The seller has sent a cadastral passport — does that mean the apartment’s documents are in order? Not yet. The passport helps identify the property recorded in the cadastre, but it does not by itself confirm who holds the right to it.
This distinction matters to a buyer. A document may show the address, floor area and cadastral number without proving the seller’s right or confirming registration of its transfer. The cadastral passport should therefore be reviewed together with an extract from the State Register and the documents on which the right is based.
What a cadastral passport confirms
Under Uzbek law, a cadastral passport is an electronic document containing general information about a property and its cadastral number [1]. It is issued after the property has been entered in the cadastral records and a cadastral file has been prepared.
The passport contains the property’s technical and cadastral characteristics. It does not state the owner or list the title documents. The Ministry of Justice expressly explains that a cadastral passport is not, on its own, proof of ownership [2].
In practical terms, the document identifies the apartment and allows its characteristics to be compared with other records. A buyer checks the address, area, use of the premises, cadastral number and plan. If the contract gives one area, the passport another and the actual layout differs from both, the transaction should be put on hold until the discrepancy is explained.
The passport, number and register extract answer different questions
Three similar cadastral terms are easy to confuse, although each has a separate function:
- the cadastral number is the property’s unique identifier in the state system;
- the cadastral passport is an electronic document containing the property’s technical and cadastral details;
- the extract from the State Register is used to check registered rights to the property.
Put simply, the number answers “Which exact property is this?”, the passport “What are its characteristics?”, and the extract “Which right is registered, and in whose name?”. A proper purchase check requires all three levels of information, not a photograph of one document sent in a message.
When a new-build apartment receives its passport
During construction, a specific apartment may not yet have a separate cadastral passport. The building must first be completed and pass the required procedures. It is then entered in the cadastral records, a cadastral file is prepared and information for individual premises is formalised. The absence of a passport for a future apartment does not always indicate a breach; the project stage and contract terms determine the context.
Before paying, establish which property currently exists in legal terms and what the buyer is acquiring under the contract. Ask the developer for project documents, the expected completion date, the handover procedure, the stage of cadastral registration and the point at which the buyer’s right will be registered.
Once the cadastral passport is available, compare it with the contract and the actual apartment. Pay particular attention to the apartment number, floor, area and layout. Changes to partitions or floor area should not remain a verbal arrangement: the documents must describe the property delivered to the buyer.
How to obtain a cadastral passport in Uzbekistan
My.gov.uz offers a combined service for preparing a cadastral passport for residential property and registering rights [3]. The applicant signs in, submits a request and attaches a document confirming the right to the property. The authorised body carries out the required measurements, sends an electronic invoice and, after payment, prepares the documents and notifies the applicant through the portal.
The service page gives a period of up to five working days to prepare a cadastral passport for an apartment in a multi-unit building. Registration of rights takes up to two working days [3]. These are service-processing periods; discrepancies, a missing document or additional required steps may extend the overall process.
Do not calculate the fee in advance using formulas from old publications. The applicant receives an invoice showing the current charge, so check the applicable terms directly on My.gov.uz before submitting the request [3].
How a buyer should check an apartment before the transaction
Receiving a file from the seller is not enough. First compare it with the apartment and contract, then verify the information through an official service. My.gov.uz allows users to check a property extract and cadastral passport against the State Cadastral Register [4].
A minimum check covers the following:
- the address, apartment number, floor and area match across all documents;
- the cadastral number is consistent;
- the floor plan matches the actual layout;
- the register extract shows the seller’s registered right;
- there are no unexplained differences between the cadastral passport, extract and contract.
If the seller provides only the cadastral passport, request a current register extract and the relevant title document. Where the property has a complex ownership history, has been altered or has discrepancies in floor area, ask a property lawyer to review the documents before signing or paying.
When buying an apartment in a Dreamland project, ask the sales manager about the precise stage rather than simply whether “cadastral documents” exist: has the building been entered in the cadastral records, has the chosen apartment’s passport been issued, when will the buyer’s right be registered and which document will the buyer receive at the end of the process?
The cadastral passport describes the apartment; the State Register records the right. Keeping that difference in mind turns document checks into a clear sequence: identify the property, compare its characteristics and confirm the seller’s right.
Sources
- [1] National Database of Legislation of Uzbekistan Lex.uz — Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. ZRU-803 “On State Registration of Rights to Immovable Property.”
- [2] Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan / Advice.uz — “Issuing a Cadastral Passport for Residential Property and Registering the Right.”
- [3] Unified Portal of Interactive Public Services My.gov.uz — “Preparing a Cadastral Passport and Registering Rights to Residential Property.”
- [4] Unified Portal of Interactive Public Services My.gov.uz — “Checking a Property Extract and Cadastral Passport in the State Cadastral Register.”
