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Sale deed in Pakistan: what it does, registration, cost and power of attorney

A sale deed in Pakistan must be registered if the property is worth Rs 100 or more, within 4 months of signing. Punjab: 1% stamp duty, 0.1% PLRA charge.

By Ahtisham · Updated 29 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

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Must be registered: Property of Rs 100 or more (s.17)
Time to present: Within 4 months of signing (s.23)
Punjab stamp duty: 1%, as reported Apr 2026
PLRA e-registration charge: 0.1%, min Rs 3,600

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AI Summary

In Pakistan a sale of immovable property worth Rs 100 or more must be made by a registered deed, and an unregistered one creates no right in the property (Registration Act 1908, sections 17 and 49). The deed must be presented for registration within four months of signing. A power of attorney is not a sale deed and does not pass ownership. In Punjab, as of October 2026, stamp duty is reported at 1% and PLRA charges 0.1% of value, minimum Rs 3,600.

A sale deed is the document that transfers a property from seller to buyer, and in Pakistan it must be registered if the property is worth Rs 100 or more (Registration Act 1908, section 17). An unregistered deed creates no right in the property (section 49). Present it for registration within four months of signing (section 23). In Punjab, as of October 2026, stamp duty is reported at 1% and PLRA charges 0.1%, minimum Rs 3,600.

PLRA is the Punjab Land Records Authority. A Sub-Registrar is the officer who registers deeds in each tehsil or district.

Is a sale deed the same as an agreement to sell?

No. An agreement to sell is a promise to sell later. A pakcaselaw summary of Noor Muhammad v. Abdul Ghani (2002 CLC 88) says it transfers no right without a court decree for specific performance, and that a completed sale of property above Rs 100 needs a registered deed under section 54 of the Transfer of Property Act 1882.

We couldn’t open the Act’s text, so the section 54 point rests on that summary. A lawyer should read both before you pay a token amount.

What does the law say about registering a sale deed?

Four sections of the Registration Act 1908 matter. We read them in the Sindh Judicial Academy’s text, amended to May 2024, and a private copy of the national text. Section numbers and wording matched, but each province may have its own amendments.

Section	What it says
17	Deeds that create, assign or end a right in immovable property of Rs 100 or more must be registered. Gift deeds too.
23	The deed must be presented within four months of signing (other than a will).
34	The registering officer checks who signed and that they are who they say. An agent must prove the right to appear.
49	An unregistered deed that needed registration does not create, transfer or end any right.

Is a power of attorney a sale deed?

No. A power of attorney (PoA) lets someone act for the owner, for example to sign the deed. Ownership still passes only by the registered sale deed.

Section 33 limits which PoAs the registering officer accepts. If the owner lives in Pakistan, it must be executed before, and authenticated by, the Registrar or Sub-Registrar of their district. If the owner lives abroad, it can be authenticated by a Notary Public, a court, a magistrate, a Pakistan Consul or Vice-Consul, or a federal government representative.

PLRA also lets a fard be obtained through a general PoA (mukhtarnama aam) verified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and authenticated by the Sub-Registrar. We found no source for the stamp duty or fee on a PoA in any province. We also could not confirm whether an irrevocable PoA sale is valid, so take legal advice before you buy through one. See buying property as an overseas Pakistani.

What does a sale deed cost in Punjab?

Charge	Rate, as of Oct 2026	Source
Stamp duty	1% of value, all areas	Stamp (Amendment) Ordinance 2026, as reported
PLRA e-registration charge	0.1% of value, minimum Rs 3,600	PLRA, 7 Jul 2026
Copy of a registered deed	Rs 1,400	PLRA, 7 Jul 2026
Overseas Pakistanis, via a mission	Extra USD 50 land-record service; USD 100 to appoint a commission	Daily Times, 9 Jul 2026

Zameen reported on 24 April 2026 that the ordinance set Punjab stamp duty at 1% across the province, replacing 1% urban and 3% rural. Some older and later guides still read the urban rate as 2%; we follow the April reports. The PLRA notification is an image we could not extract, so the PLRA figures come from the Daily Times and Profit reports of the same notification.

We couldn’t confirm the Punjab registration fee, or any Sindh or Islamabad rate. FBR’s advance tax on top is covered in property transfer in Punjab.

How do I register a sale deed in Punjab?

This is PLRA’s e-registration process, as we read it on 13 October 2026.

Pay stamp duty, FBR taxes and fees on Challan 32-A from the e-Stamp portal.
Log in to the e-Registration portal and enter the buyer, seller and witness details.
The request goes to the Sub-Registrar, who records the statements of the parties and witnesses.
Once registered, check that the mutation updates the land record. See mutation (intiqal).

More guides

Property transfer in Punjab · Fard online in Punjab · Property transfer in Islamabad · Tax on property sale

Questions people ask

Is a sale deed compulsory in Pakistan?

Yes for property worth Rs 100 or more. Section 17 of the Registration Act 1908 requires such a deed to be registered, and under section 49 an unregistered one does not create, transfer or end any right in the property.

Is a power of attorney the same as a sale deed?

No. A power of attorney only lets someone act for the owner. Ownership passes by a registered sale deed. Under section 33 of the Registration Act, a power of attorney used for registration must be authenticated by the Registrar or Sub-Registrar if the owner lives in Pakistan, or by a Notary, Consul or similar officer if abroad.

How long do I have to register a sale deed after signing?

Section 23 says a document is accepted for registration only if presented within four months of signing, subject to sections 24 to 26.

What does registering a sale deed cost in Punjab?

As of October 2026, reports put Punjab stamp duty at 1% of value, and PLRA charges 0.1% of the value (minimum Rs 3,600) for e-registration. FBR advance taxes are separate, and we could not confirm the registration fee.

Does an agreement to sell transfer ownership?

No. A court summary (Noor Muhammad v. Abdul Ghani, 2002 CLC 88) says an agreement to sell transfers no right without a decree for specific performance. Ownership passes through the registered sale deed.

Sources

The Sindh Registration Act (Act XVI of 1908), amended up to 3 May 2024, Sindh Judicial Academy (accessed 29 Oct 2026)
The Registration Act, 1908 (national text, private copy), wpc.org.pk (accessed 29 Oct 2026)
PLRA services, FAQs and process pages (registry, mutation, e-Stamp, fard), Punjab Land Records Authority (accessed 13 Oct 2026)
PLRA fee notification FY2026-27 (7 Jul 2026), Punjab Land Records Authority (accessed 29 Oct 2026)
Punjab revises property transfer and registration charges (9 Jul 2026), Daily Times (accessed 29 Oct 2026)
Punjab slashes stamp duty (24 Apr 2026), Zameen.com News (accessed 29 Oct 2026)
Noor Muhammad v. Abdul Ghani, 2002 CLC 88, Pakistan Case Law (accessed 29 Oct 2026)

Photo: NoorFatimaSultanKhan / CC BY-SA 3.0

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