To begin with, what is a land title?
Land title is the official certification of real property ownership.
Applications to obtain a land title in Cameroon are therefore made either from the transformation of deeds or from the occupied or exploited national domain.
I- how to apply for the transformation of different deeds into land titles ?
It must be stamped and contain the following information
– name and surname, date and place of birth, filiation, profession, domicile, family status.
– all information allowing the identification of the property.
– transfers, transactions, leases, mortgages, and other charges on the property.
In support of the application, all contracts and public or private deeds constituting the real rights for which registration is required must be attached, in addition to the plan and the boundary report of the property.
In case of non-boring of the building what to do?
If the building is not bounded, the Land Registrar of the domains requires its demarcation at the owner’s expense. The demarcation is carried out in the presence of the neighbors, by a sworn surveyor of the land registry.
NB: Any dispute concerning the ownership of the land is inadmissible.
II- how to obtain a land title from the occupied or exploited national domain ?
The persons entitled to apply for a land title on the national domain are:
- customary communities, their members, or any other person of Cameroonian nationality, provided that the occupation or exploitation is prior to August 5, 1974, the date of publication of Ordinance No. 74-1 of July 6, 1974, establishing the land tenure system.
- Persons deprived of their rights by application of articles 4, 5, and 6 of Ordinance No. 74-1 of July 6, 1974, establishing the land tenure system.
NB: Administrators of estate property cannot obtain title to that property on their behalf.
How to constitute a file of request for a land title on a dependence of the national domain?
Any person entitled to apply for a land title on a dependence of the national domain must constitute a file including:
– an application in four (4) copies, the original of which is stamped, indicating the applicant’s full name, parentage, domicile, profession, marital status, nationality, the name under which the property is to be registered.
– the description of the property (location, surface area, nature of occupation or operation, estimate of its value, indication of the charges on it).
NB: Applications for land that is not occupied or farmed in any way are inadmissible. They are processed according to the concession procedure.
Applications for development after August 5, 1974 also follow the concession procedure, unless it is established by the Advisory Commission that such development was preceded by unproven occupation or exploitation before August 5, 1974.
Where to deposit the file?
The file is filed with the district chief or the sub-prefect of the place where the building is located.
What to do in case of dispute on the limits of the building?
In the event of a dispute over the boundaries of the property, the sworn surveyor draws up a plan of the disputed area. The dispute is brought, depending on the case, either before the Minister in charge of the domains, who gives the final decision, if it concerns state-owned land, or before the competent jurisdiction, if it concerns private land (land owned by individuals or companies).
Sources: Decree No. 76-165 of 27 April 1976 establishing the conditions for obtaining a land title, amended, and completed by Decree No. 2005/481 of 16 December 2005.