The government has temporarily suspended the rule requiring property transactions exceeding Rs 30 million to be conducted through licensed companies in metropolitan and sub-metropolitan areas.
The Department of Land Management and Archive (DoLMA) issued a notice on March 3, instructing all subordinate land offices not to implement the circular released on February 20. Instead, offices have been directed to continue processing property transactions using the existing procedures until further notice.
According to DoLMA, Rule 23(b) of the Land Regulation, 2036 requires licensed individuals or institutions to operate Land Service Centers and handle transactions through the land information system. However, although 36 companies have received licenses, they have not yet been granted permission to operate these centers, and the necessary technical preparations are still incomplete. As a result, the rule has been suspended for the time being.
Earlier, DoLMA had published a list of licensed companies under Section 26(a) of the Land Act, 2034. Under that arrangement, beginning March 9, property transactions exceeding Rs 30 million in metropolitan and sub-metropolitan areas were to be processed through these licensed firms.
The policy aimed to make land transactions more systematic and transparent. It would have affected land offices in major cities such as Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bharatpur, Birgunj, and Biratnagar, along with 11 sub-metropolitan cities.
With the latest decision, citizens can continue to register, transfer, and sell high-value properties through the traditional process. The requirement to conduct such transactions through licensed companies will only take effect once those firms receive authorization to operate Land Service Centers and the necessary technical systems are in place.
