Transfer Inherited Land in Punjab: Intiqal Virasat Documents and Steps

To move a dead relative's land into the heirs' names in Punjab, any one legal heir goes to an Arazi Record Centre (ARC) with the death certificate, the NADRA family registration certificate (FRC), an affidavit, the property details and CNIC copies of all legal heirs. No succession certificate is on the list. Field staff check the family tree, then the inheritance mutation is attested at the ARC.

That list is the Punjab Land Records Authority's (PLRA) own, published in the FAQ on punjab-zameen.gov.pk. We read it on 27 September 2026, together with the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1967 as amended in May 2026, on the Punjab Code.

An inheritance mutation, called intiqal virasat, is the entry that replaces a dead owner's name with the names of the heirs, each with a share. Until it is done, the heirs cannot sell, divide or mortgage the land in their own names.

Documents for an inheritance mutation in Punjab

PLRA lists five things for an inheritance mutation at an ARC: the death certificate, the FRC form, an affidavit, the property details, and CNIC copies of all legal heirs. Any legal heir can apply. PLRA does not say every heir must come to file it.

The FRC matters most. It is NADRA's list of the family, and it is how the ARC knows who the heirs are. Get the family registration certificate before you go, and check that every child, including married daughters, is on it. If the death has not been registered yet, apply for the death certificate first.

For the property details, a recent fard is the easiest proof. You can get a fard online in Punjab or at any ARC.

A succession certificate is not needed for land

PLRA's document list for inheritance mutation does not include a succession certificate. The Land Revenue Act treats inheritance as its own route into the land record, separate from a letter of administration. For ordinary farm land and rural plots, the ARC route is enough.

Section 42 of the Punjab Land Revenue Act says a person who acquires land "by inheritance or letter of administration" must report it. Section 42-A says that report goes to the designated official at the Arazi Record Centre. So the law gives two routes, and inheritance does not wait for a certificate.

A succession certificate from NADRA is still the document for bank accounts, shares and vehicles. Some buyers and banks also ask heirs for one. That is their demand, not a condition of the mutation.

How inheritance mutation works at an Arazi Record Centre

An heir registers at the ARC reception with CNIC, photo and fingerprints, and submits the documents. Field staff then verify the shajra nasab, the family tree in the revenue record. After their report, the Revenue Officer attests the mutation and the heirs' names go into the record.

1. Go to the ARC reception, register your CNIC and give your photo and fingerprints for a token.
2. When your token is called, hand the documents to the service centre official, who enters the mutation.
3. The file goes to field staff to verify the shajra nasab against the FRC.
4. After their report, the Revenue Officer attests the inheritance mutation at the ARC.
5. Collect an attested copy and check each heir's name, CNIC and share.

PLRA says a mutation can be entered at any ARC in Punjab. The statements, though, are recorded before the Revenue Officer of the area where the land lies. Once approved, the change shows in the Jamabandi, the periodic land register, straight away. Each approved mutation copy carries a QR code you can scan to verify it.

Fees and time for intiqal virasat

We could not find a fee for inheritance mutation on PLRA's pages. The 3 per cent mutation fee and 1 per cent district council fee that PLRA lists apply to a sale, not an inheritance. Pay only what the ARC challan shows, at the Bank of Punjab counter or through PSID online.

Section 46 of the Act lets the Board of Revenue fix mutation fees, payable by the person in whose favour the entry is made. For time, section 42(10) says that if the Revenue Officer makes no order within three months of the report, he must report the delay to the Collector.

We also looked for a free doorstep inheritance mutation service on PLRA's site and did not find one. PLRA does run Mobile Arazi Record Centres for remote areas. Anyone offering to "arrange" the mutation for a fee is not selling an official service.

How daughters' shares are recorded

Every legal heir named in the FRC and the shajra nasab goes into the mutation with a share, and PLRA asks for the CNIC of all of them. Being married or living in another city does not remove a daughter from the list of heirs. If she is, there are fixed remedies.

The shares follow the heir's personal law. For Muslims, the commonly stated rule is that a daughter takes half of a son's share, and the full inheritance shares in Pakistan depend on who survives. Check the fractions on the attested copy before anyone signs anything.

• A wrongly approved inheritance mutation is appealed before the Assistant Commissioner, PLRA says.
• If nobody attests your mutation, apply to the Assistant Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner or PLRA.
• A woman kept from her property can complain to the Ombudsperson for women's property rights under the Punjab Enforcement of Women's Property Rights Act 2021.

After the mutation, the heirs usually own the land jointly. Section 135-A says the Revenue Officer must then give all joint owners notice to agree a private partition within 30 days. If they do not, he starts partition himself and must decide within 60 days.

Mistakes in the mutation and how to fix them

A wrong name, CNIC or share can be reviewed by the same Revenue Officer, but only before the mutation enters the Jamabandi. After that, correction goes through the District Collector. PLRA says record correction is free.

Report service problems on PLRA's helpline, 0800-PLRA, or through the complaint system in the Punjab Zameen app.

Common questions

Do all heirs have to visit the ARC for an inheritance mutation?

No. PLRA says any legal heir can apply, with CNIC copies of all legal heirs. The Revenue Officer may still call heirs during the inquiry.

Is a succession certificate required for inheritance mutation in Punjab?

No. PLRA's list is the death certificate, FRC, affidavit, property details and heirs' CNIC copies. A succession certificate is for bank accounts and similar assets.

How long does intiqal virasat take?

PLRA gives no fixed time. The law says a delay past three months from the report must be explained to the Collector.

What is the fee for inheritance mutation in Punjab?

PLRA does not publish one on the pages we read. The 3 per cent fee it lists is for sales. Pay only what the ARC challan shows.

Can a daughter's name be left out of the intiqal?

No. Every legal heir goes on the mutation. Appeal a wrong mutation to the Assistant Commissioner, or complain to the Ombudsperson.

Where do I appeal a wrong inheritance mutation?

Before the Assistant Commissioner. Other kinds of mutation go to the District Collector, PLRA says.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 27 September 2026. The inheritance mutation documents, the shajra nasab verification, the ARC token and ADLR steps, entry at any ARC, the QR code, the sale fees, the fard fee, free partition and record correction, the Mobile ARCs, the appeal routes and the helpline are read in PLRA's English FAQ and service text on punjab-zameen.gov.pk. Sections 42, 42-A, 46 and 135-A are read in the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1967 on the Punjab Code, including the amendments of May 2026. The Ombudsperson route is read in the Punjab Enforcement of Women's Property Rights Act 2021. We found no published fee or doorstep service for inheritance mutation, and we did not file one ourselves.