Buying Property in Bangladesh 2026: The Buyer’s Roadmap, Document Checklist and Pitfalls

Buying property in Bangladesh: the 2026 buyer's roadmap

Buying property in Bangladesh is a sequence of legal events, not a single signature. Title is checked against survey records and registered deeds, an agreement for sale is registered, the price moves through a bank, a sale deed is executed and registered at the sub-registry, and the land record is then mutated into the buyer's name. Miss a stage and the buyer may hold a deed that is void, a flat that cannot be resold, or a plot that a second purchaser has already registered.

This guide is the roadmap. It explains who can buy, the checks to complete before any money changes hands, the master document checklist, how land and flats differ, the baina, the sale deed and registration, the costs, mutation after purchase, the other ways property passes (gift, heba, inheritance, exchange, lease and mortgage) and the frauds that catch buyers most often. Each stage has a dedicated TRW guide, linked at the point it matters, so this article stays at the level of the whole transaction.

Summary: A valid purchase needs four things: a seller whose name, or whose predecessor's name for inherited land, appears in the latest khatian; a registered agreement for sale where completion is deferred; a sale deed registered within three months of execution with the section 52A attachments; and mutation of the record into the buyer's name, followed by payment of land development tax. Citizens and non-resident Bangladeshis buy on the same footing. Foreign individuals face approvals and are in practice limited to flats, while a locally registered company can hold land in its own name.

Key point: Since the Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Act 2023, no one may sell, gift, transfer or register a deed for land unless the latest khatian is in their name and they can show up-to-date land development tax. A seller who cannot produce both is not ready to sell, and a buyer who skips mutation will be in the same position when it is time to resell.

At a glance

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Table of Contents

The legal framework for buying property in Bangladesh

Six statutes do most of the work. The Transfer of Property Act 1882 defines a sale, an exchange, a gift, a lease and a mortgage, and since 2004 contains the title rules that make many defective sales void. The Registration Act 1908 decides which documents must be registered, what they must contain and when they must be presented.

The State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950 governs the record of rights, the khatian, and its mutation. The Land Development Tax Act 2023 governs the annual tax on every holding. The Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Act 2023 criminalises land fraud and forgery and links any transfer to an up-to-date record. For flats and developer plots, the Real Estate Development and Management Act 2010 adds a regulatory layer.

The core rule is short. A sale is a transfer of ownership for a price, and for land, a building or a flat it can be made only by a registered instrument.[1] A document that the law requires to be registered does not create or transfer any right in immovable property unless it is registered.[4] Payment, possession and receipts, however complete, do not make the buyer the owner.

What changed in 2026

The Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2026, Ordinance No. 4 of 2026, dated 1 January 2026, has been repealed and replaced by the Registration (Amendment) Act 2026, Act No. 14 of 2026.[5] The consolidated Registration Act now gives sixty days to register an agreement for sale, applies the section 52A title particulars to gifts and heba declarations as well as sales, and contains a framework in section 77A for digital registration through government-approved software once rules are notified.[4] Until those rules are in force, deeds are still executed on paper and registered in person.

Who can buy property in Bangladesh

The Transfer of Property Act and the Registration Act do not, on their face, distinguish between buyers by nationality. The restrictions come from foreign exchange control, investment approvals and land-holding policy, so the answer depends on who the buyer is and how the money arrives.

Citizens, including dual nationals

A Bangladeshi citizen may buy land, a house or a flat anywhere in the country, subject to the general law. A citizen who also holds another nationality remains a citizen for this purpose. Two limits apply to everyone. The Land Reforms Act 2023 caps holdings of agricultural land at sixty bighas, with exceptions for plantations, export-oriented agriculture and certain other uses, and it prohibits benami transactions, that is, buying immovable property in another person's name for one's own benefit.[14] A purchase structured through a relative as a front is therefore not just risky; it is unlawful.

Non-resident Bangladeshis

Non-resident Bangladeshis are citizens and buy on the same legal footing as residents. The practical issues are funding and attendance. General permission for housing finance to NRBs was already in place under Bangladesh Bank's 2018 foreign exchange guidelines, and in October 2024 the central bank also allowed banks to lend taka to regular remitters for legitimate purposes, capped at the lower of the need or Tk 10 lakh, repayable from inward remittances.[13] An NRB who cannot attend the sub-registry usually acts through a registered power of attorney, discussed below. Our overview of foreign exchange regulations in Bangladesh covers remittance channels.

Foreign nationals

Buying property in Bangladesh as a foreign individual is possible only within narrow limits. As reported in 2023, foreign individuals have generally been barred from buying land or houses, the government has permitted them to buy flats since 1996, and a purchase requires approvals involving the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, Bangladesh Bank, the National Board of Revenue and the Directorate of Registration, with payment in foreign currency. Residential units in government agency projects, such as RAJUK schemes, were reported to be closed to foreign buyers.[12] These approvals are policy-driven, so check the current position before signing anything.

Companies with foreign shareholding

A foreign company that has been permitted to operate in Bangladesh, and in practice a company incorporated locally with foreign shareholders, may buy land and buildings in its own name.[12] This is the usual route for factories, offices and staff housing. The company's board resolution, constitutional documents and authorised signatory then join the document file, and the investment must be brought in and recorded through proper banking channels. Foreign voluntary organisations need separate government permission before they acquire immovable property.

The buyer's roadmap from search to mutation

Buying property in Bangladesh follows the same eight stages whether the target is a village plot or a Gulshan apartment. The detail varies, but the order should not. The most expensive mistakes we see come from paying before stage two is complete, or stopping after stage six.

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Two disciplines run through the whole sequence. Pay only through banking channels, by pay order or account transfer, and record every payment in the baina and the sale deed. Never sign a document that will not be presented for registration the same day or within its statutory period.

Due diligence: the checks before any payment

Due diligence answers one question: can this seller give this buyer a valid title to this exact land, free of other claims? Our guide to land ownership verification and due diligence in Bangladesh sets out the full method. For buying property in Bangladesh, the checks below are the minimum.

The title chain

Section 52A of the Registration Act requires every sale deed to carry a brief description of the property's ownership for the last twenty-five years.[4] Treat that as the floor, not the ceiling. Obtain certified copies of each registered deed in the chain, not photocopies supplied by the seller, and confirm that each link is a purchase, gift, partition, inheritance or decree that actually passed the land now offered. Where a link is an inheritance, every heir and share must be accounted for.

Khatian and survey records

The khatian is the record of rights. Most land appears in successive survey khatians: the CS, SA and RS records and, in many areas, the BS or city survey record. The name, dag (plot) number, area and share must line up across them and with the deeds. The seller must appear in the latest khatian, or, for inherited land, the seller's predecessor must; otherwise the sale is void under section 53C of the Transfer of Property Act.[1] A certified or online khatian copy costs Tk 120 and a mouza map Tk 545 per sheet under the Ministry of Land's published fees.[8] Where records conflict, see our guide to khatian correction in Bangladesh before going further.

Mutation khatian, DCR and land development tax

Ask for the seller's mutation khatian, the DCR (the duplicate carbon receipt issued for the mutation fee) and the land development tax receipts. Section 6(3) of the Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Act 2023 bars a person from selling, gifting or registering a deed for land unless the latest operative khatian is in their name and they can produce proof of up-to-date land development tax.[6] Land development tax claims are never time-barred, so arrears follow the holding into the buyer's hands.[7]

Encumbrance and litigation searches

Register books 1 and 2 and the index to book 1 at the sub-registry are open to inspection on payment of fees, and copies may be obtained by any applicant.[4] A search of the relevant period shows prior sales, mortgages, registered bainas and powers of attorney over the same dag. It matters because a registered mortgage cannot be sold around without the mortgagee's written consent, and a subsisting contract for sale bars a transfer to anyone else; in both cases the later sale is void.[1] Search the civil courts and land offices as well: while a suit over the property is pending, a party cannot transfer it so as to affect the rights of others under the eventual decree.[1]

Physical inspection and government claims

Walk the boundaries with a surveyor and the mouza map, confirm who is in possession, and speak to neighbours. Check that the land is not khas, vested or abandoned property, under acquisition notice, within a road or flood-flow zone, or subject to a pre-emption claim by a co-sharer. Our guide to pre-emption in Bangladesh explains why buying a share of jointly held land carries extra risk.

The master document checklist

The table below is the working checklist for buying property in Bangladesh. It lists the documents a buyer's lawyer expects to see, what each proves, where it comes from and the red flag to look for. Flats and developer plots add the documents in the last four rows. On a phone, scroll it sideways.

Three habits make the checklist work. Insist on certified copies obtained by your own side. Compare every document against every other, dag by dag and name by name. And put the seller's warranties on title, encumbrances and tax into the baina and the deed, so that a missing document becomes a contractual breach rather than a surprise.

The seller's side of the file

The seller must produce more than the title deeds. Section 55 of the Transfer of Property Act obliges a seller to disclose material defects in the property or title that the buyer could not discover with ordinary care, to produce title documents on request and to answer relevant questions; deliberate silence on a material defect is treated as fraudulent.[1] Section 53E requires every instrument of sale, gift, mortgage and heba to be supported by the executant's affidavit of lawful title.[1] A seller in a city corporation, pourashava or cantonment area should also expect to produce proof of filing an income tax return, as should the buyer.[9]

Land versus flats: what changes for the buyer

The legal instrument is the same, a registered sale deed, but the risk profile is not. Buying property in Bangladesh as raw land puts the weight on title and possession. Buying a flat adds a developer, an approved plan and a building that may not yet exist.

Buying land

For land, the work is almost entirely in the records: the title chain, the survey khatians, mutation, tax, encumbrances, possession and boundaries. Agricultural land raises the sixty-bigha ceiling and, for shared holdings, co-sharer pre-emption. Urban plots raise the land-use class under the detailed area plan and, for authority plots such as RAJUK allotments, the authority's own transfer permission and conditions.

Buying a flat from a developer

The Real Estate Development and Management Act 2010 requires a developer to be registered with the relevant authority, RAJUK in Dhaka, before running a real estate business, and bars it from advertising, selling or signing a sale agreement until the project is approved and it has the right to execute transfer deeds.[10]

The terms must be in a written agreement, payment is made through a bank, and the developer must hand over possession and register the deed within three months of full payment. If it fails, it must refund the money with the agreed compensation, or 15 per cent where the contract is silent, within six months.[10] Selling a committed unit to someone else, or building outside the approved plan, can each carry up to three years' imprisonment and a fine of up to Tk 20 lakh.[10]

Ask for the developer's registration, the approved building plan and land-use clearance, the joint venture agreement with the landowners and the registered power of attorney they gave the developer, and the developer's allocation of flats. A developer can sell only the share the landowners have allotted to it. When the relationship between landowners and developer breaks down, buyers are caught in the middle; our guide to developer–landowner disputes in Bangladesh explains why.

Buying a resale flat

A resale flat combines both sets of risks. Check the original developer's deed to the seller, the undivided share of land conveyed with the flat, mutation of that share, the flat owners' association records and service-charge arrears, and any mortgage to a home-loan lender. Where VAT was paid on a flat, re-registration attracts VAT at 2 per cent on each later sale.[9]

The baina: agreement for sale

Where completion is deferred, for example while the seller clears a mortgage or the buyer arranges a loan, the parties sign a baina, or bainanama. A contract for sale must be in writing and registered, whether or not possession has passed, and must state a time for execution and registration of the sale deed; if it does not, six months applies.[1] Under section 17A of the Registration Act it must be presented for registration within sixty days of execution.[4] The registration fee is fixed: Tk 500 up to Tk 5 lakh of value, Tk 1,000 up to Tk 50 lakh and Tk 2,000 above that.[4]

A contract for sale does not by itself create any interest in the land,[1] but while it subsists the seller cannot transfer to anyone else. Keep the advance modest, tie it to verified title, and draft clear refund, default and completion terms. Advances, forfeiture and specific performance are covered in our guide to the baina deed in Bangladesh.

Sale deed and registration

The saf-kabala, or absolute sale deed, is the instrument that transfers ownership. It must be presented for registration within three months of execution.[4] Before registering it, the sub-registrar must have, included in or attached to the deed, the latest khatian in the seller's or predecessor's name, the nature and price of the property, a boundary map, a brief twenty-five-year ownership history and the seller's affidavit that the property has not been transferred before and that the seller has lawful title.[4]

On the day, the parties or their authorised agents appear before the sub-registrar, admit execution and have photographs and thumb impressions taken. The schedule must identify the mouza, khatian and dag numbers and area exactly, and the price stated must be the real price. Under-declaring the price to save cost exposes both parties to recovery of the shortfall and weakens the buyer's evidence in any later dispute. Drafting, execution and refusal remedies are covered in our guide to the sale deed in Bangladesh, and the registry procedure in our property registration process guide.

Sellers or buyers abroad: powers of attorney

Under the Power of Attorney Act 2012, an irrevocable power of attorney must be registered, must state the grantor's purpose and the agent's powers clearly, and must carry photographs and national identity card copies of both parties. A power executed abroad must be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after it arrives in Bangladesh and then stamped by the Collector.[11] A buyer dealing with an attorney should inspect the registered power, confirm that it extends to sale and to receiving the price, and check that it has not been terminated. A general power can be revoked by thirty days' notice by registered post.[11]

What buying property in Bangladesh costs

The sub-registry collects several separate charges before it registers a sale deed. As currently published, they are a registration fee of 1 per cent of the deed value, stamp duty of 1.5 per cent, and local government tax of 2 per cent in city corporation and cantonment areas or 3 per cent elsewhere.[9] Source tax under section 125 of the Income Tax Act 2023 is payable on every sale deed, and section 126 tax applies to sales by developers, each at rates set by area under the Source Tax Rules 2026.[9]

New flats attract VAT of 2 per cent up to 1,600 square feet and 4.5 per cent above it.[9] Small fixed charges cover the e-fee, page fees and the Tk 300 stamp paper for the seller's affidavit.[9]

Source tax, which turns on the mouza and class of land, is usually the largest item and the one most often misquoted. Agree in the baina who bears each charge, and budget separately for the lawyer, the surveyor and mutation. The rate tables and worked examples are in our guide to property registration fees in Bangladesh.

After purchase: mutation and land development tax

Registration transfers title; it does not update the land record. That happens only when the buyer applies for mutation, known as namjari, through the e-mutation system. The Ministry of Land's published official fees total Tk 1,170: a Tk 20 court fee, a Tk 50 notice fee, a Tk 1,000 record-correction fee and a Tk 100 khatian supply fee, all payable online with no cash accepted.[8] Demands for more can be reported on the 16122 hotline.[8]

Once the holding is in the buyer's name, land development tax for each year runs from 1 July to 30 June and is payable without penalty by 30 June; unpaid tax becomes arrears, and collection and receipts are electronic.[7] Agricultural land of up to 25 bighas held by a person or family dependent on farming is exempt.[7] A buyer who never mutates cannot meet the khatian and tax requirement for a later sale, gift or mortgage.[6] The procedure, timelines and appeals are in our guide to land mutation in Bangladesh.

Other ways property is transferred

Sale is only one route by which property moves. A buyer needs to understand the others, because the seller's own title usually came through one of them, and each leaves a different paper trail.

Gift and heba

A gift of immovable property must be made by a registered instrument signed by the donor and attested by at least two witnesses, and since 2004 a heba under Muslim law is deemed to be a gift of immovable property for that purpose.[2] Deeds of gift and heba declarations are compulsorily registrable, and a heba between spouses, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren or full siblings attracts a registration fee of Tk 100 regardless of value.[4] An oral heba of land therefore no longer gives a registrable title. See our guide to heba, will and gift registration.

Inheritance

Inherited property passes by operation of personal law, not by deed. The heirs must then mutate the land, usually on an inheritance (warish) certificate, and partition it by registered deed or by suit before any one heir can sell a defined plot. Section 53C allows an heir to sell where the predecessor's name appears in the latest khatian,[1] but a buyer from one heir takes only that heir's share. Our guides to inheritance law in Bangladesh and the succession certificate explain how shares are proved.

Exchange

Where two owners mutually transfer the ownership of one thing for another, neither being money only, the transaction is an exchange, and it can be completed only in the manner provided for a sale.[3] An exchange deed therefore needs registration and the same title checks on both sides.

Lease and mortgage

A lease from year to year, for more than one year or reserving a yearly rent can be made only by a registered instrument.[1] A mortgage is a transfer of an interest in specific immovable property to secure a debt.[1] Neither transfers ownership, but both bind a buyer: a lease runs with the land, and a sale of mortgaged land without the mortgagee's written consent is void.[1]

Common frauds and how to avoid them

Land fraud is common enough that Parliament created specific offences for it. Under the Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Act 2023, land fraud, including concealing material facts in a transfer, transferring land beyond one's own share, impersonation and executing a deed containing false statements, and land forgery each carry up to seven years' imprisonment and a fine.[6] The patterns that recur in buying property in Bangladesh are predictable.

• Double sale: the same plot sold, or agreed to be sold, to two buyers. Search the sub-registry, register the baina promptly and complete quickly.
• Impersonation: a stranger poses as the owner with a forged national identity card. Verify identity independently and meet the owner at the property.
• Forged or altered deeds: fabricated links in the title chain. Obtain certified copies from the registry yourself.
• Partial heirs: some heirs sell the whole. Prove every heir and share before execution.
• Undisclosed mortgage or lease: the bank or tenant surfaces after completion. Search for registered charges and obtain the mortgagee's written consent and release.
• Developer over-selling: one flat allotted to two buyers, or a flat sold from the landowners' share. Check the allocation and the landowners' power of attorney.
• Government land: khas, vested or acquired land sold on private papers. Check with the land office and the acquisition records.
• Benami and under-declared deals: purchases in another's name or at a false price. Both are unlawful and both weaken the buyer's position.[14]

Possession is protected too. No one may be dispossessed of land without the order of a competent court or authority, unlawful possession carries up to two years' imprisonment, and a person evicted unlawfully may apply to the Executive Magistrate, who must dispose of the application within three months.[6] Our guide to land grabbing cases in Bangladesh covers those remedies.

When a purchase goes wrong

When buying property in Bangladesh goes wrong, the remedy depends on what failed. A forged or fraudulent deed in the chain is attacked by a suit to cancel or declare it void, alongside any criminal complaint; see our guide to the deed cancellation suit in Bangladesh. A seller who takes the advance and refuses to complete faces a suit for specific performance on the registered baina. A record in the wrong name is corrected through mutation proceedings or the survey tribunals. A defaulting developer faces a refund claim under the 2010 Act and, if necessary, civil and criminal proceedings. Where the dispute is about title itself, our land dispute litigation guide sets out the forums.

A buyer in good faith has some statutory protection. Where an ostensible owner transfers with the consent of the persons interested, and the buyer took reasonable care to check the transferor's authority, the transfer is not voidable merely because the transferor lacked authority.[1] A buyer in possession under a written contract who is willing to perform is also protected against the transferor.[1] Both protections reward the buyer who did the checks. Neither rescues a buyer who did not.

What to watch in 2026 and beyond

Three developments will shape buying property in Bangladesh over the next year. First, the rules and approved software under section 77A will decide when and how digital deed registration becomes real.[4] Second, each budget re-sets the source tax tables and the VAT on flats, so cost estimates must be checked against the current schedule for the specific mouza.[9] Third, enforcement of the 2023 land crime regime, and the link it creates between the record, the tax and any transfer, is making clean mutation and tax history a precondition for every deal.[6]

The fundamentals will not change. Verify before paying, register what must be registered, pay through the bank, and mutate at once. TRW's land records, mutation and khatian correction practice and real estate disputes practice act for buyers, sellers, heirs, NRBs and foreign investors at every stage. To discuss a purchase, contact TRW.

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreigner buy property in Bangladesh?

Only within narrow limits. Foreign individuals have generally been barred from buying land or houses and have been permitted to buy flats since 1996, subject to approvals and payment in foreign currency. A foreign-owned company permitted to operate in Bangladesh can buy land and buildings in its own name.[12]

Can an NRB buy land or a flat in Bangladesh?

Yes. Non-resident Bangladeshis are citizens and buy on the same footing as residents. Housing finance for NRBs is permitted under Bangladesh Bank's foreign exchange guidelines, and an NRB who cannot attend can act through a registered power of attorney.[11] [13]

What documents should I check before buying land?

At minimum: certified copies of the title deeds for twenty-five years, the CS, SA, RS and latest survey khatians, the seller's mutation khatian and DCR, land development tax receipts, a sub-registry encumbrance search, the mouza map and the seller's identity documents. Inherited land also needs proof of every heir and share.[4]

Is a sale valid if the seller's name is not in the khatian?

No. Section 53C of the Transfer of Property Act makes a sale void unless the seller's name, or for inherited land the predecessor's name, appears in the latest khatian.[1]

Does the baina have to be registered?

Yes. A contract for sale of immovable property must be in writing and registered, and must be presented for registration within sixty days of execution.[1] [4]

How long do I have to register a sale deed?

A sale deed must be presented for registration within three months of execution. Until it is registered, it does not transfer ownership.[4]

What are the main costs of buying property in Bangladesh?

A 1 per cent registration fee, 1.5 per cent stamp duty, 2 or 3 per cent local government tax, area-based source tax under section 125 of the Income Tax Act 2023, VAT on new flats and small fixed charges, followed by Tk 1,170 for e-mutation.[8] [9]

Is mutation compulsory after buying land?

Mutation is a separate application, but without it the buyer cannot later sell, gift or register a deed for the land, because the law requires the latest khatian and up-to-date land development tax in the transferor's name.[6]

Does an oral heba of land still work?

No. Since 2004 a heba under Muslim law is deemed a gift of immovable property, which must be made by a registered instrument attested by two witnesses. A heba between close relatives attracts a registration fee of Tk 100.[2] [4]

What can I do if a developer does not hand over my flat?

The developer must hand over and register within three months of full payment. If it fails, the Real Estate Development and Management Act 2010 requires a refund with the agreed compensation, or 15 per cent if none is agreed, within six months.[10]