Certified Copy (Nakal) of Registered Documents

What is a Certified Copy (Nakal)?

A Certified Copy, commonly called Nakal in Telangana, is an officially authenticated copy of a registered document issued by the Sub-Registrar Office (SRO) under the IGRS Telangana (Inspector General of Registration and Stamps). When any property document is registered at an SRO — whether it is a sale deed, gift deed, mortgage deed, partition deed, release deed, settlement deed, or any other registered instrument — the original is returned to the parties involved, and a copy is retained in the SRO's records. A certified copy is a verified reproduction of this retained record, bearing the seal and signature (or digital authentication) of the Sub-Registrar, confirming that it is a true copy of the original registered document.

Certified copies carry legal validity and are admissible as evidence in courts under Section 76 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. They serve as the primary mechanism for verifying the authenticity of property documents during due diligence, especially when the original document has been lost, damaged, or is held by a bank as mortgage collateral.

Why Do You Need a Certified Copy?

• Lost or Damaged Originals: If the original sale deed or other registered document has been lost, stolen, or damaged, a certified copy from the SRO serves as the legal substitute. Banks and courts accept certified copies when originals are unavailable.
• Bank Loan Verification: Banks require certified copies of previous sale deeds in the chain of title when processing home loans. The certified copy confirms that each transaction in the ownership chain was genuinely registered.
• Property Purchase Due Diligence: Buyers request certified copies of the seller's sale deed, partition deed, or gift deed to verify the seller's ownership claim before committing to a purchase. Cross-referencing certified copies with the EC (Encumbrance Certificate) reveals any discrepancies.
• Court Proceedings: Certified copies are routinely produced as evidence in property disputes, title suits, partition cases, and inheritance claims. Courts accept them as secondary evidence of the registered transaction.
• Government Submissions: Various government departments (revenue, municipal, HMDA, DTCP) may require certified copies for land use conversion, building permission applications, or mutation proceedings.
• Insurance & Valuation: Property insurance companies and government valuers may request certified copies to verify ownership and transaction details before issuing policies or valuation certificates.

Types of Documents Available as Certified Copies

Any document that has been registered at an SRO in Telangana can be obtained as a certified copy. The most commonly requested types include:

• Sale Deed (Ammakattu): The most frequently requested certified copy. Buyers, sellers, banks, and lawyers all need sale deed copies for title verification.
• Gift Deed (Daanam Patram): When property is gifted between family members, the gift deed certified copy is needed for mutation and tax purposes.
• Mortgage Deed: Banks often require certified copies of existing mortgage deeds when processing subsequent loans or releasing charges.
• Partition Deed: When joint property is divided among co-owners, certified copies of the partition deed establish each owner's share.
• Release Deed: When one co-owner relinquishes their share in favour of another, the release deed certified copy is critical for clear title.
• Settlement Deed: Family settlements and will-related deeds that transfer property ownership.
• Power of Attorney (GPA/SPA): Registered powers of attorney that authorise someone to act on behalf of the property owner.
• Lease Deed: Long-term lease agreements registered at the SRO.

Online vs Offline Application

IGRS Telangana provides two channels for obtaining certified copies. For documents registered after computerisation (approximately year 2000 onwards in major SROs, later in rural areas), the online route through registration.telangana.gov.in is faster and more convenient. You can search by document number, pay fees online, and receive the certified copy digitally.

For older documents registered before computerisation, physical records are maintained at the respective SRO. In such cases, you must visit the SRO office in person, fill out the application form, and wait for the staff to locate and photocopy the record from bound registers. This process typically takes longer — 7 to 14 working days depending on the age of the document and the SRO's workload.

Certified Copy Coverage in Telangana

IGRS Telangana operates 141 Sub-Registrar Offices (SROs) across 33 districts. Every SRO maintains copies of all documents registered at that office. Major SROs in Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Rangareddy, and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts have computerised records dating back to the late 1990s. Rural SROs may have computerised records only from 2005 onwards, with older records available only in physical format.

When requesting a certified copy, it is essential to know which SRO the original document was registered at. If you are unsure, use our Find Your SRO tool to identify the correct SRO based on your property's location. Alternatively, use our IGRS EC Download tool to search for the document by property details — the EC results will show the SRO and document number for each registered transaction.

Certified Copy vs EC — When Do You Need Which?

A common question during property due diligence is whether to obtain a certified copy or an Encumbrance Certificate (EC). The answer is: you typically need both.

• The EC gives you a list of all transactions registered on a property over a specific period — it is the index. It shows document numbers, dates, parties, and deed types, but not the full content of each deed.
• The Certified Copy gives you the complete content of a specific registered document — the actual sale deed text with boundaries, consideration amount, conditions, and party signatures.

The standard due diligence process is: first, obtain the EC to see all transactions on the property. Then, obtain certified copies of the key deeds (sale deeds, partition deeds, mortgages) listed in the EC to verify the full details of each transaction. Together, they form a complete picture of the property's legal history.