Cost of Buying Land in Uganda: Every Fee, Dated

What does it cost to buy land in Uganda, item by item?

The table lists each buyer cost we could trace to an official source, with its status as of November 2026. Fees that are negotiated between you and a professional have no official scale that we could verify, so we say so rather than invent a range.

The one cost that moves with the price is stamp duty. Everything else is a small fixed fee or a negotiated professional charge. Our Property Transfer Cost Calculator for Uganda adds the lines for you.

Is stamp duty 1% or 1.5%?

It is 1.5% as of November 2026. The 1% figure is old, but it still appears in some official documents, which is why buyers meet both numbers.

• URA says stamp duty on land is currently 1.5% of the total value as determined by the Chief Government Valuer.
• The Ministry of Lands note on customary land (October 2023) lists a transfer at 1.5% of the consideration, and its May 2025 cost sheet says 1.5% of the value of the land.
• The ministry's own 2025/26 service delivery standards still print 1% for registering a transfer. That page was not updated.
• A Makerere University dissertation title records the change from 1% to 1.5%, so 1% was the earlier rate.

A bill tried to double the rate. The Stamp Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposed 3% on transfers, and the Finance Committee report of April 2026 shows the Ministry giving revenue as the aim, while the committee itself suggested 2%. Dentons, in a guide that reflects the 2026 tax Acts in force from 1 July 2026, reports that Parliament rejected the rise to 3%. Read the full story on our Stamp Duty on Land and Property in Uganda page. Ask your lawyer to confirm the rate with URA on the day you pay.

What is the registration fee, and will it rise?

Registering a transfer on a certificate of title costs UGX 10,000 today, according to the Ministry of Lands cost sheet of May 2025. The Daily Monitor reported on 16 October 2026 that government proposes large increases. These are proposals, not law. The Ministry said they need approval from the Ministry of Finance and Cabinet, and that a statutory instrument is being prepared.

Even if the rise on a transfer goes through, it adds UGX 40,000 to a purchase. The assurance proposal is the one to watch, because 1% of a UGX 100 million plot would be UGX 1 million. The ministry's own standards list a UGX 20,000 assurance charge on freehold, so the "free" in the news report may not match the ministry paper. Ask your lawyer which charge applies to your title.

What does a UGX 100 million plot cost to transfer?

Here is a worked example. It uses only the official fees above and a plot priced at UGX 100 million, with the Chief Government Valuer agreeing that value.

Not included: lawyer, surveyor and agent charges, which you negotiate. Also not included is any gap between your price and the valuer's value. URA says the assessed value may differ from the purchase price, because the Chief Government Valuer works from land values in the area. If the valuer assesses the same plot at UGX 140 million, stamp duty becomes UGX 2.1 million. Our own plot listings show how this scales. The median asking price of the 21 plots in our snapshot is UGX 155 million (Land & Property listings, Nov 2026), so stamp duty alone at 1.5% would be about UGX 2.3 million.

Read how the valuation works in our guide to the Chief Government Valuer and Stamp Duty Valuation.

Who pays the fees, buyer or seller?

URA says stamp duty on land is paid in the name of the buyer, and for a lease in the name of the person the land is leased to. That is the usual rule, though the sale agreement can say otherwise, so read it before you sign. The buyer also pays the registration fee, because the buyer is the one asking for the title to be changed.

The seller has separate duties. If the buyer is a business buying a business asset, the buyer must withhold 6% of the gross payment and send it to URA, and a seller who holds land as a business asset may owe income tax on the gain. We explain both in Withholding Tax on Property Deals in Uganda. Both sides need a TIN once the land is worth UGX 10 million or more, and the TIN is free; see TIN for Land Transactions in Uganda (UGX 10M Rule).

How long does a land transfer take?

The ministry sets its own targets, and they are fast on paper. Its 2025/26 to 2028/29 standards promise a consent to transfer in 3 working days, mortgage registration in 3 working days and land title processing in 10 working days. We could not find a published average of how long transfers really take, so treat these as targets, not guarantees.

Three timing rules come from URA. The Chief Government Valuer's signed consent form must not be older than 6 months when the payment registration number is generated. Stamp duty on an instrument is due within 45 days if it is executed in Uganda, and within 30 days if it is received in Uganda, under sections 13 and 14 of the Stamp Duty Act. Not paying does not void the document, but it makes it inadmissible as evidence in commercial courts, and the fine for executing an instrument without proper duty is up to UGX 2 million, or 6 months in prison, or both. For the full sequence of steps, see how to transfer land title.

What does it cost to own land each year?

Owning plain land costs little in official fees, but the figures depend on how you use it. The Daily Monitor reported in November 2023 that local governments charge property rates on commercial property, up to 12% of the taxable value with a minimum of UGX 2,000, and that the rate does not apply to the home you live in. Whether a vacant plot is charged depends on the local authority, so ask yours.

The ministry also lists a free report on a boundary dispute within 10 working days, and UGX 30,000 for a cadastral sheet on film. Beyond fees, plan for fencing, a caretaker and boundary marks, which are your own costs and have no official price. If you plan to build or rent the land out, read Property Costs, Taxes and Mortgages in Uganda. Buying through a company changes the tax picture, covered in Owning Land Through a Company in Uganda.

What should I do before paying anything?

Do the cheap checks first. A UGX 10,000 search tells you who the registered owner is and whether a bank charge or caveat sits on the title. Then ask your lawyer for a written list of every fee, and compare it with the table on this page. If you buy from abroad, our guide to the cost of buying land in Uganda from abroad adds bank and currency costs. You can also ask our team on WhatsApp or by email, and we will point you to the right step.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Property Costs, Taxes and Mortgages in Uganda
• Land Title Transfer in Uganda: Forms, Fees, Timeline
• Property Transfer Cost Calculator for Uganda
• Stamp Duty on Land and Property in Uganda
• Withholding Tax on Property Deals in Uganda
• Chief Government Valuer and Stamp Duty Valuation