What to do when you have lost ownership of your property?

Verified 13 June 2025 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

You are owner of real estate (house, apartment, hangar, land...) and you have lost your deed of ownership ? You can request a copy of your deed of ownership with the notary or the land advertising and registration service. We explain how to do it.

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Application to notary

The notary preserves the original of your deed of ownershipThat's what we call minute.

You can contact your notary's study to get a copy of that document.

It will be for you invoiced to cover unarchiving and copying costs. These fees vary according to the studies.

Who shall I contact

Application to the Land Advertising and Registration Service

The Land Advertising and Registration Service is a administrative and tax department where notarial acts are recorded.

You can get a copy of your deed of ownership with the land advertising and registration department on which the property depends.

The copy is paying (€6 to €30 depending on the type of document).

The demand of copy change according to the registration period in the registers of the land registration and advertising services. It's done by a form preferably sent by registered letter with notice of receipt.

Purchase from 1956

You can use this form :

Copy of documents (bill of sale, donation, joint ownership settlement...) registered after January 1, 1956

Who shall I contact

Please note

In the departments of Moselle, of Lower Rhine and the Haut-Rhin, the land advertising and registration service is called the Land Book.

Purchase before 1956

You can use this form :

Copy of documents (bill of sale, donation, joint ownership settlement...) registered before January 1, 1956

Who shall I contact

Please note

In the departments of Moselle, of Lower Rhine and the Haut-Rhin, the land advertising and registration service is called the Land Book.

Who can help me?

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