About Us
The Land Registry of St. Kitts and Nevis is a Department, within the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, which is responsible for registering and recording ownership of land in St. Kitts and Nevis.
It was established under the Land Registry Act No 10 of 2017 which provides for the establishment of a dedicated national Land Registry with a main office in St. Kitts and a branch office in Nevis; the staffing of the Registry; the converting of hard copy records to and the maintenance of records in an electronic format and the availability of direct and remote access to registry services. This represented a legal separation from the High Court.
The department consists of a main unit on the island of St. Kitts and a branch unit on the island of Nevis. The office operations are led by a Registrar supported by administrative and clerical staff.
Mission Statement
To provide prompt, efficient and customer friendly land registration and information services by leveraging technological advancement in order to guarantee and protect property rights in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Land Title Registration
Register ownership and issue Certificates of Title under the Title By Registration Act.
Deed and Document Registration
Record and execute deeds, mortgages, and wills in accordance with applicable property laws.
Search and Record Services
Facilitate physical and (soon) electronic searches of land titles and records for public and legal professionals.
Land Data Management
Convert and maintain land records in a secure digital format, supporting future integration with national systems.
What We Do
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To be a custodian/keeper of the records that make up the Land Registers of St. Kitts and Nevis. Records in respect of land in St. Kitts are held at the St. Kitts Land Registry, while the Nevis Land Registry holds records relating to land in Nevis;
- To provide land registry services to the public. Key Land Registry services include facilitating searches of the land records, and providing copies, and certified copies. Other Land Registry services include processing land transactions such as property sales/transfers, registration and discharge of mortgages, registration of caveats and removal of caveat. If the transactions are in order, they will be approved and registered in the Land Register;
- To preserve the vital information in the Land Registers, and to create and secure digital records of the Land Register;
- To ensure the Land Registers are up to date;
Get In Touch
(869) 467-2413
(869) 469-5521 ext 6123 / 6126
landregistry@gov.kn
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Mon - Fri)
Justice & Legal Complex (upstairs formerly C&C Supermarket) George Street, Basseterre, St. Kitts
Accordingly the function and operation of the Land Registry are performed in accordance with the following legislation.
- Land Registry Act N 10 of 2017
- Title By Registration Act Cap 10.19
- Registration and Records Act Cap 23.25
- Conveyancing And Law Of Property Act Cap 10.04
- Condominium Act Cap 10.03
- St. Kitts (Planned Community) Act Cap 20.58
- Saint Christopher and Nevis Vacation Plan and Time-Share Act Cap 10.22
The operations of the Land Registry are financed by budgetary allocations from the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs as outlined in the Annual Expenses and Budgetary Allocations of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.
How We Serve the Public
- By administering registration activities in keeping with the various requirements when individuals present matters for registration under the various applicable laws.
- By facilitating physical searches of the Titles by members of the public, in response to specific search requests. Most of the Land Registries in the Caribbean region emerged from the Registries of their respective High Courts. Most searches are currently done by clerks from the various law firms.
- Clerks are available to provide assistance to persons requesting searches.
- In the future, we will facilitate online electronic search capabilities for Attorneys-at-Law and the general public via the Land Administration Information System database.
- The general public can initiate contact with the Department via correspondence, telephone or by visiting our offices.
- Attorneys-at-Law interact with the Department on behalf of their clients in relation to registration procedures.
Special Note
The establishment of a dedicated Land Registry on St. Kitts with a branch on Nevis is a historic event. In times past, legal transactions relating to registering land were dealt with in the High Court Registry along with all of the other High Court matters such as Probate, Deed Poll, criminal matters and divorce.
The separation of the land matters from the High Court is not an unusual phenomenon. Most of the Land Registries in the Caribbean region emerged from the Registries of their high courts.
One of the overarching benefits of the establishment of a dedicated Land Registry is that it can contribute to the improvement of the ranking of our Federation on the World Bank’s Global Reports on the Ease of Doing Business with regard to the registration of land in St. Kitts.
Frequently-Asked Questions
It is not a legal requirement to hire an attorney. You may prepare, file and collect documents for the Land Registry. However, we strongly recommend that you seek legal advice and guidance as matters may contain risks or complexities that may be unfamiliar to a person without legal training.
The Land Registry does not sell or distribute land. The Land Registry processes the Land transfer documents signed by landowners who are selling their property and registers the property in the new owners’ names. For example, if John agrees to sell his land to Mary, the transfer document John signed to transfer the land to Mary must be brought to the Land Registry. We will remove John’s name as owner and update the land records with Mary as the new owner.
The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) would have to review and register the transfer in their property tax records before it is submitted to the Land Registry. Once recorded at the IRD, taxes accruing for that land parcel would no longer be charged to the seller or former owner, but to the buyer or new owner.
If a landowner loses his/her Certificate of Title, then he/she must apply to the Registrar of Lands for a replacement Certificate. The process is usually handled by an attorney.
The Searches are $5.00 stamp per search. Photocopies of the documents are available for cash payment of $2.00 per page.