Ownership of registered land in Jamaica changes only when the Registrar of Titles records it on the title. The registration fee is what the National Land Agency (NLA) charges to make that entry, whether it is a transfer after a sale, a mortgage, a discharge, a transmission to heirs or a caveat.
For a transfer, the fee is worked out from the price or value under a schedule made under the Registration of Titles Act, so it rises with the value of the property. On an ordinary sale it is commonly estimated at about half a per cent of the price, and buyer and seller usually share it equally unless the agreement says otherwise. Fixed fees apply to many other dealings, such as noting a mortgage or issuing a new or duplicate title.
The fee is paid when the attorney lodges the stamped documents at the NLA, after transfer tax and stamp duty have been settled. A transfer cannot be registered without it, and a buyer is not the legal owner until registration is complete. Ask the attorney to set out the registration fee separately in the closing statement; the NLA reviews its fees from time to time.
Related terms: Registrar of Titles, Registration of Titles Act, Certificate of title, Registration fees and taxes, Transfer Tax, Stamp Duty on Property Transfers.
Accurate as at October 2026. Fees are reviewed periodically.
