1. Applicable Codes: Guangdong Provincial Regulations on Urban Real Estate Ownership Registration, Guangdong Provincial Regulations on Urban Real Estate Transfers, and GuangZhou Municipal Provisions on Urban Real Estate Registration.
2. Applicability: A property owner who intends to transfer his title to property to another person as the result of a transaction, donation, heritance or another reason shall apply for the registration of transfer of title. Major scenarios include:
(1) Transfer of property title in full or in part due to division of property between husband and wife or divorce;
(2) Transfer of property title in full or in part due to division of co-owned property;
(3) Transfer of property title due to administrative allocation or institutional ownership transformation.
3. Documents Required:
| No. | Type of Document | Name of Document | Number of Copies | Original or Photocopy | Conditions | Remarks |
| 1 | Application Letter | Guangzhou Municipal Application Letter for Registration of Property Title Transfer | 1 | Original | ||
| 2 | ID Paper | Entity and Individual ID Paper | 1 | Photocopy | ||
| 3 | Property Ownership Certificate | Property Ownership Certificate and Co-ownership Certificate | 1 | Original | ||
| 4 | Documents Involved in Real Estate Ownership Transfer | Property Division Agreement (including Housing Splitting Agreement) | 1 | Original | Applicable to properties who division necessitates transfer of title | |
| 5 | Divorce Certificate | 1 | Photocopy | Applicable to properties divided in a divorce requiring transfer of title | ||
| 6 | New and original articles of association and approval of company formation | 1 | Original | Applicable to corporate properties | ||
| 7 | Allocation Certificate | 1 | Photocopy | Applicable to allocated properties | ||
| 8 | Survey Drawings | Property Survey Drawings | Buyers + 1 | Original | ||
| 9 | Other Documents | Legal Instrument and Effectiveness Certificate | 1 | Original | Source of house subjected to ruling by a People’s Court (or an arbitration organization) | Valid judgment, verdict, reconciliation agreement or notice to assist in enforcement issued by a People’s Court; valid award issued by an arbitration organization; or administrative action decision with compulsory enforceability issued by an administrative agency. |
| 10 | Tax Payment (Exemption) Certificate Issued by Tax Authorities | 1 | Original | |||
| 11 | Public Security Bureau’s Door Plate Certificate | 1 | Original | Applicable to properties who door plate has changed |
4. Handling Agency:
(1) Division of property between husband and wife and division of property as ordered by court: Department of Application Processing, Guangzhou Municipal Real Estate Transaction Registration Centre.
(2) Registration of other transfers: Department of Store Housing Registration, Guangzhou Municipal Real Estate Transaction Registration Centre.
5. Date of Completion:
(1) Division of property between husband and wife and division of property as ordered by court: Within one workday of case acceptance at the counter and issuance of the Real Estate Transaction Registration Processing Confirmation.
(2) Registration of other transfers: Within 30 workdays of case acceptance at the counter and issuance of the Real Estate Transaction Registration Processing Confirmation.
6. Authority of Review & Approval:
(1) Division of property between husband and wife and division of property as ordered by court: Level 1 Review & Approval
(2) Registration of other transfers: Level 2 Review & Approval
7. Handling Process:
(1) Division of property between husband and wife and division of property as ordered by court: Review of case acceptance — documents received & distributed — certificate prepared & verified — certificate prepared — certificate issued — filing
(2) Registration of other transfers: Case accepted (six workdays) — documents received & distributed (one workday) — first review (12 workdays) — second review (three workdays) — documents received & distributed (one workday) — certificate prepared & verified (six workdays) — certificate issued (one workday) — filing
8. Fees Payable:
| Fee | Amount | Fee Basis |
| Housing Registration Fee | Residential: RMB 80 per case for entities; RMB 50 per case for individuals. Non-residential: RMB 550 per case (50% concession for “Affordable Housing”) RMB 10 for each additional certificate. | Suijia [2008] No. 174 Yuejia [2008] No. 169 Fagai Jiage [2008] No. 924 Yuejia [2002] No. 116 Suijia [2003] No. 104 Suijia Circular [2003] No. 387 |
| Stamp Duty on Ownership Certificate | RMB 5 per copy | The rate shall be in accordance with the relevant provisions in documents issued by finance and tax authorities. |
| Deed Tax | 3% of the appraised price | The rate shall be in accordance with the relevant provisions in documents issued by finance and tax authorities. |
| Land VAT | To be levied in accordance with the relevant national regulations; actual rates to be set by tax authorities. | The rate shall be in accordance with the relevant provisions in documents issued by finance and tax authorities. |
| Land Transfer Fee | Commercial properties: 35% of the benchmark land price of their grid points, plus 10% of route price for land plots in locations along streets. Office properties: 30% of the benchmark land price of their grid points. Residential properties: for private residential properties (excluding “Affordable Housing”, “Housing for the Needy”, and “Social Security Housing”), 3% of the benchmark land price of their grid points; for institutional residential properties, 30% of the benchmark land price of their grid points. Industrial properties: for commercial infrastructure facilities and commercial warehousing land plots, 30% of the benchmark land price of their industrial grid points; for other industrial properties, 20% of the benchmark land price of their industrial grid points. For purchased public housing, 1% of the sale price. | |
| Deed Tax on Land Transfer Fee | 3% of the land transfer fee payable | The rate shall be in accordance with the relevant provisions in documents issued by finance and tax authorities. |
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