A property transfer in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands now has a new Registration Act amendment on the books, but the Gazette text makes its start date depend on a separate notification by the territory’s Administrator. BestProp.ai’s buyer-focused reading is to separate the document checks in the amendment from the date those provisions take effect.
What the amendment changes in a registration file
The President promulgated Regulation No. 12 of 2026 on 18 September. It applies to the whole Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and amends the Registration Act, 1908 as applied there. Section 1(3) says it comes into force on a date appointed by the Administrator through a notification in the territory’s Official Gazette; the regulation itself does not give a calendar date.
The inserted Section 19A says a document presented for registration must have a true copy that is legibly prepared and self-attested. For a sale document, new Section 34A also says the person claiming under it must sign. These are document-file requirements in the text; the operative commencement notice and local registrar’s current process are the first status checks before relying on these requirements.
The approval clause is conditional
Section 22A lists circumstances in which a registering officer may refuse a document. One concerns specified transfers of immovable property owned by government or covered authorities without a competent authority’s no-objection certificate. Another covers property for which approval is already required under another law before a transaction. The latter is not a blanket new NOC requirement for every private sale.
The same section says the registering officer is not empowered to decide title or ownership questions assigned to a competent court or authority. Registration checks and title adjudication remain distinct questions under the text of this amendment.
What a buyer should verify before filing
For a transaction in the islands, confirm the regulation’s commencement date in the local Official Gazette, then ask the relevant registration office which copy, signature and transaction-specific approval documents apply to the filing. A document checklist cannot establish ownership or replace a title review.
For a Bengaluru record-eligibility example under a different state process, see BestProp.ai’s guide to Karnataka’s 2026 khata order. The rules and jurisdictions are different.
Sources and scope
The primary source is the 18 September Gazette text, especially Sections 1(3), 19A, 22A and 34A. This article describes the regulation’s text and does not assert that a separate commencement notification has or has not been issued. Check the local Official Gazette and registration office for the status of a particular transaction.