Document
Registry of Deeds Search
Getting a Copy of Your Title Deeds in Ireland
Quick Answer
To get a copy of your title deeds in Ireland, the document you actually need depends on whether the property is registered. For registered land the modern equivalent of the deeds is the folio and title map, ordered from the Land Registry and delivered electronically. For unregistered land the deeds sit in the Registry of Deeds. A search from the address establishes which applies.
People asking for “a copy of the title deeds” almost always want proof of what they own and on what terms. The official register holds that record as the folio and map for registered land, and it is ordered online from an address alone.
Send what you have - address, townland, or the names of the parties. The deeds search is delivered electronically, with the timeframe confirmed when we scope the search.
Buy Registry of Deeds SearchKey Facts
Coverage
All of Ireland
Delivery
Electronically, timeframe confirmed on scoping
Needed to order
An address or Eircode is normally enough
Registered land
Recorded on a folio, identified by number and county
Unregistered land
Evidenced through the Registry of Deeds instead
Boundaries
General boundaries - mapped approximately, not conclusively
What Is This Document
The request for “a copy of the title deeds” is a familiar one, but in Ireland it needs translating, because for most property the deeds have been superseded by the register.
For registered land – the great majority of property that has changed hands in recent decades – the title is the folio, together with the title map. The folio sets out the registered owner, the class of title and the burdens; the map shows the registered extent. These are what a solicitor, a lender or a purchaser actually works from, and they are the modern equivalent of the old title deeds. They are ordered from the register and delivered electronically, so getting “a copy of the deeds” for registered land means, in practice, ordering the folio and map.
The original historical deeds that led to first registration are not held by the Land Registry and are not needed to prove ownership: the folio does that on its own, as conclusive evidence of the registered owner’s title.
For unregistered land, the position is different. Title has never been registered and rests in the chain of deeds, recorded by memorial at the Registry of Deeds – a separate office and a separate system. A copy of an unregistered title is obtained from there, and the deeds themselves are typically held by the owner or their solicitor. The Land Registry cannot supply those, because they are not part of the register it maintains.
So the honest answer to “how do I get a copy of my title deeds” begins with a question: is the property registered? A search from the address settles it and points to the folio and map, or to the Registry of Deeds, accordingly.
Which Document Do I Need
Different questions need different documents:
- Get the modern equivalent of the deeds for registered land → Folio Search
- See the registered extent on the title map → Land Registry Map
- Get official proof of title under seal → Certified Folio
- Establish whether the property is registered at all → Title Search
- Read the wording of a right of way or charge → Instrument Copy
| Need | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Get the modern equivalent of the deeds for registered land | Folio Search | €32.99 |
| See the registered extent on the title map | Land Registry Map | — |
| Get official proof of title under seal | Certified Folio | €149.99 |
| Establish whether the property is registered at all | Title Search | — |
| Read the wording of a right of way or charge | Instrument Copy | €349.99 |
What Information Is Included
An order for the title records of a registered property returns:
- The registered owner or owners, with the date of registration
- The class of title – absolute, qualified, possessory or good leasehold
- The property description in Part I, by townland and county, with the plan reference
- The burdens registered in Part III – charges, rights of way, wayleaves and covenants
- The Land Registry map showing the registered extent, where ordered alongside
- The folio number and county, which identify the property on any later order
What Is Not Included
The folio and map give the title record for registered land. They do not include the original historical deeds, which the Land Registry does not hold; set out the wording of the instruments behind Part III burdens; carry evidential weight without certification; or apply to unregistered land, whose deeds are at the Registry of Deeds. Those need an instrument copy, a certified copy, or a Registry of Deeds search.
Why People Order
- Selling a property: A seller assembles the folio and map at the outset, since that is what a purchaser’s solicitor will want rather than a box of old paper.
- Remortgaging: A lender wants the registered position on file, and the folio and map supply it.
- Confirming what you own: An owner uninvolved in a transaction simply wants to see the registered extent and any burdens for their own peace of mind.
- Administering an estate: Executors obtain the folio and map to establish and prove what a deceased relative owned.
- Settling a boundary or access question: The folio and map are the starting point for understanding the registered extent and any registered right of way.
- Inherited or gifted property: Someone taking on a property confirms the title records before doing anything further with it.
- Checking an older property’s status: Where a property may be unregistered, the search shows whether the enquiry moves to the Registry of Deeds.
- Replacing paperwork gone missing: Where the physical documents are lost, the folio and map re-establish the position for registered land.
- Gifting or transferring within a family: Someone transferring registered land to a relative starts from the folio and map that describe what is being transferred.
- Applying for planning or a grant: Where a body asks for proof of the property, the folio and map supply the registered record from an address.
- Keeping records up to date: An owner who has bought, renovated or divided a property confirms the current registered position on file.
Not sure whether the property is registered or unregistered? A folio search settles that within 24 hours.
Order Registry of Deeds SearchReal World Use Cases
Homeowners: Most people asking for their title deeds own registered land and actually need the folio and map, which prove ownership and show the extent. Ordering them online from the address is quicker and cheaper than searching the house for old paper.
Sellers: Providing the folio and map with the contract documentation shortens a sale and surfaces any registered burden while there is time to deal with it, which a loose bundle of deeds would not do as cleanly.
Executors and Personal Representatives: Establishing exactly what a deceased relative owned is done from the register, and the folio and map give a defensible record of each holding for the estate.
Solicitors: Practitioners work from the folio and map on any registered title, and order the record at the outset of a file rather than relying on whatever documents a client can produce.
Overseas Owners: Owners abroad who cannot access documents held in Ireland order the folio and map from the address, which is the record that matters and travels electronically.
Buyers and Their Solicitors: On a purchase, the folio and map are the documents the buyer’s side actually works from, and ordering them from the address early gives a clean record of the registered position before the seller’s paperwork is even produced.
Land Registry Context
Understanding why “a copy of the title deeds” resolves into the folio and map requires understanding what registration of title replaced.
Before registration, ownership was proved by investigating a chain of deeds – a bundle of documents each recording a transaction, which had to be examined afresh on every sale. Registration of title was introduced to replace that with reliance on a single state-maintained record, and under the Registration of the registration legislation the register is conclusive evidence of the title of the registered owner, subject to the burdens noted on it. For registered land the folio therefore does the work the deeds once did, and the historical deeds themselves become largely redundant – which is why the Land Registry does not hold or reissue them, and why the folio and map are what people actually need.
Compulsory first registration was extended county by county over several decades and reached Dublin and Cork on 1 June 2011, so registration on sale now applies across the State and the great majority of property is registered. What remains unregistered is generally older property that has not been sold in a long time. For that property the deeds system still governs, and title is recorded by memorial at the Registry of Deeds – a distinct office whose registration determines priority between competing instruments rather than guaranteeing title. Whether a property is registered or unregistered is therefore the first thing a request for a copy has to establish, since it decides which office the copy comes from and what form it takes.
The folio map is subject to the general boundaries rule, so it shows the registered extent approximately rather than fixing the exact line. And the first step in obtaining a copy of any title is to establish which of the two systems the property is in, because that determines whether the copy comes from the folio or from the Registry of Deeds.
Common Mistakes
Expecting a single “title deed” for registered land: Registered title is a folio, not a deed. There is no single document to reissue; the folio and map are the record, ordered from the register whenever they are needed.
Asking the Land Registry for the original historical deeds: The Land Registry does not hold the original deeds that preceded first registration, and they are not needed – the folio proves ownership on its own as conclusive evidence.
Assuming every property has a folio: Older property that has not sold in years may be unregistered, its title in deeds at the Registry of Deeds. A search establishes which system applies before you order.
Ordering by folio number without the county: Folio numbers repeat across counties, so a number without its county returns the wrong property or nothing. An address locates the folio reliably.
Confusing the folio with the terms of a burden: The folio records that a right of way or charge exists and refers to the instrument that created it. The wording is in that instrument, ordered separately as an instrument copy.
Waiting for the original deeds to turn up: For registered land there is nothing to wait for. The folio and map are the record and can be ordered at once, rather than searching for historical paper that the register has already made unnecessary.
Found the memorial you need? The registered instrument itself is a separate order.
Order Registry of Deeds SearchHow To Order
Send the address and Eircode of the property, or the folio number together with its county. You do not need a folio number – the search locates the folio from the address – and the county matters where you do supply a number, since numbers repeat across the country.
Say whether you want the folio, the map, or both together, which is the usual pairing for anyone who wants the full title record.
Where the property proves to be unregistered, we tell you so, so that you know the deeds are at the Registry of Deeds rather than on a folio.
Turnaround & Delivery
delivered electronically, with the timeframe confirmed when we scope the search
The folio and map are supplied as electronic copies, sent to the email address you provide, so nothing waits on the post. Each order is checked against the property you described before it is sent.
If the property cannot be identified from the details supplied, or the land turns out to be unregistered so that no folio exists, we contact you rather than sending something that does not answer your question.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a copy of my title deeds in Ireland?
For registered land you order the folio and title map, which are the modern equivalent of the deeds and are delivered electronically from an address. For unregistered land the deeds are recorded at the Registry of Deeds. A search establishes which applies.
Does the Land Registry hold my original deeds?
No. The Land Registry holds the folio and map, not the original historical deeds that preceded first registration. Those are not needed to prove ownership, because the folio is conclusive evidence of the registered owner's title on its own.
Is the folio the same as the title deeds?
It is the modern equivalent. For registered land the folio and map do the job the deeds once did - proving ownership, the class of title and the burdens - and they are what a solicitor or lender actually works from today.
Can I get the deeds online?
For registered land, yes - the folio and map are ordered online and delivered electronically. For unregistered land the deeds are held at the Registry of Deeds and by the owner or their solicitor, and are obtained differently.
What if my property is not registered?
Then there is no folio, and the title rests in deeds recorded by memorial at the Registry of Deeds. The search tells you the property is unregistered, so you and your solicitor know the enquiry moves there rather than to the folio.
Do I need a certified copy?
Only where a lender, another solicitor or a court has to rely on the record. For your own information an ordinary copy of the folio and map is enough; certification under seal is ordered where evidential standing is required.
What does a Registry of Deeds search actually return?
Memorials - registered summaries of deeds, not the deeds themselves. A memorial records the parties, the date, the nature of the dealing and the lands affected, and is the route to identifying the original deed.
How far back do the deeds records go for property in Ireland?
Memorials have been registered since 1708, so the record can run considerably further back than land registration. Coverage depends on whether the parties chose to register a memorial at the time.
Order a Deeds Search
Memorials, priority and chain of title from 1708. Scoped and quoted before work begins.
Order Registry of Deeds SearchProperty Records Team
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