A practical English summary of Ethiopia’s urban land registration, cadastral, landholding verification, and property rights framework
Read full PDF: Proclamation No. 1381/2025 Urban Landholding and Land-related Property Registration Proclamation
Ethiopia’s Urban Landholding and Land-Related Property Registration Proclamation No. 1381/2025 establishes a national framework for verifying, registering, and managing urban landholdings and land-related property.
The Proclamation was published in the Federal Negarit Gazette on July 18, 2025. It applies to all urban cities of Ethiopia and introduces a more standardized system for urban landholding adjudication, cadastral information, registration, certification, and subsequent property-related services.
This page is a summary of the Proclamation and is not a substitute for the complete legal text. For the full provisions, definitions, procedures, exceptions, and requirements, read the original PDF.
What Does Proclamation No. 1381/2025 Cover?
The Proclamation focuses primarily on creating a reliable and standardized system for recording information about urban land and the property connected to it.
It addresses:
- Urban landholding verification
- Landholding adjudication
- Land registration
- Cadastral surveying and mapping
- Land tenure certificates
- Registration of buildings and other land-related property
- Rights, restrictions, and responsibilities attached to land
- Sale, donation, inheritance, and other transfers
- Mortgages and attachments
- Registration corrections and cancellations
- Digital land registration
- Public notices and objections
- Responsibilities of registration institutions and government bodies
- Dispute and appeal procedures
The law also introduces concepts such as the legal cadaster, cadastral survey, parcel identification codes, cadastral maps, landholding adjudication neighborhoods, and landholding certificates.
1. The Purpose of the Proclamation
The Proclamation is intended to create a more organized and reliable urban land information system.
Its objectives include:
- Strengthening security of landholding rights
- Recognizing rights to land-related property through registration and certification
- Creating a consistent national landholding information system
- Making information about urban land more accessible
- Supporting the real estate market
- Reducing inconvenience and delays in land registration services
- Using modern technology to improve land administration
- Connecting cadastral information with landholding registration
A central theme throughout the law is the creation of a modern, standardized cadastral and registration system across Ethiopia's cities.
2. Who Does the Proclamation Apply To?
The Proclamation applies to all urban cities of Ethiopia.
It covers urban landholdings and land-related property within the applicable urban boundaries.
The law defines urban land as land located within the administrative boundary of an urban center.
It also defines land-related property broadly to include buildings and related structures located above or below land and developed for residential, commercial, industrial, social, or other purposes.
3. Landholding Adjudication
One of the most important concepts introduced by the Proclamation is landholding adjudication.
Landholding adjudication is the process of determining and reconciling the type, extent, and legality of claims relating to rights, restrictions, and responsibilities associated with a parcel of land.
The process involves reviewing legal documents and spatial information and using surveying and cadastral systems to establish reliable landholding information.
The Proclamation provides for two main approaches:
Systematic landholding adjudication
This is the primary method used for first-time adjudication.
It is conducted systematically across designated areas, neighborhoods, or cadastral blocks rather than only in response to an individual application.
Sporadic landholding adjudication
This is conducted based on a request relating to an individual landholding.
The Proclamation allows sporadic adjudication in circumstances where systematic adjudication is not being conducted in the relevant area.
4. Cadastral Information and Mapping
The Proclamation places significant emphasis on cadastral information.
A cadastral system records information such as:
- Parcel boundaries
- Parcel size
- Location
- Dimensions
- Coordinates
- Neighboring parcels
- Roads and other boundaries
- Buildings and structures
- Rights, restrictions, and responsibilities
Each parcel is intended to have a unique identification code, allowing it to be distinguished from other parcels.
The law also provides for cadastral index maps and cadastral base maps as part of the registration system.
5. Verification of Landholding Rights
Before land can be properly registered, the relevant landholding rights must be verified.
The verification process can involve:
- Examination of ownership and landholding documents
- Verification of existing rights, restrictions, and responsibilities
- Cadastral surveys
- Orthophotos
- Field measurements
- Comparison between documentary and physical information
The Proclamation specifically provides that landholding adjudication should take place before registration and that spatial information can be collected through orthophotos or cadastral field surveys.
Where discrepancies exist between documents and physical measurements, the Proclamation also establishes mechanisms for handling those differences, including applicable tolerance limits.
6. Landholding Registration
The registration system records the rights, restrictions, and responsibilities associated with land and land-related property in both paper and digital form.
The Proclamation makes registration an important source of legal evidence.
It provides that:
- Registration takes place after landholding adjudication.
- Landholding rights can only be registered where the landholding was created by an authorized body.
- Registration provides important evidence concerning ownership of immovable property built on the landholding.
- A person generally cannot avoid the effect of a registered right, restriction, or responsibility by claiming that they were unaware of the registration.
7. First Registration
The Proclamation establishes a process for the first registration of landholdings.
Following landholding adjudication, the registration institution is required to undertake first registration within 30 working days based on the documents submitted by the adjudication officer.
Landholders can apply for registration certificates either:
- In person, or
- Through the internet.
Applications must be accompanied by the required supporting evidence.
8. Land Tenure Certificates
The Proclamation provides for a Certificate of Land Tenure Rights.
The certificate combines information concerning land use rights and ownership of land-related property and serves as evidence of legally recognized rights relating to the landholding.
The registration system is therefore intended to give landholders a formal, documented record of their rights.
9. Registration of Property Transfers
The Proclamation requires various changes in rights associated with a landholding to be registered.
These include rights created through:
- Sale
- Partial sale
- Donation
- Inheritance
- Assignment of shares
- Contribution in kind
- Other legally permitted transactions or events
Rights, restrictions, and responsibilities created through these transactions must be entered into the registration system.
This is particularly relevant when ownership or interests in property change through inheritance, sale, or other transfers.
10. Mortgages, Attachments and Restrictions
The registration system also records certain financial and legal encumbrances.
The Proclamation provides for the registration of:
- Mortgage agreements relating to landholdings
- Court injunctions
- Attachments
- Other applicable restrictions and responsibilities
A person may request evidence of a registered mortgage or attachment relating to a landholding.
This creates a formal record of interests that may affect a property's legal status.
11. Digital Land Registration
A major objective of the Proclamation is the transition toward a modern digital land administration system.
The law requires the national cadastral system and other digital technologies to be used for urban landholding registration and subsequent services.
The broader objective is to connect landholding information, cadastral information, and registration services into a more integrated system.
12. Public Notice and Community Participation
The Proclamation provides for public participation in landholding adjudication.
Landholding adjudication areas and related information are subject to public notification, allowing affected parties to become aware of the process.
For certain landholding adjudication notices, the Proclamation requires public notices to remain available for at least 15 working days.
The law also emphasizes community involvement in landholding adjudication and registration processes while requiring that the rights of landholders be respected.
13. Disputed and Inconsistent Landholdings
Not every landholding will necessarily be ready for immediate registration.
The Proclamation provides mechanisms for dealing with cases involving:
- Conflicting documents
- Differences between documentary and measured land size
- Missing documentation
- Landholdings that cannot initially be adjudicated
- Court injunctions
- Other unresolved registration issues
Such cases can be recorded in a landholding dispute register and addressed once the underlying issue has been resolved.
This allows the broader registration process to continue while unresolved individual cases are handled separately.
14. False Evidence and Invalid Registration
The Proclamation also addresses registrations obtained through false evidence.
Where a registration certificate is found to have been obtained using false evidence, the registration institution can bring the matter before a court seeking nullification.
The person responsible may also face liability under the Proclamation and applicable civil and criminal laws.
While the matter is before the court, restrictions may be placed on major legal transactions that could alter the rights, restrictions, or responsibilities associated with the affected landholding.
15. Responsibilities of the Registration Institution
The registration institution has an important role in maintaining accurate landholding information.
Its functions include:
- Conducting registration
- Maintaining landholding records
- Updating registered information
- Providing registration services
- Maintaining cadastral and legal cadaster information
- Providing evidence of registered rights and encumbrances
- Supporting the implementation of landholding adjudication
The Proclamation also provides that the registration institution can be liable for damage caused to third parties who acted in good faith while relying on registered information, subject to the conditions of the law.
16. Updating Landholding Information
Registration is not intended to be a one-time process.
The registration institution must update the legal cadaster when services affecting a landholding are provided.
This allows the register to reflect subsequent changes in rights, restrictions, and responsibilities.
For property owners, this means that legally significant changes affecting a registered property are intended to be reflected in the official registration system.
17. Correction and Cancellation of Registration
The Proclamation provides mechanisms for correcting or cancelling registration information.
Where cancellation is ordered by a court or appropriate authority, the relevant rights, restrictions, and responsibilities can be removed from the register.
The circumstances and procedures under which the registration institution can correct or rectify registration on its own initiative are to be further determined through implementing regulations.
18. The Consequences of Not Registering
The Proclamation establishes an important practical consequence for landholders who fail to complete the required adjudication, registration, and certification process within the applicable period.
A landholder who has not completed the required process and obtained a certificate may become unable to receive certain services from the registration institution.
This makes maintaining current registration particularly important for property owners.
What This Means for Property Owners
For property owners, the Proclamation establishes a framework designed to make the legal status of urban land and property more clearly documented.
In practical terms, the system is intended to provide:
- A formal record of landholding rights
- Clear parcel identification
- Cadastral maps and measurements
- Documentation of restrictions and responsibilities
- Registration of property transfers
- Registration of mortgages and attachments
- Digital landholding records
- Formal land tenure certificates
- Procedures for correcting registration information
- Mechanisms for dealing with disputed landholdings
The Proclamation therefore connects the physical characteristics of a parcel with its legal rights and obligations through a formal registration system.
What This Means for Property Buyers
For someone buying property in Ethiopia, registration information can be an important part of understanding what is actually being acquired.
The framework provides for registration of rights arising from transactions such as sale, donation, inheritance, and assignment of shares, as well as mortgages and other encumbrances.
The cadastral system also provides information about the parcel itself, including its boundaries, dimensions, location, coordinates, and unique identification code.
For buyers, this makes land registration and cadastral information relevant when verifying the legal and physical characteristics of a property.
Why This Proclamation Matters
Proclamation No. 1381/2025 is fundamentally about creating a reliable system for identifying, verifying, registering, and updating urban land and property rights in Ethiopia.
Its framework connects several elements that are essential to property ownership:
The Land → The Parcel → The Rights → The Property → The Registration Record
By combining cadastral surveying, landholding adjudication, legal registration, certificates, and digital information systems, the Proclamation establishes a framework intended to provide greater clarity around who holds what rights over a particular urban landholding and the property associated with it.
Read the Full Proclamation
This summary highlights the major provisions of Urban Landholding and Land-Related Property Registration Proclamation No. 1381/2025, but it does not reproduce every article, condition, exception, procedural requirement, or implementing provision.
For the complete legal text, including all definitions, registration procedures, adjudication requirements, certificates, rights, restrictions, responsibilities, and transitional provisions, read the full proclamation below.
Proclamation No. 1381/2025 Urban Landholding and Land-related Property Registration Proclamation