Disclaimer: The official version of the law and any amendments thereto is published in Arabic in the Official Gazette. This version of the law, including amendments thereto, is provided for guidance and easy reference purposes. The Legislation & Legal Opinion Commission does not accept any liability for any discrepancy between this version and the official version as published in the Official Gazette and / or any inaccuracy or errors in the translation.

For any corrections, remarks, or suggestions, kindly contact us on translate@lloc.gov.bh

Published on the website on May 2024

Survey and Land Registration Bureau 

Decision No. (1) of 2018
regarding the Establishment of Off-Plan Sales Register

President of the Survey and Land Registration Bureau: 

Having reviewed the Real Estate Registration Law promulgated by Law No. (13) of 2013; 

And Law No. (27) of 2017 regulating the Real Estate Sector, in particular Article (27) thereof; 

In coordination with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority, 

Hereby Decision: 

Article (1) 

In applying the provisions of this Decision, the following words and expressions contained herein shall have the same meaning as indicated in the Real Estate Registration Law promulgated by Law No. (13) of 2013 and the Real Estate Regulation Law promulgated by Law No. (27) of 2017, and the following words and expressions shall have the meanings assigned to them below unless the context requires otherwise: 

Plan: An engineering drawing of the real estate units to be constructed showing their locations, boundaries, dimensions, areas, and specifications required to accurately and correctly identify them. 

Prohibition Sign: A legal procedure whereby a prohibition sign is made on the Property’s Journal prohibiting the property owner from carrying out any legal disposition on the property until this prohibition sign is removed upon the lapse of relevant causes. 

Property’s Journal: A paper or electronic journal for each property listing its description, legal status, the name of the owner or owners, the rights and obligations arising from the property, and any related transactions or amendments. 

Article (2) 

The developers shall register into the (Off-Plan Sales Register) all of the following details relating to the property development projects: 

1- License of the Off-plan Sale project issued by the Authority. 

2- Units covered by the development license. 

3- Unit sale agreements and all dispositions made from time to time on the rights created by the sale agreement. 

4- Detailed statement about any action required by law to be registered in the Property’s Journal. 

Article (3) 

The developer or its officially authorized representative shall submit the application for registering into the Off-Plan Sales Register on the form prepared by the Authority accompanied by the following documents: 

1- Copy of the land title deed or any equivalent document free from any in-kind rights or approval of the in-kind rights' owners for executing the project and selling its units together with all supporting documents of the details contained in the application. 

2- Final license of the property development project issued by the Authority. 

3- Fees payment receipt. 

Incomplete registration applications shall be considered inexistent. The said documents shall be submitted within fifteen days as of the application submission date. The President of the Bureau may - under a grounded decision - extend the fifteen-day period to a further similar period if acceptable excuses were provided. 

Article (4) 

The registration applications shall be recorded into the Register under serial numbers and according to the date and time on which they are submitted. The Authority shall provide the applicant with a receipt stating the application number, date, and documents attached thereto. 

Registration application enclosures shall not be returned back unless they are inadequate or incomplete to the applicant to complete them or discontinue the registration procedures. 

After lapse of fifteen days as of the application submission date, the developer shall have the right to receive a certificate from the Authority establishing such registration. 

Article (5) 

The Bureau shall indicate the following in the Property’s Journal for the off-plan sale project, at the request of the Bureau: 

1- In the developer's land sheet, the Survey and Land Registration Bureau shall state that the land is owned by the developer, who is constructing thereupon an off-plan sale project licensed by the Authority. 

2- In the main developer's land sheet, the Survey and Land Registration Bureau shall include all agreements made between the main developer and sub-developer. 

Article (6) 

The Bureau shall register the unit sale agreement into the Off-Plan Sales Register at request of the Authority. 

Article (7) 

The Authority shall be notified of each and every update into the Off-Plan Sales Register or the Property’s Journal of the off-plan sale project. 

Article (8) 

Once the developer sells all units of the project and receives the completion certificate from the competent authority and approval of the Authority, the same shall be recorded into the Register stating that the project has been completed and ended. 

Article (9) 

In case of registering any real estate disposition on the unit or project, prohibition signs or legal disposition may be deleted from the Register only under a final court judgement or a notarized instrument stating that the legal disposition - in case of mortgage - is no longer existent. 

Article (10) 

Upon completion of the project, the Bureau may register the common parts into the Common Properties Register under Article (47) of the Real Estate Sector Regulation Law No. (27) of 2017. 

Article (11) 

The Director General of Land Registration shall implement the provisions of this Decision, and it shall come into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette. 

President of the Survey and Land Registration Bureau 

Salman bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa 

Issued on: 5 Rajab 1439 A.H. 

Corresponding to: 22 March 2018