Land in Bamako: checking a title, CUH concession, occupation permit and land title
National and regional Land and Cadastre Directorates; town hall; prefecture
In Bamako, land can be held in several forms: an allocation letter or an occupation permit, a residential urban concession (CUH), or a land title (titre foncier), the only definitive title of ownership. Before any purchase, one simple and cheap step protects against fraudulent sales: checking the title at the Land and Cadastre services. This page follows the six land sheets on the official procedures portal.
Key points (checked on 17 October 2026)
- Checking a title: a request form (réquisition) at the Land and Cadastre services; about 5,000 FCFA; 2 days at most.
- CUH: application to the town hall that owns the land; development fees set by the town hall, plus 10% for the national budget.
- Transfer letter (buying an allocated plot): at the prefecture, with seller and buyer; fees by zone (130,000 to 165,000 FCFA in the sheet's examples); 2 months.
- Land title: at the Land and Cadastre services; registration duty of 15% of the plot price; 6 months at most.
Before buying: check the title
Anyone claiming to be an owner, or their representative, can have the title checked; a buyer can also do so before a sale. You fill in a form called a réquisition, provided by the land administration, with the owner's name and address, the plot number, where relevant the land title number and its registration number, the area and location. The Land services confirm or deny ownership on the back of the form after searching their archives.
| Where | District town hall, cercle land affairs office or Land and Cadastre services, depending on the plot and title |
| Cost | usually 5,000 FCFA |
| Timeline | 2 days at most |
| Address | National Land and Cadastre Directorate, Quartier du Fleuve, PO Box 976, Bamako; (223) 20 23 41 98 or 20 23 41 92 |
It is the cheapest and most useful step of the whole land process: do it before paying any money.
The residential urban concession (CUH)
A CUH gives a right of use over a residential plot allocated by the commune. The application, on a stamped form provided by the administration, goes to the town hall that owns or manages the land, which issues a receipt and enters it in a register. The Land office representative checks that the applicant does not already hold a residential plot in the same urban area and seeks the opinion of the neighbourhood or municipal council.
If the conditions of decree no. 02-112 of 6 March 2002 are met, the mayor signs an allocation decision setting the development fees and the payment date. The notification letter is not a title. After the fees are paid at the town hall, the right is entered in the CUH register and a copy of the CUH, signed by the mayor, is given to the beneficiary. A duty equal to 10% of the development fees is also collected for the national budget.
Documents: application with a 500 FCFA stamp addressed to the mayor, certificate of not owning another residential plot in the area, two photos, copy of ID card, tax clearance certificate, residence certificate and, where relevant, a certificate of the children's household. The texts set no timeline.
The occupation permit
For a plot not intended for housing, you send an application with a 500 FCFA stamp to the prefect. If the prefect allocates it, a payment authorisation is notified; you fill in a form at the land section and pay at the cercle revenue office, BDM or BNDA, then the permit is drawn up and signed by the prefect. Development fees given by the sheet: 80,000 FCFA per plot; timeline: one month from payment.
Buying an allocated plot: the transfer letter
Seller and buyer jointly send the cercle prefect an application with a 500 FCFA stamp, with the seller's power of attorney, copies of both IDs and the original allocation letter. Two officers, including a surveyor, visit the site to confirm that the plot exists and that its markers match the plan; they check the deed against the archives and look up the last owner in the transfer books. After payment of the transfer fees, the prefect signs the new allocation letter. Allow two months.
Fees vary by zone; the sheet, based on a Kati cercle decision of 1 April 2008, gives for example 130,000 FCFA in Banankoro-Kaséla or Moribabougou-Ouenzindougou, 135,000 FCFA in Niamakoro or Kalabancoro-Niamana-Tiébani, and 165,000 FCFA in Dogodouman-Coura or Sabalibougou-Taliko. Several of these localities have been part of the District of Bamako since the law of 13 March 2023: have the amount and the competent office confirmed before paying.
The land title
The land title is the definitive title of ownership. The file goes to the secretariat of the Land and Cadastre director or the cercle land office.
Documents: application with a 500 FCFA stamp addressed to the regional Land and Cadastre director, copy of the ownership deed, copy of ID card, extract of the location plan, request letter, stamp duties (2 × 4 sheets × 1,500 FCFA, i.e. 12,000 FCFA) and two photos.
On unregistered land, the procedure is long: boundary plan by a licensed surveyor, registration request, notice published in a legal gazette and posted for 30 days at the court and town hall, one month to receive objections, boundary marking announced at least 15 days ahead to neighbours, boundary report, then creation of the title in the land book. On land already registered, it is a subdivision: owner's application, plan and boundary marking by a surveyor, copy of the title to be created.
| Costs (portal sheet) | |
|---|---|
| Registration duty | 15% of the plot price |
| Transfer duty | 0.9% |
| Stamp duties | 12,000 FCFA |
| Timeline | 6 months at most |
Converting a CUH, a CRH or a lease with a promise to sell into a land title follows the same logic (subdivision, plan and boundary marking by a surveyor): application with a 500 FCFA stamp, copy of the title, ID card, verification request and two photos; sale price, 15% registration, 1.5% transfer duty and 35,000 FCFA in stamps; about six months.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check a plot is not being sold twice in Bamako?
Have the title checked at the Land and Cadastre services with a réquisition: about 5,000 FCFA and 2 days at most, according to the official portal.
How much does a land title cost in Mali?
A registration duty of 15% of the plot price, 0.9% transfer duty and 12,000 FCFA in stamps, according to the sheet.
Is an allocation letter a title of ownership?
No: only the land title is a definitive title of ownership. A CUH notification letter is not a title of use either.
How long does a land title take?
Six months at most according to the sheet, longer if there is an objection.
Official sources (checked on 17 October 2026)
- Government of Mali, procedures portal, Checking property titles (French) and Land title (French).
- Government of Mali, procedures portal, Residential urban concession (CUH) (French) and Provisional title to land title (French).
- Government of Mali, procedures portal, Occupation permit (French) and Transfer letter for a residential plot (French).
- Official Journal of Mali, law no. 2023-005 of 13 March 2023 on the special status of the District of Bamako (French): localities attached to the District.