Simplified procedures help 600,000 private owners register lands in Georgia

Georgia used innovative Blockchain technology in its land registration reform.Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Agenda.ge, 12 Feb 2019 - 12:16, Tbilisi,Georgia

More than 600,000 private owners have officially registered their lands in Georgia since 1 August 2016, as the government offered them simplified and cheap procedures, Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze stated today during the presentation of the Land Registration Interim Report.

Bakhtadze hailed the reform as “one of the most successful” which will be shared with interested foreign states.

When I am asked which reform may be ‘exported’, as many country is interested in sharing our successful reforms, I openly say that it is the land registration reform,” Bakhtadze said.

He stated that more than 300,000 hectares of land have been registered since 2016.

The registration aims not only to enlist lands in Georgia, but also protect the interests of owners,” Bakhtadze said.

Georgian Prime Minister delivered his speech at the presentation of the report. 

Bakhtadze stated that land registration is carried out with the use of modern technologies.

Georgia was the first which launched the use of revolutionary Blockchain technology in the public sector and the land registration became the pilot project where the technology was used,” Bakhtadze stated.

Bakhtadze said that Blockchain is the technology which ensures the “highest protection” of the data saved in its systems.

It is very important for us to use innovative technologies in our reforms. The change, erase, re-draft of the illegal usage of the data stored in the Blockchain systems are impossible,” Bakhtadze said.

He called upon private owners to officially register their lands.

Amendments to the legislation offered in 2016 included:

  • Development of a unified standard for surveying drawings;
  • The state will help private owners to procure ownership documents;
  • The state will help owners to resolve land disputes.

The new rules were introduced by the Minister of Justice of Georgia following consultations with industry insiders.