Correcting Errors on a Land Title

What kinds of errors can a land title have?

Errors on a land title usually fall into a few groups. Knowing which one you have decides the route.

• Clerical errors in a name. A misspelt first name or surname, a missing second name, or a name that differs from the National ID.
• Address or particulars of the owner. An old or wrong address.
• Wrong plot or block number, or wrong description. A typing slip, or a description that does not match the deed plan.
• Wrong area. An acreage that does not match the land actually occupied or the survey.
• A parcel that overlaps another title. Two certificates that claim the same ground, because of a survey or misdescription error.

The first two are the simplest. The last two are more serious and can affect neighbours, so they bring in notices and hearings. If the error is a missing or lost document rather than a mistake, read Lost Your Land Title? What to Do in 2026. For the wider rules on titles, see Uganda Land Law and Land Titles Explained. This page is general information as of November 2026, not legal advice.

What power does the registrar have to correct a title?

Part X of the Registration of Titles Act is headed Rectification of Titles. Section 156 says a proprietor may apply to have a certificate of title amended where the boundaries, area or position of the land described in it differ from the land actually and bona fide occupied by them under that title, or where the description in the certificate is erroneous or imperfect on its face. Section 157 lets a proprietor apply to rectify another proprietor's certificate where, because of a survey error or misdescription, the applicant's occupied land is included in another title.

Where other people may be affected, the Act requires notice. Section 159 says the registrar publishes notice of the application at the applicant's expense at least once in the Gazette, serves notice on anyone the registrar thinks fit, posts it outside the office of the district commissioner in whose area the land lies, and appoints a time of not less than 14 days from first publication after which the application may be granted unless a caveat is lodged. Section 160 requires special notice, with a plan, to the registered owners, lessees and mortgagees of land that would be affected, and section 161 lets anyone with an interest lodge a caveat against the application. Under section 163 the registrar then rectifies the register and may withhold registration of dealings until the duplicate is brought in, and section 164 allows the amended duplicate to be returned or a new one issued free of cost.

Section 151 adds a tolerance. When dealing with applications to amend a certificate or adjust boundaries, the registrar may disregard a difference in boundary dimensions of one in five hundred or an encroachment, excess or deficit of up to 1 percent. A larger gap needs the full process. The Act also says that a certificate procured by fraud is void against those party to the fraud (section 77), so a claimed typing error cannot be used to hide a fraud. The registrar may also summon people to explain and produce documents (section 165).

Section numbers here are from the Cap. 230 text hosted by the Ministry of Lands. Uganda's laws have been consolidated in a revised edition, so the chapter and section numbers may now differ. Check the current numbers with your advocate.

How do I correct my name on a land title?

The Ministry of Lands procedure sheets (Series 11 and 12, both dated March 2011) give the basic steps for rectifying the register without notice, which is the route usually suited to clear clerical mistakes:

1. Write a complaint to the Commissioner Land Registration describing the error on the register.
2. Present the letter to the Commissioner's secretary with the duplicate certificate of title and a set of photocopies. The photocopies are stamped Received and returned to you.
3. Check after 15 working days that the register and the duplicate title have been rectified. The sheet states that no fees are required.

The Ministry's service standards list several relevant services separately: registering a change of names and address at 5 working days with a registration fee of UGX 10,000, registering correction of errors on certificates brought by the client at 5 working days with the same fee, and rectifying the register without notice at 5 working days at no cost to the applicant. Which one applies depends on whether the registry treats your case as a change, a correction or a rectification, so ask the registry which service number and fee apply.

On documents, the ministry sheets we read list only the complaint letter and the duplicate title. A registry may also ask for proof that the two names are the same person, such as a National ID, a passport, a birth or marriage certificate, or a sworn statutory declaration. The documents we could verify do not say what every office asks for, so ask in writing and keep the reply. If you are abroad and your passport spells your name differently from the title, read land title in my name while abroad. Fix any name error before you sell, because a transfer made on a mismatched name can be refused or challenged. See How to Transfer Mailo Land.

What if the acreage on my title is wrong?

Do not assume the paper is right or wrong. Get a surveyor to measure and compare. If the survey differs from the title, the route is usually an application under section 156, which carries the notice steps described above because a boundary change can affect neighbours.

• Small differences. Section 151 lets the registrar disregard dimensional differences of one in five hundred or a 1 percent excess or deficit when amending. Ask the registry whether your difference falls within that.
• Survey and deed plan. The Ministry's service standards list a boundary-opening report for dispute resolution at 10 working days at no cost to the applicant, issuing deed plans on request at 5 working days, providing survey data at 2 working days at UGX 10,000, and approving a subdivision or mutation at 5 working days at UGX 20,000. These are targets, and real times vary.
• Overlapping titles. Where your land is included in a neighbour's title, section 157 allows rectification of their certificate, with notice to them and a chance to object.
• Disputes. If a neighbour objects or lodges a caveat, the matter may end in court. The registrar's powers do not replace a court where title is contested.

Note that under section 44 of the Act, the area need not be stated on a certificate for a parcel under one acre, and omitting it does not invalidate the certificate. So a missing area on a small plot is not by itself an error to correct.

How long does it take, and what does it cost?

Because the two ministry documents do not clearly agree on the fee for amendment of the register, ask the office. The Gazette notice in section 159 is paid by the applicant, and surveyor and advocate fees are separate and not set by the ministry. The older (March 2011) procedure sheet for rectification with notice describes the sequence: a written complaint, a Notice of the intended rectification issued by the Commissioner after about 5 working days, a hearing letter to all parties, and a 21-day notice to confirm the rectification. Times in the standards are targets. Plan for longer, and avoid signing a sale agreement with a hard completion date until the title is corrected.

What should I do before I buy or sell with an error on the title?

If you are a seller, correct the error first. A buyer's advocate will find it, and a mismatch between the title and your ID or the plot description can stall a transfer. If you inherited the land and the name is still the dead owner's, you need transmission before anything else, so read Title Still in a Dead Owner's Name. If the registered owner is a child, see Can a Child Own Land in Uganda?.

If you are a buyer, do not accept the promise that the error will be fixed after payment. Make the corrected title a condition of completion, or pay only a small deposit until it is done. You can order a title check so we help you read the search and spot mismatches, or browse plot listings.

Listings available now

Live from Land & Property on 4 November 2026. Prices are the sellers' asking prices.

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Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Uganda Land Law and Land Titles Explained
• Lost Your Land Title? What to Do in 2026
• Title Still in a Dead Owner's Name: Buying Safely
• How to Transfer Mailo Land
• Put the Title in Your Own Name, Not a Relative's
• Can a Child Own Land in Uganda?