TITLE TRANSFER

In the Philippines, if you need to process papers regarding land titles, most likely you will hire someone to do it for you though it will cost you a lot of money compared to doing it on your own. The payment is not just for the expenses incurred like the transportation, fees and sad to say; bribe to make the process expedited but also the hassles you will encounter from going back and forth to the government agencies you need to transact with.

My first experience doing the task gave me a handful of frustrations and effort. The job was originally assigned to an agent but unfortunately, he was not able to do it though we already paid his service. Waiting for a long time, I was asked by my father to try it since the first tasks were accomplished by me. Hesitant and all, I followed. I know that it’s going to be hard but I need to do it because the documents at hand will be expired and will not be honored anymore. For more than 5 years, I’ve been able to do the same even for just a minimal fee. I try not to be like other document specialists or so called ‘agents’ who ask for a big price in exchange for their services. I fully understand the situation of clients like us who experienced paying an agent but unable to complete the job for a high price.

I would like to share the general steps for transferring a land title for reference.

·        -  Secure the documentary requirements at the Registry of Deeds and Municipal or Provincial Assessor’s Office.

·         - Secure assessment of transfer taxes at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Municipal or City Treasurer’s Office.

·         - File documents at the BIR for the issuance of Certificate Authorizing Registration (CAR) or BIR Clearance.

·         - Pay the Transfer Taxes and secure the Tax Clearance.

·         - File documents at the Registry of Deeds for the issuance of new land title.

·         - File documents at the Municipal or Provincial Assessor’s Office for the issuance of new Tax Declaration.

Some steps may differ depending on the type of title you will transfer, e.g. CLOA or Certificate of Land Ownership Award which requires more documentation than regular land titles.