• At sector level where the land is located (Land management in general, orient clients in land transaction matters, providing information for land maintenance, collects land documents (titles), Notarization of documents related to land transactions ;
• At district level where it is located (Implementation of land use plans, Public notary in all matters related to land, Approval of cadastral plans, receive and process transactions & send them to the Registrars of land titles ;
• At the zonal office of the City of Kigali and Provinces/ National Land Authority (Implementation of the land policy, land registration, keep the land registry, land use planning, surveying and mapping and to hence the general management of all lands in Rwanda.

The territorial locations for land registration are the following:  

• Territorial location for land registration of the City of Kigali is located in Nyarugenge District;
• Territorial location for land registration of the Northern Province is located in Musanze District;
• Territorial location for land registration of the Southern Province is located in Nyanza District;
• Territorial location for land registration of the Eastern Province is located in Rwamagana District;
• Territorial location for land registration of the Western Province is located in Karongi District.

UPI is an abbreviated English word which means “Unique Parcel Identifier” and is composed by codes representing the province, district, Sector and cell of where the land is located.  

Example: UPI: 1/03/01/04/30 in this example 1 is representing the City of Kigali, 03 is representing Gahanga sector, 01 is representing Murinja cell and 3000 is representing the parcel number.

Caveat is a restriction for the right holder to dispose of his/her property unless/until the caveat is lifted. The applicant provides the proof of legal interest on concerned land. The caveat is placed as an annotation on the parcel in the LAIS database.

A person who wants to lodge the caveat on land, submits his or her application, in writing, to the registrar of land titles, if: 1° the concerned land is the subject of the claim; 2° there is a decision of court that orders to lodge the caveat on the concerned land. 

However, except for the caveat lodged by a court, the registrar of land titles, upon hearing both parties and when the caveat lodged is found baseless, cancels it.

N.B: The State land is not subject to caveat. 

For bringing back a land registered to the State, the holder of rights must provide to the registrar of land titles of where land is located an evidence proving his/her rights to the land for registering it on his/her name.

If the sale agreement is not concluded before the land notary and the seller is not willing to transfer a land in that case the buyer must go to courts for ordering the transfer.   

The land administration forms are available at no cost. If you want one or all of them, kindly visit the website via publications, forms and download it.

Freehold land title is defined as a form of land tenure based on a contract between a person and the State, where it grants him or her full and indefinite rights over the land. A free hold land title is issued for land uses where it is allowed to put developments on land. This means that the freehold land title cannot be granted on the land reserved for agriculture, livestock and forest.

Private individual’s land subject to freehold cannot exceed two (2) hectares per person unless an Order of the Minister authorizes otherwise.

A person who applies for freehold fills the appropriate form established by the institution in charge of land management and use. An applicant for freehold presents the following:

• Emphyteutic land lease;
• Certificate of land registration;
• Occupancy permit;
• Certificate of registration for a company;
• Certificate of legal personality for a cooperative, a national nongovernmental organisation, a faith based organisation;

According to the provisions of the Ministerial instructions N° 0001 of 13/02/2023 determining modalities of the possession of residential, a foreigner has rights on emphyteutic lease for residential house purpose.

However, a foreigner or a company in which a foreigner owns shares has the rights to possess land for investment in accordance with a business plan approved by the competent authority.

If a foreigner intends to possess a land with the size and standards exceeding the size of a single plot referred to in paragraph one of this article or intends to own more than single unit in the condominium building, must submit a business plan for investment approved by the competent authority.