featured_mode: card | illustrationIn Punjab, a fard is the official extract showing who owns a piece of land and how much, a registry is the sale deed registered at the sub-registrar's office, and an intiqal (mutation) is the entry that changes ownership in the revenue record; a safe purchase needs all three in the buyer's name.
A fard is the official extract from the land record that shows who owns a piece of land, its area and location. The registry is the sale deed registered before a sub-registrar, and the intiqal (mutation) is the entry that changes the owner's name in the revenue record.
A buyer in Punjab is safe only when all three line up: a fresh fard before the deal, a registered deed, and a mutation in the buyer's name. For FY2026-27, a standard fard copy costs Rs900 and a regular mutation Rs1,200, per PLRA's notified charges.
The four words you will hear at the patwar khana
| Term | What it is | What it proves | Where you get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fard (fard malkiyat) | Extract from the record of rights | Current owner, share, area, location | Arazi Record Centre (ARC) |
| Jamabandi | The periodic record of rights for a mauza | Ownership and cultivation history for the village | Revenue record / ARC |
| Intiqal (mutation) | Entry recording a change of ownership | That the sale, gift or inheritance has been accepted into the record | ARC or sub-registrar's ROD branch |
| Registry (sale deed) | Conveyance registered at the sub-registrar | That the seller transferred title to the buyer on stated terms | Sub-registrar office |
PLRA describes the fard as an "official document that provides detailed information about a piece of land," covering area, location and ownership, in its FAQs. The jamabandi is the underlying record from which fards are drawn. Older villages may still have entries that need correction, which is why PLRA's officials are working through more than 25,000 khewat-related issues across Punjab, APP reported in April 2026.
What a fard tells you, and what it does not
A fard shows the owner (or co-owners), their share in the khewat, the khasra numbers and the area. Use it to confirm the seller actually owns what they are selling.
It does not show an unregistered agreement the seller signed with someone else, or a dispute that has not reached the record. A stay order appears only once it has been entered: PLRA marks court orders in the system when a certified copy is submitted, per its FAQs.
PLRA says a fard has no expiry date. But the information changes with each transfer or mutation, so get a fresh one before any transaction. A fard from last month is not proof of ownership today.
How to get a fard in Punjab
PLRA's FAQ sets out the process at an Arazi Record Centre:
- Book an appointment by calling 042-111222277.
- Visit the nearest ARC and collect a token.
- Receive a challan for the fee when your number is called.
- Pay at the bank counter.
- Collect the fard from the ARC.
Bring a copy of the registry, a copy of the mutation and your CNIC. A power-of-attorney holder submits an attested copy of the POA, which the sub-registrar verifies before the fard is issued.
Express service through Mobile ARCs and Universal Access costs Rs4,000 for FY2026-27, against Rs900 for the standard copy, APP reported. Overseas Pakistanis using a foreign mission pay an extra US$50 per transaction.
Registry: the sale deed
The registry is the document that actually conveys title. The deed is written on an e-stamp paper carrying 1% stamp duty, which Punjab has fixed for urban and rural property since April 2026.
The process, in PLRA's description of a "registry mutation":
- Get a fard from the ARC under the SOPs.
- Take the drafted deed to the sub-registrar for registration.
- The mutation is entered at the ROD branch of the sub-registrar office.
- The sub-registrar or ADLR/LRO attests the mutation.
PLRA's e-registration lets parties get an automatic challan from the e-stamp portal, pay fixed fees at the Bank of Punjab and record statements after biometric verification, Profit reported. For FY2026-27, the e-registration service fee on a sale is 0.1% of land value, minimum Rs3,600.
Intiqal: the mutation
A mutation is how the revenue record catches up with reality. Without it, the fard keeps showing the old owner even after a registered sale.
PLRA lists three main routes in its FAQs:
Oral sale mutation (bai zubani). Seller and buyer both visit the ARC with the registry copy, mutation copy and CNICs. The service centre official enters the mutation and gives a date for statements. On that date, seller, buyer and two witnesses appear before the ADLR/LRO, who records statements and passes the mutation.
Inheritance mutation. Any legal heir applies with a death certificate, family registration certificate, affidavit, property details and CNICs of all heirs. Field revenue staff verify the family tree (shajra nasab) before the mutation is attested.
Registry mutation. Entered at the sub-registrar's ROD branch after the deed is registered, as above.
PLRA's FAQ page still lists older tax rates on oral sale mutations (2% and 7% advance tax). Those are out of date: from 1 July 2026, 236K is 1.25% for filers and 10.5% or more for non-filers under FBR's rate card.
PLRA fees for FY2026-27
| Service | Fee (Rs) |
|---|---|
| Fard / mutation / girdawari copy, standard | 900 |
| Same, express (MARC / Universal Access) | 4,000 |
| Regular mutation | 1,200 |
| Mutation through bank | 2,100 |
| Express mutation | 11,200 |
| Naqal arazi record | 5,000 |
| Copy of registered deed | 1,400 |
| Green Property Certificate | 800 |
| Land record verification by bank (successful / unsuccessful) | 1,000 / 700 |
Source: APP, 9 July 2026, also reported by Daily Times.
The Green Property Certificate is part of a push to give owners verified-ownership documents, which Multan's commissioner urged be launched in an April 2026 review, per APP.
Fard, intiqal and registry in housing societies
In DHA Lahore, Bahria Town and most private schemes, the society keeps its own ownership record. You may never see a fard for a society plot, because the society holds the land title and transfers its internal file or allotment.
What you check instead:
- Allotment and transfer letters from the society, verified at its transfer office.
- Society's approval status with LDA. PLRA has launched a Housing Societies Management System to register residential schemes, APP reported.
- Registry after possession, where the society allows it. Some schemes issue a registered deed after full payment; ask before you buy.
PLRA's Property Transfer System for societies and authorities carries a Rs3,000 fee per transaction.
Red flags
- Fard shows co-owners the seller did not mention. Every co-owner must consent, or you are buying a share, not a plot.
- Seller offers a photocopy fard. Get your own fresh fard from the ARC.
- Registry without mutation. Province-wide, 182,000 mutation cases are pending and 221,000 mutations are missing, PLRA's DG said in April 2026, per APP. Do not let yours become one.
- Khasra numbers do not match the site. Have the plot demarcated before paying the full amount.
- Inheritance not mutated. If the seller inherited the land, check that the inheritance mutation is attested and all heirs are recorded.
- Stay order or court case. Ask the ARC whether any order is marked against the khewat.
This guide is general information; confirm current rates with FBR/the bank/a lawyer before you pay.
Sources
- PLRA: FAQs — fard definition, fard process, mutation procedures, stay orders
- APP: Land Record Authority notifies revised service charges — FY2026-27 PLRA fees
- Daily Times: Punjab revises property transfer and registration charges — same fee schedule
- APP: PLRA DG reviews digital land reforms — pending/missing mutations, khewat issues, HSMS, Green Property Certificate
- Profit: PLRA starts e-registration of lands — e-registration process
- The News: Governor signs stamp duty amendment ordinance — 1% stamp duty
- FBR Withholding Tax Rate Card, updated to 30 June 2026 — current 236K rates