Finding the most recent record at the Lands Department is the only way to confirm ownership of land in Belize. Documents stored at the National Archives or the Lands Department reveal the history of a property. This confirmation is necessary for property transfer or any matter involving land.
If a property is in a declared area and it is registered, the Lands Department can provide a copy of the register which will show the name of the owner, location, size and registered instruments for the property if any. If the land is not registered, the owner will be shown as UNKNOWN, indicating that the land owner does not possess a land certificate and therefore cannot transfer or use the old title in any legal matter.
If the land is in an undeclared area, it does not have a land certificate and the title can be a First Certificate of Title (FCT), a Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT), a deed, a conveyance or a Minister Grant Fiat. Uncertified or Certified copies of these can be obtained from the Lands Department or Archives. However, an abstract of title is normally required to ensure that no transfer or encumbrance have been registered after the date the document was lodged with the Department.
