Document
Officially certified copy of the registered title plan
Galway Certified Map - Official Certified Title Plan
Quick Answer
A Certified Map proves the registered extent of a Galway property to a reader who did not obtain it - a planning officer, a lender, a court office. It is a sealed physical document showing the parcel as mapped, certified true at its date of issue and posted to you with the Certified Folio, which forms part of the same order.
Proving the registered extent of a Galway property takes more than a printed plan once somebody official is relying on it. The Certified Map is the title plan issued under seal, and that certified copy is what carries weight with a planning authority, a lender or a court office.
Supply the Galway address or folio number. The certified title plan and the Certified Folio are issued together under seal and posted to you within 15 working days.
Buy Certified MapKey Facts
Supplied with
The Certified Folio - certified register entry included in the same order
Shows
The registered extent of the property, identified by plan reference
Delivery
By post within 15 working days
Format
Sealed physical document - no electronic version
Needed for
Planning applications, transfers of part, lending and court use
Boundaries
General boundaries - approximate, not conclusive
County register
County Galway
Faster option
Folio Search delivered electronically within 24 hours
What Is This Document
A Certified Map is an officially certified copy of the registered title plan for a property, issued under seal. Every folio carries a plan reference, and the parcel identified by that reference is the ground the folio describes in words. The certified version of that plan is what carries evidential weight where an ordinary copy will not be accepted.
The certificate speaks to one thing, and it is worth being precise about what. It states that this is a true copy of the registered map as at the date of issue – nothing more and nothing less. That is what allows a reader who did not obtain the document to act on it.
On Galway property the practical question is usually what the plan covers rather than where exactly the line falls. Registration reached parts of the west late, so family holdings often carry short folio histories, so establishing which registered parcel a plan relates to – and whether the holding runs to more than one – is frequently the substantive part of the work.
A Certified Map is the document a planning authority, a solicitor, a lender or a court office will expect when a registered extent has to be proved, and for that purpose it does the job completely. What it does not do is settle an argument about precisely where a boundary lies, which is resolved through the registered instruments, the physical evidence and, where it comes to it, the courts.
One caution matters more than every other point on this page. It does not make the mapped line conclusive. Registration in Ireland operates on general boundaries: the line shows approximately where the division between two properties runs, and certifying the copy does not change that.
So a certified plan proves what the register maps, and stops there. It does not prove where a Galway boundary legally falls. If your question is whether the wall is yours, whether the fence line moved, or how wide a right of access actually is, the plan will not answer it – and a certified plan will not answer it any better than an ordinary one, because certification speaks to the copy rather than the content.
Those questions run on the registered instruments, physical evidence, and where necessary agreement or a court. Conclusive boundary fixing exists as a separate process, but it demands precise mapping and the participation of the parties affected, and it is uncommon. In practice, general boundaries is the rule you are working under.
Which Document Do I Need
Start with what has been asked of you, because the wording usually gives it away. “Certified copy of the map”, “certified site extent” and “certified copy of the folio” all point to this order – the certified plan and the certified register entry are supplied together, so a request for either is covered. “Who owns it” and “what is registered against it” are folio search questions, answered electronically within 24 hours and at a fraction of the wait. Where nothing formal is being submitted and you simply want to see the shape of the Galway parcel, the ordinary title map is enough.
| Need | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| You need certified evidence of the extent for a planning or formal application | Certified Map | €149.99 |
| You want to know who owns it and what burdens are registered | Folio Search, within 24 hours | €32.99 |
| You need the register entry itself in certified form | Included - the Certified Folio comes with this order | €149.99 |
| You need the wording of a burden or a past transfer | Instrument Copy | €349.99 |
| You just want to see the extent for your own information | Ordinary title map | — |
| No folio exists for the Galway address | The title is unregistered - start with a folio search | €32.99 |
What Information Is Included
- Certification and seal: the official certification, with the date the copy was certified
- The registered parcel: outlined and identified by its plan reference
- Folio number and county: the title the plan relates to, in the County Galway register
- Mapped extent: the registered land at the scale the plan is held
- Adjoining parcels: neighbouring registered land shown in context around it
- Mapped burdens: entries capable of being shown graphically, such as a mapped right of way
- Date of issue: the date the plan speaks to, which formal readers check before accepting it
- The Certified Folio: supplied with the map as one order, giving you the certified register entry – registered owner, class of title and burdens – alongside the certified plan
What Is Not Included
There are three situations where the certified plan will disappoint you, and it is better to know them in advance.
The first is a boundary argument. The plan shows the registered position, and that is useful, but general boundaries means it is evidence rather than proof. Where a Galway boundary is genuinely in dispute, the answer comes from the registered instruments, the physical evidence on the ground, agreement between the parties, or the courts.
The second is the terms of a registered right. The plan shows where a right runs; it does not say what it permits. The certified folio supplied with it names the burden, but the wording lives in the registered instrument, which is a separate order.
The third is unregistered property. Where no folio has ever issued, there is no title plan to certify. A folio search against the address establishes which system the title sits in, within 24 hours.
Why People Order
Certified plans for Galway property are ordered in a fairly narrow set of situations, and it is worth knowing which one you are in before ordering.
Commonage adds a share in mapped ground held with others. Establishing which parcel the share attaches to, and proving it to a third party, is exactly the work the certified plan does.
- A planning application where certified evidence of the site extent is required at validation.
- A transfer of part, where the ground being sold has to be defined against the existing registered parcel.
- A sale where the purchaser’s solicitor raises a query about the extent shown on the plan.
Not sure which was asked for? The certified plan and the certified folio come together, so both are covered.
Order Certified MapReal World Use Cases
In practice, certified plans for Galway property are requested by:
Homeowners: Extension and alteration applications, boundary queries with a neighbour, or selling part of a garden.
Solicitors and conveyancers: Transfers of part, replies to requisitions on extent, and applications requiring certified mapping.
Architects and planning consultants: Site extent evidence for planning applications, and establishing what is registered before design work.
Farmers and landowners: Multi-parcel holdings, site transfers to family, sales of individual fields and lease arrangements.
Executors and personal representatives: Establishing and proving the extent of a deceased person’s registered holding.
Developers and site assemblers: Confirming the registered extent of an acquisition target before committing to it.
Land Registry Context
Galway is a compact city with vast rural registers running west into Connemara hill, bog and coast. Demand here rests on a university and tech city alongside a rural west with strong holiday and returning-owner demand, which is what generates the mapping questions.
Locally, two issues recur: commonage registered in undivided shares across hill and bog, so a folio can record a fraction of a mountain; and turbary rights that outlive the households that exercised them, attaching as burdens rather than mapped ground. Both are worth knowing before you read a plan.
The practical consequence for mapping is that a Galway plan often needs reading rather than glancing at. Registration reached parts of the west late, so family holdings often carry short folio histories, so the first question is usually which registered parcel the plan relates to and whether the holding runs to more than one.
Common Mistakes
Treating the mapped line as the legal boundary – the most frequent error, and the reason many Galway boundary discussions start from the wrong premise
Assuming a printed screenshot will be accepted – planning authorities and court offices ask for the certified version specifically
Ordering the plan when the question is ownership – that is the folio, not the map
Overlooking that a holding runs to several parcels – common on rural and multi-parcel titles
Measuring off the plan – it is not drawn to be scaled for legal purposes
Expecting to see the wording of a right of way – the plan shows where it runs, the instrument says what it permits
Relying on a plan issued years earlier – the certificate speaks to its date of issue
Need the wording of a burden shown on the plan? That comes from the Instrument Copy, ordered separately.
Order Certified MapHow To Order
- Start with the Galway address, Eircode or folio number
- The registered title is identified and the plan reference confirmed
- Where more than one parcel is registered, we flag it before ordering
- The certified plan and the certified folio are both issued under seal and dated
- They travel by post together – delivered within 15 working days
- Fast track delivery is available at an additional charge
Turnaround & Delivery
Delivery is by post within 15 working days, and the Certified Folio is supplied alongside the map as one order. Because certification is applied to a physical document under seal, there is no electronic alternative – a scan of a certified map is simply a scan, and formal readers treat it as such.
Two things are worth doing if time is short. Order early, because 15 working days is roughly three calendar weeks. And order a Folio Search at the same time: it arrives electronically within 24 hours and answers ownership and burdens straight away.
Fast track delivery is available at an additional charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Certified Map for a Galway property?
It is an officially certified copy of the registered title plan, issued under seal, showing the extent of the registered land. Certification means a planning authority, lender or court can rely on it as a true copy of the register as at its date of issue.
Does the Certified Map prove where my boundary is?
No, and this is the most important thing to understand about it. Ireland registers general boundaries, so the mapped line shows approximately where the division runs rather than fixing its exact legal position. The certified plan proves what the register maps - not where the boundary legally falls.
How long does a Certified Map for Galway take?
Delivered by post within 15 working days. It is a sealed physical document, so there is no electronic version. Fast track delivery is available at an additional charge if the timeline is tight.
Can I get the Certified Map by email?
No. The certification and seal are what give the document its standing, and they only exist on the physical copy. If you need information quickly, order a Folio Search alongside it - that arrives electronically within 24 hours and covers ownership and burdens.
Do I need the folio number to order?
No. The Galway property address is normally enough for us to identify the registered title. If you already have the folio number for the County Galway register, supplying it will save a step.
Does the map show my commonage share?
It shows the commonage parcel as registered. The share itself is recorded on the folio in words. Establishing which parcel a share attaches to is exactly the kind of question the plan and folio answer together.
What is the difference between the Certified Map and the Certified Folio?
The folio is the register entry in words - registered owner, class of title and burdens. The map is the plan showing the extent of the ground. They answer different questions, and both are supplied together on this order, so you do not have to work out in advance which one the request was aimed at.
Do I get the folio as well as the map?
Yes. The Certified Folio is supplied with the Certified Map as a single order, so you receive the certified register entry for the Galway property alongside the certified plan. Both arrive under seal, by post, within 15 working days.
Will the Certified Map show a right of way?
It shows mapped burdens where they are capable of being shown graphically, so a right of way with a defined route will usually appear. What it will not show is the wording - the terms of the right come from the registered instrument, which is a separate document.
Order the Galway Certified Title Plan
The certified title plan for a Galway property, supplied with the Certified Folio as one order and posted within 15 working days. Fast track delivery available.
Order Certified MapProperty Records Team
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