Fix Land Papers Before Selling in Patna: Seller Checklist 2026

Short answer: before you sell land in Patna, the buyer's dakhil-kharij must be able to go through. That needs your jamabandi online, with the same khata, khesra and enough area as the deed. If an entry is missing or wrong, fix it through Parimarjan Plus. If the jamabandi is still in a dead parent's name, get the inheritance mutation done (free). If the land is joint family land, every heir either signs the sale deed or gives a registered partition or release deed. Clear the land rent and any mortgage. Start 2–3 months before you want to sell.

In Patna, most sales that fall apart do so not over price but over papers: the buyer's lawyer finds the jamabandi in the grandfather's name, an aunt who was never asked, or 8 decimal online when the deed says 10. A buyer who discovers this after paying bayana either walks out or demands a large discount. Fix it before you look for a buyer, and you sell faster and at a better price.

Why the buyer checks your jamabandi first

The Supreme Court (Samiullah v. State of Bihar, 7 November 2025) struck down the Bihar rule that let a registry be refused when the jamabandi was not in the seller's name. So the registry itself will go through. But according to the Revenue Department's mutation FAQ, the buyer's dakhil-kharij can go ahead only when:

• the seller's (previous holder's) jamabandi is online, and
• it carries the same khata and khesra, with enough area, as the sale deed.

And if the seller is not the recorded jamabandi holder (say the land is in the father's name), the buyer must also attach the vanshavali, proof of the seller's relationship to the holder and the consent of the other co-sharers. That is the list you need to have ready.

The six common gaps in Patna, and how to fix each

Jamabandi not online or wrong: Parimarjan Plus

Bihar's jamabandi registers were typed in from handwritten registers in 2017-18, so mistakes in names, khata-khesra, area and rent are common, and some running jamabandis were missed altogether. The Revenue Department's route for both is the Parimarjan Plus portal:

• Error in an entry (name, father's name, address, khata, khesra, area, boundary or rent): apply with evidence; the Circle Officer corrects it after inquiry.
• A running jamabandi missing online: apply to have it digitised.
• If it was entered under the wrong mauza, the department says to apply offline to the Circle Officer.

Keep your deed, khatiyan copy and old rent receipts ready as evidence. Turn on the Bihar Bhumi SMS alert for your khesras; it also tells you when a Parimarjan application on them starts and ends. How to view the jamabandi: check jamabandi, khatiyan and LPC online. Your circle office number: Patna circle officer list.

Jamabandi in a dead parent's name: inheritance mutation first

This is the most common situation in Patna families. The land passed to the children, but the record still shows the father, mother or grandfather. Before selling:

1. Get the death certificate of the recorded holder.
2. Prepare a vanshavali of every living heir: sons, daughters, including married daughters, the widow, and the children of any heir who has died. In villages the sarpanch issues it; for land inside Patna city, ask your circle office (see the vanshavali guide).
3. Apply for inheritance mutation on Bihar Bhumi. Mutation is free; the Circle Officer is to decide within 35 working days if there is no objection, and 75 working days if there is.

A Bihar-specific point: the Revenue Department's special survey FAQ notes that son, daughter and mother get equal shares as Class I heirs. Leaving a daughter out of the vanshavali is the mistake that most often brings an objection, and a stalled sale, later.

Joint family land: who must sign?

If several heirs share the land, you can sell only your own share. A buyer who pays for the whole plot needs every co-sharer on board. Three clean routes:

In our view, an unregistered "consent letter" or notarised affidavit from the other heirs is weak. If someone changes their mind later, it may not hold. Partition with separate jamabandis, then sale, takes a little longer but makes the land the easiest to sell. Full process: partition of ancestral land in Patna.

Bought the land yourself? Is your own mutation done?

Many sellers in Patna bought a plot 10–15 years ago and never completed their own dakhil-kharij. The jamabandi then still sits in the old owner's name, and your buyer cannot mutate from you. Apply for your mutation now, with your registered deed. It is free. If more than 90 days have passed since your purchase, attach a delay condonation petition, as the mutation FAQ says. Process: dakhil-kharij online in Patna.

Rent, mortgage and measurement: the last three checks

• Rent (lagaan): clear the arrears online on Bhu-Lagan. An online LPC, which a buyer's bank often asks for, can't be applied for until rent is up to date.
• Mortgage: if you took a loan against the land, close it and get the deeds back. A buyer will run an Encumbrance Certificate on e-Nibandhan and the mortgage search on Bihar Bhumi; run them yourself first. See EC and loan checks.
• Measurement and boundary: get an amin to measure the plot against the bhu-naksha and your deed, and fix any boundary issue with the neighbour now. Patna plots are sold in kattha-dhur; match the area in kattha with the decimal in the jamabandi (kattha converter).

How long does it take? A realistic plan

So start 2–3 months before you need the money. Then take bayana only once the jamabandi in your name is online, and write the jamabandi number into the agreement.

What should you do? (Our advice)

• Open your jamabandi online today and compare name, khata, khesra and area with your deed, line by line.
• Anything missing or wrong: Parimarjan Plus now, not after you find a buyer.
• Inherited land: inheritance mutation with a complete vanshavali, daughters included.
• Joint land: partition or a registered release, or all heirs sell together. No informal consent letters.
• Take bayana only when the papers are clean, so the buyer has no reason to bargain or back out.

Fixing land papers before selling: frequently asked questions

1. Can I sell land if the jamabandi is not online?

   The registry can go through, but the buyer's dakhil-kharij will not, because the department requires the previous holder's jamabandi to be online with the same khata, khesra and area. Get it digitised through Parimarjan Plus first; most careful buyers will insist on it.

2. The jamabandi is in my late father's name. What should I do before selling?

   Get an inheritance mutation done on Bihar Bhumi with his death certificate and a vanshavali of all heirs, including daughters. It is free and is to be decided within 35 working days if no one objects. If several heirs inherit, also agree on partition, or have everyone join the sale.

3. Do my sisters need to sign if I sell ancestral land?

   If they are heirs to the land, yes. Son, daughter and mother get equal shares as Class I heirs. Each sister should either be a seller in the deed, or give a registered partition or release deed. A buyer's mutation needs the consent of all co-sharers.

4. How do I correct a wrong area or khesra in the online jamabandi?

   Apply on the Parimarjan Plus portal with evidence such as your deed, khatiyan and receipts. The Circle Officer corrects it after inquiry. If the land was entered under the wrong mauza, apply offline to the Circle Officer.

5. What does a release deed cost in Bihar?

   According to the Registration Department's table, a release of a share in ancestral property in favour of a brother or sister, parent, spouse or the children of a predeceased son costs 3% of the share's MVR value as stamp duty plus a ₹1,000 registration fee. Confirm the current figure at the sub-registry office.

6. I bought the plot years ago but never did dakhil-kharij. Can I still sell?

   You can register a sale, but your buyer cannot mutate from you while the jamabandi is in the old owner's name. Apply for your own mutation first with your registered deed; after 90 days, attach a delay condonation petition.

This article was written on 22 October 2026 from the Bihar Revenue and Land Reforms Department's mutation, jamabandi and special survey FAQs and the Registration Department's stamp duty table. Rules, portals and timelines can change; confirm at your circle office and sub-registry office. This is general information, not legal advice.