Registration fee in India: how it works
Often conflated with stamp duty, the registration fee is a separate charge — paid at the sub-registrar's office for recording the deed under the Registration Act, 1908.
Last updated: 19 May 2026
Stamp duty is the state tax on the legal document. The registration fee is what you pay the sub-registrar's office for actually recording that document in the state register. They are two separate charges, computed separately, paid at different stages of the same transaction.
This guide covers what the registration fee is, why it exists, and what it costs across India.
The legal basis
Registration of immovable property transactions is governed by the Registration Act, 1908. Section 17 of the Act lists the documents that are compulsorily registrable — most relevantly, any sale, gift, or lease (above 1 year) of immovable property valued at ₹100 or more.
Section 49 then says: an unregistered document, where registration was compulsory, cannot be received in evidence of any transaction affecting the property. In practical terms — your sale deed is not legally yours unless it is registered.
What the fee buys you
Recording the document in the state register. The sub-registrar:
- Verifies that the document is properly stamped (i.e. stamp duty paid)
- Confirms the identity of the parties and that they consented to the transaction
- Photographs and thumbprints the parties
- Allocates a registration number to the document
- Maintains a copy in the state register, indexed so it can be searched later
This indexed register is what an advocate later searches when doing a title check on the same property. Without it, there is no searchable record of ownership transfer — and no legal way to prove you own the property.
State-by-state rates
Most states charge 1 percent of the higher of consideration or the locality rate (see Circle rate, guideline value, Jantri, DLC rate). A few charge more, and several apply caps or value-band rules.
- 1 percent — Karnataka, UP, Delhi, Rajasthan, Kerala (no, 2%), Punjab, Haryana (min ₹1,000), Gujarat (women exempt in some municipalities), West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra (capped at ₹30,000)
- 2 percent — Bihar, Odisha, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh (capped at ₹25,000)
- 2 percent (combined transfer + registration) — Telangana (0.5% reg + 1.5% transfer fee that effectively functions as part of registration)
- 3 percent — Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand
- 4 percent — Tamil Nadu (highest standard rate; 1% relaxation for women buyers on properties under ₹10 lakh since April 2026), Chhattisgarh
- 8.5 percent — Assam (for properties above ₹5 lakh)
Caps and special cases
Some states cap the registration fee so high-value transactions don't pay disproportionately:
- Maharashtra — 1 percent on properties up to ₹30 lakh; flat ₹30,000 above that. So a ₹5-crore flat pays the same registration fee as a ₹50-lakh flat in Maharashtra.
- Himachal Pradesh — 2 percent, capped at ₹25,000.
- Uttarakhand — 2 percent, capped at ₹25,000.
Stamp duty vs registration fee: side-by-side
| Stamp duty | Registration fee |
|---|---|
| Tax on the document | Fee for recording the document |
| Indian Stamp Act, 1899 (state-amended) | Registration Act, 1908 (central, uniform) |
| 4 to 8 percent of value | 1 to 4 percent of value, often capped |
| Often varies by gender / joint ownership | Usually does not vary by gender |
| Paid before execution (e-stamp / SHCIL / franking) | Paid at the sub-registrar's office at registration |
Use the calculator
The Stamp Duty Calculator shows stamp duty and registration fee on separate lines, with the total, so you can see exactly what each component costs. Switch between states to see how the structure changes — for example, Maharashtra's capped registration vs Tamil Nadu's uncapped 4 percent.