussions with partners and stakeholders, and after presentation and review with the legislative authorities in the country. He expressed hope that it would meet the aspirations of citizens to obtain convenient services in the best possible ways in providing judicial services.

Al Suwaidi noted that the new law meets the aspirations of the real estate sector and the needs of citizens, as it is the first comprehensive change to the real estate registration law that has been in force since 1964. It includes all legal procedures that ensure the rights of the parties during the registration of acts that establish ownership rights, original real rights, or their transfer, change, or termination, as well as the judicial rulings establishing these rights, the registration of transactions for these real rights, and the rights or obligations relating to them.

He explained that the HE the Minister of Justice directed to take measures to implement the provisions of the law in a manner that enhances the national development process and aligns with the objectives of Qatar's Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030, which represents the final stage towards achieving the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.

In this regard, he said that the Minister would issue the executive regulations of the law and the necessary decisions to implement its provisions, indicating that until the new executive regulations of the law and the referred decisions are implemented, the provisions of the existing executive regulations and decisions issued in implementation of the provisions of law No. 14 of 1964 will continue to be in force, in a manner that does not conflict with the provisions of this law.

Al Suwaidi emphasized that the new law takes into account the real estate renaissance witnessed by the country, legislative developments, including real estate ownership and usufruct decisions, to enhance the country's investment attractiveness and develop the real estate sector as one of the key sectors for economic development.

Source: Qatar News Agency

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Cassandra Pallagud

Content Writer

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