How to Find Real Estate and Land Register Information in Uruguay

Land Regsiter Information (“LRI”) is available to anyone looking for information related to ownership, lease, mortgage or expropriation related to real estate property.

Access to the LRI is available both online and in person. You could access by web or request in person at any State Land Regsitry Office.

Dirección General de Registros: www.dgr.gub.uy

In case you access remotely, you need to have a UY ID Number as “username”. In case of doing in person, there is no need of UY ID, anyone could file a request.

https://portal.dgr.gub.uy/index.php?option=com_sppagebuilder&view=page&id=284

https://www.dgr.gub.uy/sr/loginStart.jsf

There is no “professional user account” however, you might need “notary” assistance to enter “the request” with precise and correct information of the property, to get relevant outcome.

The LRI is only available in “Spanish” language.

For the search of LRI, you need to have the “number”, “type”” and “location” of the  property (“plot”).

For LRI the “property” is named as “plot” which has  two “types” and is identified with a number and location.

The “plot” (“padrón” in Spanish) has a number and could only be “urban” or “rural” (typoe of plot), where “Urban” is for real estate located in cities and “rural” is for land on the countryside.

Finally the “location” of the plot is essential to know the correct LRI you are looking and refers to any of the 19 Uruguayan States.

The LRI system is not linked to who (person) ownes the propertry, there is no list of property belonging to an individual or corporation available by entering the name or ID number of an individual or Corporation.

First, you identify the “property” and request information to the Real Estate Registry Office at State of the Porperty.

The information obtained from a plot will specify:

• who is the owner or co-owners
• lease, morgate and expropriation over the property
• if it is been subject to a litigation procedure

To obtain information of specific “property” (“plot” according to Uruguayan LRI system), you need to know “plot” number”, type of plot (urban or rural) and “state” (“Departamento” in Uruguay).

Whe filling a request,  ther application form requests to specify the Plot number, type and location.

Every “Request” is up to 3 plots and has a cost of USD 50 “common” request or USD 100 for “urgent” requests.

In case of “buildings” you additionally need the “Unit” (apartment) number.

There are no restrictions regarding the information you can obtain regarding ownership and secured transactions related such plots.

There are no property related documents available with the outcome of the LRI.

The outcome will state only information related to:

• owner
• date of ownership
• price (in case it was purchased)
• seller or previous owner
• title by which it became owner
• lease agreement related to the plot
• mortgate(s) in case of secured transactions related to the plot
• expropiations

There is only one kind of certificate you can apply for and it will provide all the abovementioned information.

It is possible to get an specific document related to an specific registered transaction related to the property by requesting a “Registration Testimony” of a specific “Registration Number”. The request has a cost of USD 50 for “common” request or USD 100 for “urgent” requests. The outcome would be a copy of the document registered at the Regsitry Office identified with the specific Registration Number.

Another property-related information available is a “Plan of measurement, demarcation and area” of plots delivered by Ministry of Transport and Public Construction (MTOP).

https://planos.mtop.gub.uy

“Plot precedents” information, when a plot has been divided or have been merged becoming bigger and different plot identification. This information is given by “Cedula Catastral informada”, rendered by Land National Office (Dirección Nacional de Catastro).

http://sede.catastro.gub.uy

Yes it is possible to obtain information on pending litigation concerning the property.

In case the property is subject/object of litigation, the party of the litigation (plaintiff, defendant of third party called to trial) could demand a “precautionary measure” called  “notation of litis” (“anotación de litis” in Spanish) over the property requesting its “registration” at Public Registry Office. In case is granted, any other who may intent to purchase the property would know from public registry information that the property is subject/objet of litigation.