Almost every document checklist for buying a flat in Bangalore includes the Encumbrance Certificate, usually shortened to EC. Banks ask for it, lawyers ask for it, and sellers are often told to keep a fresh one ready. Yet many buyers collect it without knowing what it proves, and what it does not.
An EC is a record of the registered transactions on a property over a period of years, such as sale deeds, mortgages and their releases. It shows what has been registered against the property. It does not prove who truly owns it.
What Is an Encumbrance Certificate?
An encumbrance is a legal claim or burden on a property, most commonly a home loan mortgaged to a bank. The EC is issued by the Sub-Registrar through the Kaveri portal of Karnataka's Department of Stamps and Registration. It lists the registered entries it finds for the property during the period you ask it to search.
Form 15 vs Form 16
You will see two form numbers on an EC. You do not choose between them. Which one you get depends on what the records show for the period searched.
| Form 15 | Form 16 (NIL EC) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it means | Registered transactions were found in the period searched | No registered entries were found in the period searched |
| What it lists | Each entry: sale deeds, mortgages, releases and similar | Nothing, because the search found no entries |
| Watch out for | Every mortgage should be followed by a release | It is not proof of a clean title |
You may also hear about Form 22. That is the application form used at the Sub-Registrar's office. Online, you enter the same details on the portal instead.
A NIL EC is not a clean-title certificate. It only means the registered records searched showed no entries for that period. A Form 16 can still sit on top of a property with other problems.
Why Buyers, Sellers and Banks Ask for It
- ● To trace the chain of registered sales leading to the current seller
- ● To spot a loan or mortgage that was taken on the property and never released
- ● To satisfy the bank, since lenders typically ask for an EC as part of a home loan file
- ● To confirm that nothing new has been registered between signing an agreement and registering the sale deed
What an EC Does Not Tell You
This is where buyers get a false sense of safety. An EC is built from registered documents, so it generally will not show:
- ● Agreements and arrangements that were never registered
- ● Unpaid property tax or society maintenance dues
- ● Whether the property has an A Khata or a B Khata
- ● Court cases or disputes that have not been recorded as registered entries
- ● Whether the seller's title is valid in the first place
That is why the EC is one check among several. Our resale flat buying checklist covers the rest, and our Khata guide explains the Khata check the EC cannot do.
How to Get an EC Online
Getting an EC Offline
If you prefer the counter, or the portal does not cover the years you need, you can apply in person:
- ● Visit the Sub-Registrar's office that covers the property's location
- ● Collect and fill in Form 22, attaching the supporting documents they ask for
- ● Pay the prescribed fee for the number of years requested and keep the acknowledgement
Older entries may exist only in manual records, so a long search period can need a manual EC from the Sub-Registrar in addition to the online one. Sources give different start dates for the portal's computerised records, in the early 2000s, so ask the office which years the online EC actually covers.
What It Costs
Published fees vary, so check the portal. Online ECs are commonly quoted at roughly ₹25 to ₹30 for the first year of search and about ₹10 for each additional year, with small administrative charges on top. The portal calculates the exact amount before you pay, and that figure is the one to trust.
How to Read Your EC
When to Get One
An EC only covers the period up to the date it was searched, so anything registered afterwards will not appear on it. Get one before you pay an advance, and get a fresh one just before the sale deed is registered. We cover why that second check matters in our Sale Agreement vs Sale Deed guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. It records registered transactions. It supports your checks on the seller's chain of title but does not prove title by itself.
Not necessarily, since many sellers still have a home loan. Look for the release entry after the mortgage, or ask for proof that the loan has been closed or will be closed at the time of sale.
In practice, yes. Banks typically ask for an EC as part of the loan documents, and they may specify the number of years they want it to cover.
Online applications are often quoted at a few working days for the digitally signed copy. Offline applications at the Sub-Registrar's office can take longer, especially for older records.
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View Pricing & Get StartedLast verified: October 2026. Encumbrance Certificates in Karnataka are issued through the Kaveri portal of the Department of Stamps and Registration. Published fees, form details, the portal address and the start date of online records differ between sources and change over time, so confirm the current position on the official Kaveri portal or with your local Sub-Registrar before you apply. This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Have a property lawyer review your documents before you buy.