An encumbrance certificate (EC), called ಋಣಭಾರ ಪ್ರಮಾಣಪತ್ರ at the sub-registrar office, is a list of every registered document on a property for the years you ask for. Sales, gifts, mortgages, releases and partitions all show up, if they were registered. In Karnataka you apply for it online on the Kaveri portal of the Department of Stamps and Registration, at kaveri.karnataka.gov.in.
You need an EC to buy property, take a home loan, register a sale, and for khata mutation. Banks and buyers usually ask for 13 to 30 years.
Getting the EC is the easy part. Reading it, and knowing what it does not show, is where most people need help. This page covers both.
How to apply for EC online on Kaveri
- Go to kaveri.karnataka.gov.in and register with your mobile number. Log in with the OTP.
- Choose the encumbrance certificate service.
- Enter the property details: district, taluk, sub-registrar office, village or ward, and the survey number, site number or property ID. You can also search by a registered document number if you have one.
- Choose the period: the start and end dates you want searched.
- Pay the fee online.
- Download the digitally signed EC from your applications list once it is ready.
Online EC searches cover records from around 2004 onwards, when the registration records were computerised. For an EC covering earlier years, apply at the jurisdictional sub-registrar office, where staff search the older books. That takes longer.
If you are not comfortable with the portal, any document writer near the sub-registrar office can apply for you, but check the property details they enter. A wrong survey number gives you a clean-looking EC for the wrong land.
EC fees and time taken
The fee depends on the number of years you ask to be searched: a charge for the first year and a smaller charge for each additional year. For a 30-year search it is still a few hundred rupees. The portal shows the exact amount before you pay. Fees are revised from time to time, so go by what Kaveri shows.
A digitally signed online EC usually comes within a few working days. An EC for older years from the sub-registrar office can take a few weeks, depending on the office.
Form 15 and Form 16: what you get
You will receive one of two forms:
| Form | What it means |
|---|---|
| Form 15 | There are registered transactions in the period. Each one is listed. |
| Form 16 | No registered transactions were found for the details you gave. Often called a “nil EC”. |
A Form 16 is not automatically good news. If the property was sold twice in the period and you still get a nil EC, the search details were probably wrong. Recheck the survey number, the village and the period.
How to read an EC: a sample entry explained
Each entry in a Form 15 EC gives roughly the same information, though the layout changes between older and newer certificates:
- Document number and book, with the sub-registrar office. You can use this to get a certified copy of that deed.
- Date of execution and date of registration.
- Nature of the document: sale deed, gift deed, mortgage, release, partition, agreement, power of attorney.
- Executant: the person who gave the right (seller, donor, borrower).
- Claimant: the person who received it (buyer, donee, bank).
- Consideration or market value stated in the document.
- Property description: survey number, site number, extent and boundaries.
When we read an EC, we ask four questions:
- Does the chain of names run cleanly to the present seller? Each claimant should become the next executant.
- Is there a mortgage with no later release or discharge? If so, the loan may still be outstanding.
- Has the same property been sold or agreed to be sold to someone else?
- Do the survey number and extent match the sale deed, the e-khata and the RTC?
What an EC does not show
An EC only lists registered documents. It will not show:
- unregistered agreements of sale or GPAs that were never registered
- a pending civil suit, injunction or attachment that was not registered
- a mortgage by deposit of title deeds, which many banks use and which often does not need registration
- family claims, such as a brother who never signed the earlier sale
- tax arrears
That is why an EC is one check in a document verification, not the whole of it. For bank mortgages, the lender’s own records and a search on the central CERSAI registry can help.
EC for e-khata and registration in Bengaluru
The GBA’s e-khata process made the EC optional for getting the e-khata itself in late 2024. It is still needed when the property is registered at the sub-registrar office or for mutation. If a sale is planned, get a fresh EC covering the period up to the latest date the portal allows. See our e-khata guide and sale deed registration article.
When to get a lawyer to read the EC
A short EC on a recent BDA site is often simple. Ask for legal help when:
- the EC shows a mortgage without a release
- the names in the EC do not match the title deeds or the seller
- there are entries for agreements, GPAs or court documents
- the property came through a will, partition or gift
- you are relying on a nil EC for a property you know has been sold before
Questions people ask
How can I get an encumbrance certificate online in Karnataka?
Apply on the Kaveri portal, kaveri.karnataka.gov.in. Enter the property details and period, pay the fee, and download the digitally signed EC when it is issued.
How many years of EC is needed for a home loan?
Banks commonly ask for 13 to 30 years. Ask your bank, and for a purchase, match the period to the title check, usually 30 years.
What is the fee for EC in Karnataka?
It depends on the number of years searched. The portal shows the amount before payment. A 30-year EC usually costs a few hundred rupees.
Is EC available for years before 2004 online?
Online searches mainly cover records from around 2004. For earlier years, apply at the sub-registrar office.
Does a nil EC mean the property is clean?
No. It means no registered document was found for the details searched. Wrong details, unregistered transactions and court cases will not show up.
Talk to us about your matter
Call or WhatsApp to fix a time. Bring your papers to the office in Rajarajeshwari Nagar.
This article is general information about the law as it stood when it was written. Your facts change the answer. Speak to an advocate before you act on it.