Property Mutation After Purchase: Where to Apply, Documents, Fees and Timeline, State by State

After you register a purchase, you apply for mutation to one of two offices: the tehsil (revenue) for agricultural or village land, or the municipal body for a flat, house or urban plot. A public notice invites objections for about 30 days, and statutory deadlines run from 21 working days in Bihar to 45 days (90 if disputed) in Uttar Pradesh. Fees range from nothing to 0.1% of value.

Key takeaways

• Revenue land and urban property are mutated by different offices.
• Uttar Pradesh must dispose of an undisputed dakhil kharij within 45 days of registration and a disputed one within 90 days; appeal to the SDO within 30 days.
• Bihar's Land Mutation Act sets 21 working days without objection and 33 with one; appeal lies to the DCLR.
• Municipal fees vary widely: GHMC charges 0.1% of market value, KMC levies no processing fee for a simple mutation, and Lucknow's corporation used to charge 1%.
• A mutation entry is a fiscal record. It does not decide who owns the property.

Which office handles your mutation

Where you file depends on what you bought.

• Agricultural land, village land, or a plot still shown in the revenue record: the tehsil. The patwari or lekhpal enters the change, the tehsildar orders it, and the record of rights (khatauni, jamabandi, 7/12, patta or khatiyan, depending on the state) is corrected.
• A flat, house or plot inside a municipal area: the municipal corporation's property tax department. The mutation changes the name on the property tax account.

A plot on a city's edge can need both offices. Mutation does not replace checking title before you pay; step 4 of our title and legal check before buying covers what to verify in the seller's records first.

Revenue mutation, state by state

Uttar Pradesh: dakhil kharij under the Revenue Code, 2006

Mutation in UP runs under sections 34 and 35 of the UP Revenue Code, 2006. You apply online on the Board of Revenue's vaad portal with the registry number and date, upload the deed and pay the fee. The lekhpal reports, and the tehsildar decides after a 30-day public notice.

Deadlines: 45 days from registration if undisputed, 90 days if disputed. If the tehsildar rules against you, section 35(2) gives you 30 days to appeal to the Sub-Divisional Officer. Recent reports put the fee at Rs 200 to Rs 2,500 after a revision; earlier charges were far higher.

Bihar: the Land Mutation Act, 2011

In Bihar, dakhil kharij goes to the Circle Officer, filed online on the Bihar Bhumi portal with the deed, the khesra, khatiyan and mauza details and affidavits. The clock runs in working days from the petition:

• No objection: 21 working days, 18 to pass the order and 3 to issue the correction slip.
• Objection received: 33 working days, 30 for the order and 3 for the slip.

Appeals against the Circle Officer go to the Deputy Collector Land Reforms (DCLR) within 30 days. A 2025 order tells DCLRs to send rejections made without valid reasons back for a fresh hearing. Guides describe the online application as free.

Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat

Rajasthan: section 133 of the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956 requires anyone who gets land by transfer or succession to report it to the patwari or tehsildar within three months. A proclamation invites objections before the entry is sanctioned. Applications go through Apna Khata or an e-Mitra kiosk for a nominal fee, and guides put the usual time at 30 to 60 days.

Madhya Pradesh: namantaran runs under section 110 of the MP Land Revenue Code, 1959, through the RCMS system. Undisputed cases must be disposed of within two months and disputed ones within six.

Gujarat: the talati writes the change as a ferfar entry in Village Form 6, the mutation register. A notice under section 135D of the Land Revenue Code gives anyone with an interest 30 days from service of the last notice to object.

Municipal mutation: MCD, GHMC, KMC, PMC and Lucknow

The municipal Acts put the duty on both parties. Section 128 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act requires the seller and the buyer to notify the Commissioner in writing within three months of the transfer, and a seller who does not stays liable for the tax until the change is recorded.

Worked example: one Rs 80 lakh flat, four cities

Take a flat with a market value of Rs 80 lakh.

• Hyderabad (GHMC): 0.1% of Rs 80,00,000 = Rs 8,000.
• Lucknow, under the old 1% rule: 1% of Rs 80,00,000 = Rs 80,000. Under the reported Rs 10,000 cap, Rs 10,000, a saving of Rs 70,000.
• Kolkata (KMC): no processing fee for a simple mutation, only incidental costs.
• Delhi (MCD): a few hundred rupees in fees, unless late-notice composition fees pile up.

Most bodies charge a few hundred rupees to a fraction of a percent; Lucknow's old 1% was the outlier. Timelines usually run 15 to 45 days, but a disputed case can take 90 days in UP and six months in MP.

Documents for a purchase mutation

• A certified or scanned copy of the registered sale deed.
• The latest property tax or land revenue receipt, with no arrears. In Delhi, the seller's arrears stop the mutation.
• The current record-of-rights extract (khatauni, khatiyan, jamabandi) for revenue land.
• The municipal transfer notice where the Act requires one, signed by both parties (GHMC section 208, MCD section 128).
• Identity proof, photographs, an indemnity bond where asked, and for a flat a society NOC.

When mutation is refused or entered wrongly

An objection turns the file into a disputed case. Revenue officers are not civil courts. In Jitendra Singh v. State of Madhya Pradesh (6 September 2021), the Supreme Court repeated that a mutation entry confers no title and serves only a fiscal purpose. Where title is genuinely contested, the officer can decline, and the dispute goes to a civil court for a declaration.

• Rejected or wrongly decided: appeal to the next revenue officer. That is the SDO within 30 days in UP and the DCLR within 30 days in Bihar. A further revision usually lies to the Collector, and in some states to the Commissioner or Board of Revenue.
• Entered in someone else's name by fraud: courts treat a fraudulent entry as a nullity, with time running from when you learned of it.
• A clerical error in your own deed (a misspelt name, wrong area or survey number): fix the deed first with a rectification deed, then apply for mutation on the corrected document.

Where the other states are covered

• Tamil Nadu patta transfer: patta and chitta in Tamil Nadu.
• Maharashtra ferfar and the 7/12: the 7/12 extract.
• Bengaluru khata transfer: A khata vs B khata.
• Haryana and Punjab intkal: jamabandi and fard.

To confirm the entry once it is passed, use the state portals in our guide to checking land records online.

What goes wrong

• Waiting too long. Delhi and Rajasthan set three-month windows; late filing brings fees.
• A seller whose own mutation is pending. Yours can stall behind it, so check before registration.
• Disputed family land. If a co-heir objects, expect the disputed timelines or a civil suit, and hire a lawyer.

Frequently asked questions

How long after buying property should I apply for mutation?

Apply within weeks of registration. Several laws set outer limits: Delhi's section 128 asks both seller and buyer to notify the corporation within three months, and Rajasthan's section 133 requires reporting a transfer within three months. In Uttar Pradesh, the 45-day disposal deadline runs from the registration date. Filing late mainly brings extra fees and delays a later sale or loan.

What is the mutation fee after buying a flat?

It depends on the municipal body. GHMC in Hyderabad charges 0.1% of market value, so Rs 8,000 on an Rs 80 lakh flat. Kolkata's KMC charges no processing fee for a simple mutation, and Delhi's MCD fees are nominal. Lucknow used to charge 1% of value before moving to a capped fee. Revenue mutation of land in UP is reported at Rs 200 to Rs 2,500.

Can someone object to my mutation?

Yes. Every system publishes a notice before the entry is made: 30 days in Uttar Pradesh and in Gujarat under section 135D. Anyone claiming an interest can file an objection, which turns the case into a disputed one with longer deadlines, such as 90 days in UP and six months in Madhya Pradesh. If the objection raises a real title dispute, the officer may send the parties to a civil court.

What can I do if my mutation application is rejected?

Appeal to the revenue officer above the one who rejected it. In Uttar Pradesh that is the Sub-Divisional Officer, within 30 days of the tehsildar's order. In Bihar it is the Deputy Collector Land Reforms, within 30 days, and a 2025 order tells DCLRs to send back rejections made without valid reasons. A further revision usually lies to the Collector.

Does mutation make me the legal owner?

No. Your registered sale deed is what transfers ownership. Mutation updates the tax or revenue record so the government knows whom to bill and record. The Supreme Court said in Jitendra Singh v. State of Madhya Pradesh (2021) that a mutation entry confers no right, title or interest. It still matters in practice, because banks and later buyers ask for it.

If you are buying land or a flat and want to know which office will hold your records afterwards, Realty Hunting can walk you through the paperwork before you register.