Technical article
Checking the Title Before You Buy: What the Register Shows in Ten Places
In Panama, one online guide says a buyer of possession-right land does not hold true ownership.
Picture a retired couple who have found a flat they love in southern Europe and a house they like in Latin America. The seller in each case hands over a paper from the local register and says, "Here is the title." The couple have two grown children who will one day inherit whichever home they buy. They ask a plain question. What does this paper prove?
What each register shows
| Place | The check | What it shows | Who stands behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Nota simple | Owner and share, the property description, and charges such as mortgages, embargoes and easements | It is an extract for information. The formal proof is the certificacion registral. The buyer's own lawyer checks the history. |
| Portugal | Certidao permanente | Registrations in force and pending requests, valid six months, online with an access code | The government service that issues it |
| Italy | Notary's 20-year search | Third-party rights and liens, found before the deed is filed in the real estate register | The seller guarantees title by statute. The buyer has 8 days to report a breach and one year from possession. |
| Greece | Land Registry and Cadastre | Ownership at the local registry, with the Cadastre replacing it step by step | A lawyer's certification after due diligence is widely accepted as evidence |
| Mexico | Background folio at the state Public Registry | Liens and some litigation | Title insurance exists but is uncommon |
| Panama | Public Registry search | Liens, and whether the land is titled or only a possession right | The buyer's own search |
| Colombia | Certificado de tradicion y libertad | Owners, mortgages, embargoes and limits on the date it was issued | The state registry issues it. A notary or lawyer still studies the title. |
| Thailand | Chanote or condominium title | A true ownership title, as against possession rights | A full Land Department search |
| Turkey | Land Registry record | Transfer takes effect only on registration | The records are public and held to be reliable |
| Dubai | Title deed and online check | Owner and mortgage on the online check | The deed is the main document. The online check only confirms it. |
Where the sources differ in weight
The Spanish point comes from one law firm's guide, and a second guide says the notary is a neutral official who does not run the title check for the buyer. The Portuguese and Italian points come from a government page and a legal practice guide. The Mexican and Greek rows come from the same practice guide. It adds that Mexican buyers usually rely on indemnities, escrow holdbacks or price adjustments in place of title insurance.
In Colombia, one law firm says a recent certificate is needed, and that any downloaded copy can be checked with its code on the registry portal. The national investment agency says the buyer asks the registry for the certificate, not the seller, dated within 30 days. It says a title study looks back 10 or 20 years. One property portal also lists "falsa tradicion", which means the seller does not hold full ownership.
In Panama, one online guide says a buyer of possession-right land does not hold true ownership. A separate legal guide lists what a good check covers: the owner of record, the chain of title, mortgages, liens, attachments, court orders and restrictions.
In Thailand, a practice guide says wrongly issued titles are not unknown, so a full search is needed. It also says foreigners may own up to 49% of a condominium's titled floor area.
In Turkey, a developer agency says that since 4 March 2019 a foreign buyer needs an appraisal report from the Land Registry's appraisal department, and the deed value must match it.
A fair objection
You might say: the register belongs to the state, so whatever it shows must settle the matter. In several places it does carry weight. In Spain and Colombia the paper says in plain terms that it does not replace a lawyer's study, and in Dubai the online page is a check on the deed, not a replacement for it. So the paper tells you what the register holds. It does not always tell you who is liable if the register is wrong.
Who it touches
The register is also where your children's names will go. In Portugal, one guide says an heir must first register the home in the heirs' names before it can be sold. In Spain, heirs prove their status with the will and the Registry of Last Wills certificate, or with a notary declaration of heirs. In each place the heirs start from what the register already says about the home.
Doors you could open
You could ask the seller for the register extract before the deposit, and note the date printed on it. You could ask your own lawyer, in writing, what the extract does not show. You could ask whether title insurance is used in that place, and if it is rare, who pays when a lien turns up.
When you checked a title abroad, what did the paper leave out? Share it here. Someone else may be holding the same page.
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Date read: October 2026.
Sources
- Costa Luz Lawyers nota simple guide (C)
- Chambers Real Estate 2026 for Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Mexico, Thailand and Turkey (B), buying guides for Spain and Panama on a foreign-resident advice site (U)
- Portuguese government certidao permanente service page (A)
- Colombia Move guide (C)
- Metrocuadrado portal (U)
- Invest in Colombia real estate chapter (A)
- Multilaw Panama guide (B)
- Terra Real Estate news item on Turkish appraisal reports (C)
- Baker McKenzie Dubai real estate guide (B)
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