Maharashtra makes Aadhaar verification mandatory for property registration from October 1

Maharashtra’s Registration and Stamps Department, under the state Revenue Department, has made Aadhaar-based verification of the parties mandatory for property registration from October 1, 2026. Under the rule, documents will not be registered unless the parties complete the prescribed Aadhaar-based identification, which is being used to authenticate the identity of both buyer and seller – with biometric authentication (such as fingerprint) reported as part of the process. It applies to 63 categories of document registration, including sale, purchase, mortgage and partition deeds. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the measure is meant to strengthen safeguards against fraud and to reduce the scope for impersonation, fake identities and fictitious witnesses – the loophole where forged PAN cards, passports or voter IDs have been used to register property in someone else’s name. For those without an Aadhaar number, the department has allowed an alternative route using an Aadhaar enrolment acknowledgement receipt along with another government-issued ID and documents establishing the person’s relationship to the other parties.

For honest buyers and sellers this is a protection, not a hurdle: tying a registration to a verified identity makes the classic impersonation fraud – someone selling a property they do not own using a forged ID – much harder to pull off.

The practical takeaway if you are transacting in Maharashtra is simple: make sure your Aadhaar details are current and that both parties are ready for the verification step at the sub-registrar’s office, so your registration is not held up. If you do not have Aadhaar, keep the enrolment receipt and supporting IDs ready. As with any new process, expect some early teething at registration offices while the system settles in.

Sources: Punekar News (Oct 1, 2026), Pune Pulse (Oct 1, 2026)