Legal Heir Certificate Services in Kolkata

Gift deed

Updating KMC records to the new owner

Record of Rights extract

Second deed-records portal for post-2000 deeds

Registration

Two mutation systems must both be updated

The BLRO land record and the KMC assessment are separate. Heirs routinely complete one and discover the gap only when a bank or buyer asks for both.

Long joint-family holdings produce very large heir sets

Old Kolkata and Howrah properties frequently involve heirs across many branches and countries. Identifying and obtaining participation from all of them is usually the bulk of the work.

A legal heir certificate is not proof of title

It establishes who the heirs are, not what each inherits or that the property was validly owned. Banks accept it for pension and PF; buyers and courts do not treat it as title. Families frequently over-rely on it.

Omitting an heir invalidates the whole exercise

Every legal heir must be disclosed, including daughters, a second spouse, children from a prior marriage and heirs living abroad. An application that omits someone will be challenged, and any transfer made on it can be reopened.

Daughters inherit equally as coparceners

Since the 2005 amendment to the Hindu Succession Act and the Supreme Court's decision in Vineeta Sharma (2020), daughters are coparceners by birth with rights equal to sons, regardless of whether the father was alive in 2005. Applications drafted on the older understanding are defective.

Religion determines the succession rules that apply

Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Parsi succession follow different rules on shares and who qualifies as an heir. The certificate process is similar; the underlying entitlement is not.

Assessment moved to carpet area

In line with RERA, residential flats in West Bengal are assessed on carpet area rather than super built-up area. Valuations prepared on the older basis give the wrong duty figure.

Deed records sit on two separate portals

Records are held on wbregistration.gov.in and, for many computer-recorded deeds since 2000, on e-Nathikaran. A blank result on one portal is not proof the deed does not exist — both must be searched before you rely on a clean title.

Thika tenancy and fragmented old-Kolkata title

Parts of central and north Kolkata carry thika tenancy and long, divided title chains from multi-generation family holdings. These need tracing before a gift, since defects pass to the donee unresolved.

What is the stamp duty on a gift deed to family in Kolkata?

West Bengal charges 0.5% of market value for a gift among immediate family members, with a 1% registration fee — among the lowest percentage-based family rates in India. A non-family gift attracts 5–7% depending on location and value. Indicative figures compiled July 2026.

Is my flat assessed on carpet area or super built-up area?

Carpet area. West Bengal aligned assessment with RERA, so residential flats are valued on carpet area rather than super built-up. This materially changes the assessed value against older practice, and quotes prepared on the old basis will be wrong.

I cannot find my deed on the WB Registration portal — what now?

Try e-Nathikaran at cs.enathikaran.gov.in, which holds West Bengal's computer-recorded deeds since 2000. Records are split across the two portals, and a blank result on one does not mean the deed is missing. We search both as part of verification.

Which registration office covers my Kolkata property?

Central Kolkata is served by the ARA Kolkata offices I to IV, with DSR Alipore, DSR Sealdah and the ADSR offices at Bidhannagar, Rajarhat, Behala and Garia covering other areas. Jurisdiction follows the property's location.

Do I need KMC mutation after registering a gift deed?

Yes. Registration does not update municipal records. KMC mutation typically takes 30–60 days, and until it completes the donor remains the recorded owner for tax and municipal purposes.