How do I get an encumbrance certificate in Odisha?

What an EC shows

When a document such as a sale deed, gift deed, mortgage deed, lease or partition deed is registered, the registration office indexes it against the property. An encumbrance certificate is the result of a search of those indexes for a given property and period. It typically shows, for each registered transaction found:

• the nature of the document (sale, gift, mortgage, release and so on);
• the names of the executant and claimant;
• the registration office, document number and date; and
• the property description as given in the deed.

If no registered transaction is found, the certificate says so for the period searched (sometimes called a "nil encumbrance" result).

How to apply online on IGR Odisha

1. Go to the IGR Odisha portal and choose Online Encumbrance Certificate. Register as a new user to create a login, then sign in.
2. Select Apply New EC and enter the property: district, registration office, tahasil, village (mouza), and khata or plot numbers.
3. Enter the period for which the search is needed.
4. Check the confirmation page and agree. The fee is shown on screen.
5. Pay through the Odisha treasury payment gateway (card, net banking or UPI). A money receipt is generated.
6. The application goes to the registration office, where it is checked and then approved and digitally signed by the District Sub-Registrar or Sub-Registrar.
7. When signed, a message appears on your dashboard and the certificate can be downloaded as a PDF.

The Revenue Department's public services list gives the encumbrance certificate a time limit of 7 days from receipt of the application. You can also apply at the District Sub-Registrar or Sub-Registrar office for the area.

Fees

IGR Odisha's fee page lists EC search fees at the time of writing as Rs 25 for the first year of a general search and Rs 15 for each later year, an application fee of Re 1, and user charges of Rs 75 per year subject to a maximum of Rs 250. The portal shows the exact amount for your search before payment.

How far back to search

There is no single rule. Banks and buyers commonly ask for an EC covering several decades, so that every registered transfer back to the last settlement or a clear root of title is covered. Points to keep in mind:

• Search under both the old (sabik) and current (hal) plot and khata numbers if a settlement has changed the numbering during the period. A transaction recorded under an old number can be missed by a search under the new one. See sabik and hal.
• Older years may not be available in the computerised index. For those years, ask the registration office about a manual search and certified copies.
• If the land lay in another registration office's area at some time (offices are sometimes reorganised), search there too.

What an EC does not show

• Unregistered transactions: agreements for sale not registered, oral arrangements, possession given informally, or a power of attorney not registered.
• Mortgages by deposit of title deeds where no registered document was executed. Ask the seller for the original deeds and check with banks where possible.
• Court cases and attachments not registered against the property. Search eCourts services by party name as well.
• Revenue and tax dues, acquisition proceedings, or restrictions recorded only in the RoR remarks. Read the RoR on Bhulekh.
• Errors in the deed's description. If an earlier deed described the plot wrongly, the index may not link it to your search.

So an EC is necessary but not sufficient. Use it with the RoR, the chain of deeds and a site visit, as set out in the land-buying checklist.

Checking the benchmark value

The same IGR Odisha portal, and the state's e-registration mobile app, show the market value (benchmark value) of land by district, registration office, village, kisam and plot. Stamp duty on a sale or gift is charged on the higher of the declared price and this value (see registering a sale or gift deed).

Benchmark values are fixed by district level valuation committees under the Odisha Stamp Rules. In December 2025 the Revenue & Disaster Management Department issued a standard operating procedure for revising market values every two years, with revised values taking effect from 1 April of the revision year. In a ruling reported in September 2025, the Orissa High Court set aside an enhanced benchmark valuation in Ganjam district, holding that blanket percentage increases without following the rules' procedure were not lawful and directing a fresh exercise, which shows that these values can be questioned when the procedure is not followed.

Practical points:

• Use the kisam currently recorded in the RoR. A plot that has been converted to homestead usually carries a different value from agricultural land.
• Value is fixed by area and category, so two neighbouring plots can differ if they are in different villages or road categories.
• If you think the value applied to your deed is wrong, raise it with the Registering Officer at the time of registration, and keep the reasons in writing.

Using the EC

• Match each entry against the deeds the seller has shown. An unexplained sale or mortgage needs an answer before you proceed.
• Where a mortgage appears, ask for the registered release or the bank's closure letter.
• Get a fresh EC close to the date of your own registration, to catch any transaction made after the first search.

Related work handled is described under land and property.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• IGR Odisha: online EC procedure
• IGR Odisha: fee structure for documents
• Revenue Department: public services and time limits (2020)
• Report on the December 2025 benchmark valuation SOP (OrissaPOST)
• Report on the Orissa High Court Ganjam benchmark valuation ruling (OdishaBytes)
• Bhulekh: Odisha land records (Revenue & Disaster Management Department)

General information, not legal advice. Every matter turns on its own facts and documents, and the law and official procedures change. Check the current position with the concerned office, or take advice on your own facts, before acting.