Patna: Old land records in Bihar will be made available for download online from June, in a move the state government says will end the need for residents to visit registration offices and wait months for access to archived documents.
Officials from the state’s registration department said the initiative forms part of a wider land survey programme scheduled for completion by 2027. As part of the overhaul, old land deeds and registry papers are being digitised and uploaded to the department’s website. Users will be able to download the documents on payment of a Rs 600 fee.
To access the records, applicants must log on to the department’s portal at https://nibandhan.bihar.gov.in, complete an online form and provide details including their account number and plot number. The system is currently being trialled and is expected to be fully operational from June, allowing landowners to obtain copies of historical records from home.
According to officials, around 40 million documents dating from 1990 to 2005 have already been scanned across 141 registration offices in the state and uploaded to the portal. Records from 1908 to 1990 are now being digitised, with the work expected to be completed by April.
The government has said that once the digitisation drive is finished, land registration processes will move fully online from 2026.
Until now, residents seeking older land documents were required to submit applications in person at registration offices. Officials would then manually search archives, a process that often took several months and left applicants waiting for extended periods. The introduction of the online system is intended to streamline access, reduce delays and limit the need for physical visits to government offices.
