In Johor, the Land Office fee to register a property transfer (Form 14A) is a fixed amount by price band: RM2,500 for a price above RM500,000 up to RM600,000, rising by RM500 per RM100,000 to RM4,500 at RM1 million, plus RM250 for every additional RM50,000. It applies to Malaysians and foreigners alike. An official title search costs RM150 per title. Charge (loan) registration and other land fees follow the Johor Land Rules as amended from 1 April 2026; your lawyer quotes them as disbursements, and the buyer pays them.
People searching for “Johor land office registration fees” usually want one number: what will the Pejabat Tanah or PTG Johor charge when my unit is transferred into my name? This page answers that with the official figures, then covers the other Land Office items (searches, charge registration, consent fees), who pays each one, how strata titles affect the timing, and how these fees fit into a typical payment schedule. For the bigger items on the same bill, stamp duty and legal fees, see our stamp duty guide.
Johor land office registration fees for a transfer
Since 1 July 2025, Johor charges a fixed registration fee for transfers by property value, set out in PTG Johor Circular No. 3 of 2025. The circular states the new registration fee applies to both Malaysian citizens and foreign interests.
| Property value | Transfer registration fee |
|---|---|
| Above RM500,000 to RM600,000 | RM2,500 |
| Above RM600,000 to RM700,000 | RM3,000 |
| Above RM700,000 to RM800,000 | RM3,500 |
| Above RM800,000 to RM900,000 | RM4,000 |
| Above RM900,000 to RM1,000,000 | RM4,500 |
| RM1,000,000 and above | RM4,500 + RM250 for each additional RM50,000 |
Source: PTG Johor Circular No. 3/2025, section 4.1.1. Quick examples: a RM650,000 unit attracts RM3,000; a RM1,200,000 unit attracts RM4,500 + 4 × RM250 = RM5,500. The circular’s banded table starts above RM500,000; for a lower-priced property, ask your lawyer for the figure that applies.
Other Land Office fees: searches, charge and consent
The transfer fee is the largest Land Office item, but several smaller ones appear on the same lawyer’s bill.
- Official title search (carian rasmi): RM150 per title, per PTG Johor’s 2026 search form (Borang C2, amendment 01/2026). Lawyers search the title before the SPA and again before presenting the transfer, to confirm ownership, encumbrances and restrictions.
- Charge registration (Form 16A): when you buy with a loan, the bank’s charge is registered together with the transfer. This is a fixed per-title fee under Schedule 6 of the Johor Land Rules 1966.
- 2026 fee revision: the Johor Land (Amendment) (No. 1) Rules 2026 took effect on 1 April 2026 and, according to the Johore Bar, brought substantial increases to land administration and registration fees, including caveat fees. Because published summaries of the new schedule are still thin, rely on your lawyer’s written quotation for the charge and caveat figures rather than older online tables.
- Foreign buyers: state consent costs a RM2,000 application fee per title plus the state levy (3%, minimum RM30,000). See our Johor state levy guide.
- Titles with a restriction in interest: where the title itself requires state consent to transfer or charge, PTG Johor’s 2026 checklists list a RM100 application fee per title plus an approval fee by property category.
Who pays the registration fees?
The buyer pays to register the transfer and the buyer’s loan charge; the seller pays to clear any existing loan on a subsale. Your lawyer collects these as disbursements and pays the Land Office for you.
| Item | Usually paid by | When |
|---|---|---|
| Title searches | Buyer (via lawyer’s disbursements) | Before the SPA and before presentation |
| Transfer (Form 14A) registration | Buyer | When the stamped transfer is presented |
| Charge (Form 16A) registration | Buyer (borrower) | Presented together with the transfer |
| Discharge of the seller’s existing charge | Seller | On redemption of the seller’s loan |
| State consent fee and levy (foreigners) | Foreign buyer | After consent is approved |
Check the cost clauses in your SPA. On some new launches the developer’s SPA states which party bears particular disbursements, so ask your lawyer to walk you through them at signing.
Payment schedules: when each cost falls due
Registration fees come late in the process, after the deposit and stamping. How late depends on whether you buy a completed subsale unit or a new launch.
Subsale (completed unit with strata title)
- Booking and SPA: earnest deposit and balance deposit, commonly 10% in total; title search done before signing.
- Stamping: the SPA, loan agreement and transfer are stamped; the stamp duty on the transfer is the big item here.
- Consent (if needed): foreign buyers, or titles with restrictions, wait for state approval.
- Presentation and registration: the transfer and charge are presented at the Land Office and the registration fees are paid.
- Completion: the bank releases the balance; the completion period in a subsale SPA is commonly three months plus a one-month extension.
New launch (under construction)
For a new launch you pay a 10% deposit, then progressive billing under the Schedule H SPA as construction moves forward, with vacant possession due within 36 months for a standard strata SPA. Our progressive payment guide sets out each stage. The transfer is registered only once individual strata titles exist, so the registration fee is often paid years after the SPA.
Strata title issues on new launches
When you buy off-plan, there is no individual title to transfer yet, so ownership moves in two steps.
- Before strata title: your rights rest on the SPA. If you take a loan, the bank secures it by an assignment of your SPA rights rather than a registered charge.
- Strata title issued: the developer’s master title is subdivided into strata titles. The government’s PEMUDAH task force has stated that strata titles must be handed over together with vacant possession, a requirement in place since June 2015.
- Perfection of transfer: your lawyer then registers the transfer (Form 14A) into your name and, if financed, the bank’s charge (Form 16A). This is when the Johor registration fees above are paid.
Two practical tips. First, keep funds aside for registration even though it may be years away; fees can be revised in the meantime, as Johor did in 2025 and 2026. Second, register promptly once titles are issued, so your name is on the register and resale is straightforward.
Worked example: Land Office fees on a RM850,000 purchase
Take an illustrative completed unit at RM850,000 bought by a Malaysian with a bank loan. This is a round number, not the price of any project.
- Transfer registration fee: RM4,000 (band above RM800,000 to RM900,000).
- Official title searches: 2 × RM150 = RM300 (before the SPA and before presentation).
- Charge registration: per the current Schedule 6 rate, as quoted by your lawyer.
So the Land Office items run to a few thousand ringgit, a small share next to the stamp duty and legal fees. A foreign buyer of the same unit would also need state approval for a serviced apartment under RM1 million, with a RM50,000 levy minimum and the RM2,000 application fee; see our Johor foreigner minimum price guide.
Planning a purchase near the RTS Link? Causewayz Square is a freehold project in JB city centre with strata titles to follow on completion, targeted around 2030. Unfamiliar terms such as MOT, DOA and strata title are explained in our JB property glossary. WhatsApp us for the latest SPA price list and a full cost sheet for the unit you like.
Sources
- PTG Johor: Pekeliling PTG Bil. 3 Tahun 2025 (transfer registration fees)
- PTG Johor: Borang C2 official search application (2026)
- Johore Bar Circular No. 31/2026: Increase in Johor Land Office registration fees
- Johore Bar Circular No. 29/2025: Implementation of amended rates
- PTG Johor: Transfer consent checklist (2026)
- EdgeProp: Strata title must be issued upon delivery of vacant possession
This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice. Fees are as published at November 2026 and can change; confirm current figures with your lawyer.