Start with the essentials
Your next step.
Identify the interest offered and obtain the appropriate Lands Commission search before committing. Have a lawyer examine the grantor, plan and instrument. For a non-citizen, the Constitution prohibits freehold and limits a leasehold grant to fifty years at any one time.
- Identify the interest, term and grantor.
- Obtain the appropriate land search.
- Coordinate the instrument, tax and registration.
Explore what you need
Answers to your questions.
Am I acquiring freehold or leasehold?
Ask about the interest, remaining term, lease conditions and any required consents. Article 266 sets restrictions for non-citizens, while article 267 also addresses stool lands. Have your circumstances and acquisition structure examined: a “land for sale” advert does not explain these rights.
Which Lands Commission search should I request?
Give the relevant Client Service Access Unit the references, plan, documents and grantor’s name. Ask which search fits the instrument and which report will be issued. Published services and charges distinguish several procedures: confirm the one for your file rather than treating an older fee or timeframe as a guarantee.
Where does OASL fit into stool-land checks?
OASL handles revenues and related ground-rent matters for the stool lands concerned. Ask the relevant office how to check ground rent and identify the local contact. This does not replace the Lands Commission search or your lawyer’s examination of the grantor’s authority and consents.
What about the instrument, tax and registration?
The Lands Commission publishes deed-registration requirements and GRA explains stamp duty. Coordinate the plan and instrument, tax treatment and applicable registration process. Request receipts and submission references, followed by the expected final document. A fee receipt should not be confused with an issued title.
Official sources
- Judicial Service · Constitution, articles 266–267 judicial.gov.gh
- Lands Commission · Client Service Access Units lc.gov.gh
- Lands Commission · deed registration lc.gov.gh
- Lands Commission · fees and charges lc.gov.gh
- Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands · mandate oasl.gov.gh
- GRA · stamp duty gra.gov.gh
- Ghana Bar Association ghanabar.org
