Government Services · Karnataka · Property Records
How to Get an Encumbrance Certificate Online in Karnataka
An encumbrance certificate (EC) tells you the registered dealings on a property over a chosen period, so you can see whether it carries a registered mortgage or charge or is free. In Karnataka the EC comes from the Department of Stamps and Registration through Kaveri Online Services, where a loaded result is issued as a Form 15 and a clear result as a Form 16 (Nil). The same portal is also used for the online document search and for booking property registration slots. This page explains how to run the EC online, what the report does and does not cover, and how to read it alongside the RTC (record of rights, Pahani) on the Bhoomi land records system before you pay for a property. Last verified October 2026.
- Where: Kaveri Online Services at kaveri.karnataka.gov.in (Department of Stamps and Registration).
- What it is: a Form 15 (loaded) or Form 16 (Nil) record of registered transactions for a chosen period.
- Nil result: means no registered charge was found, not that the property is free of all disputes.
- What it misses: unregistered deals, tax dues and pending court cases do not appear.
- Always cross-check: read the EC with the RTC (Pahani) on Bhoomi, the khata and possession.
01What an EC means in Karnataka
An encumbrance certificate is a statement of the registered documents filed against a property for a set period, drawn from the Sub-Registrar office records. In Karnataka you get it through Kaveri Online Services.
- Form 15 (a loaded EC) lists the registered sales, mortgages, gifts, leases and partitions for that period.
- Form 16 (a Nil EC) means no registered transaction was found for that property in that period.
Buyers use the EC to confirm the registered owner and to check for a registered mortgage or charge. Banks ask for it before a home loan. Kaveri covers registered entries for the years the Sub-Registrar data is digitised; for a very old chain of title you may still need a manual search at the Sub-Registrar office.
02Get the EC online (step by step)
The EC is generated on Kaveri Online Services. Broad steps:
- 1. Open Kaveri and register. Go to kaveri.karnataka.gov.in and create or log in to a citizen account.
- 2. Choose the EC service. Select the online EC or encumbrance certificate option.
- 3. Identify the property. Enter the district, taluk, hobli and village with the survey or site number, or the property schedule details from the deed.
- 4. Set the period. Choose the search period; for a routine check 13 to 15 years is common, and for a full chain go further back.
- 5. Pay and submit. Pay the EC fee online and submit the request.
- 6. Download. Download the Form 15 or Form 16 once it is generated; a digitally signed EC is accepted by most banks.
A wrong survey or site number returns a false Nil. Confirm the exact property identifiers from the title deed and the RTC before you run the search, and if the online EC does not return the property cleanly, the Sub-Registrar office can run a manual search.
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03What the report does not show
An EC only records what was registered. It will not show:
- Unregistered deals. An oral sale, an unregistered agreement to sell or a power of attorney arrangement does not appear.
- Tax and utility dues. Property tax, water and electricity arrears are not in the EC.
- Pending court cases. A title suit, a partition suit or an injunction does not show in the registration search.
- Revenue entries and grants. Grant conditions, PTCL land status and acquisition may sit in the revenue records, not the EC.
So a Nil EC is good, but it is not a full clearance. It means "no registered charge was found", not "there is no dispute".
04Cross-check before you buy
Before a property purchase in Karnataka, read the EC with the revenue record:
- RTC (Pahani) on Bhoomi. For agricultural land, check the RTC and the mutation (MR) extract on the Bhoomi land records system to confirm the recorded holder and the land nature.
- Khata and property tax. For urban property, confirm the khata (A khata preferred) and that property tax is paid up.
- Match the names. The registered owner in the EC should match the recorded holder in the RTC or khata. A mismatch needs an explanation first.
- Limitation and possession. Verify physical possession, ask for tax receipts, and read the limitation period for a property possession suit before you rely on old title.
Reading the EC, the RTC or khata, and possession together catches most title surprises early.
05If the title is in dispute
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
Sometimes the search raises a flag: an old mortgage never discharged, two registered sales of the same plot, a grant land or boundary fight, or a disputed partition. When that becomes a legal matter it goes to a civil court (a title, declaration or partition suit) or a revenue court (boundary, mutation and record corrections), and that is where Claw helps. Once a suit is filed there is a case number and a forum, and you can create a FREE Claw account to track the matter across the court that hears it, with hearing dates and order updates in one place. Claw covers 9,102 courts, benches and forums, so a title suit, a partition suit or a revenue appeal all have a tracking home. You can also search 30 crore+ judgments (Supreme Court decisions from 1950 and High Court decisions from 1990) to see how courts have treated similar title and encumbrance disputes, with results in under 5 seconds, and Claw does not train its AI models on your documents. This is general legal information and case tracking, not legal advice on your property, and a case search that shows nothing only means nothing was found on the forums and date searched.
To check whether a property or a seller already carries litigation, run a case search across Indian courts by party name.
06Sources and further reading
- Kaveri Online Services (Stamps and Registration, Karnataka): kaveri.karnataka.gov.in
- Bhoomi / Karnataka land records (RTC): landrecords.karnataka.gov.in
- eCourts (case status): ecourts.gov.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This page is general information for readers in Karnataka, not legal advice. Portal links and fees change, so confirm on the official Kaveri site before you rely on a search.
07Frequently asked questions
Where do I get an encumbrance certificate in Karnataka?
Through Kaveri Online Services of the Department of Stamps and Registration at kaveri.karnataka.gov.in. A loaded result is issued as Form 15 and a clear result as Form 16 (Nil). If the online EC does not return the property cleanly, the Sub-Registrar office can run a manual search.
How far back should the EC search go?
For a routine check a 13 to 15 year search is common. For a safe purchase, trace the full chain of title back to the root transaction, which may be 30 years or more, so you see every registered sale and mortgage on the property.
Is a Nil EC (Form 16) a full clearance?
No. A Form 16 means no registered transaction or charge was found for that property in that period. It does not cover unregistered agreements, tax or utility dues, or pending court cases, so you still need to cross-check the RTC, khata and possession.
How do I identify the property for the search?
Use the district, taluk, hobli and village with the survey or site number, taken from the title deed and the RTC. A wrong survey or site number returns a false Nil, so confirm the identifiers before you search.
What if I find two registered sales of the same site?
That is a serious title problem and should be resolved before you buy. If it becomes a dispute it goes to a civil court (title or partition suit) or a revenue court, and you can track that matter across the court that hears it and look up how similar disputes were decided.