What is registration charges?

Section 17 of the Registration Act, 1908 makes registration compulsory for the sale of immovable property worth ₹100 or more. An unregistered sale deed doesn't transfer ownership, can't be relied on in court as proof of the transfer, and won't be accepted by a bank or by the municipal body for mutation. The registration fee is what the state charges for recording it.

This is where states differ most. Uttar Pradesh and Delhi charge a flat 1% with no ceiling, and Delhi adds a ₹100 pasting fee. Maharashtra charges 1% but caps it at ₹30,000, so almost every flat in Mumbai or Pune pays exactly ₹30,000. Haryana uses fixed amounts by value slab, rising to ₹50,000 for anything above ₹90 lakh. Punjab caps its 1% at ₹2 lakh. Karnataka doubled its fee from 1% to 2% for documents registered on or after 31 August 2025, Tamil Nadu and Kerala also charge 2%, and Madhya Pradesh charges 3%. In Gujarat a woman buying alone pays no registration fee at all.

The fee is worked out on the same value as stamp duty, the higher of the agreement price and the circle or guidance value, and it is paid separately, usually online, before the appointment at the sub-registrar's office. On the day, the buyer, the seller and two witnesses appear with identity proof, PAN and photographs, and biometrics are recorded.

Timing matters. Section 23 of the Act allows four months from the date a document is signed to present it for registration. After that, under Section 25, the sub-registrar can accept it within a further four months only with a fine of up to ten times the registration fee. Beyond that window the document can't be registered, and a fresh one has to be signed and stamped again.