How to Record a Land Sale Mutation (Bai Zubani) at a Punjab Arazi Record Centre

Short answer: To record a land sale mutation in Punjab, the buyer, the seller and witnesses go to the Arazi Record Centre (ARC) with CNICs and ownership papers. You get a token with biometrics, pay the fee challan at the Bank of Punjab counter, and give statements to the ADLR.

Many sellers think the sale is finished when money changes hands. It is not. Until the mutation (intiqal) is entered, the land record still carries the seller's name, and that is the record a bank, a court or the next buyer reads.

We read the Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA) page on mutations, its page on entry and attestation of mutations and its home page on 11 October 2026. We did not file a mutation ourselves, so the steps below are PLRA's own, not a test of ours.

A sale mutation changes the owner's name in the land record

A mutation is the official transfer of land ownership in the government record after a sale, gift, inheritance or court order. PLRA says it makes sure the new owner's name is officially recorded in the land register.

For a sale made in person before the Revenue Officer, PLRA calls the route Bai Zubani, meaning oral mutation. The buyer, seller and witnesses state the sale before the officer at the ARC. Inheritance has its own process, covered in how to get an inheritance mutation in Punjab.

You need your CNIC, property details and the right people

PLRA says you need a valid CNIC and ownership documents that show the property details, such as the registry, the fard or the mutation number. The buyer, the seller and witnesses should attend together, so the statements can be recorded the same day.

Get a current fard first so the khewat and khasra numbers are right. The steps are in how to get a fard online in Punjab. If anything in the record looks wrong, fix it before the sale, as in how to correct a mistake in a Punjab land record.

Take the original CNIC of each person. The token step uses NADRA biometric verification, so everyone present should be the real person on the card.

The ARC visit follows five steps

The visit runs from the token counter to the cashier and ends with the ADLR. PLRA lists the order below. If the buyer and witnesses come in one visit, PLRA says the mutation can be completed in a single visit.

1. Go to the reception counter (Istaqbal) at the ARC and register your CNIC. Photograph and biometric verification give you a token.
2. When your token is called, show the required documents to the Service Center Official, who enters the mutation details in the system.
3. The official issues a fee challan from the fees in the system. Pay it at the Bank of Punjab counter and collect the deposited FBR challan.
4. Return both deposited challans to the cashier. The cashier attaches them to the mutation file and sends it to the ADLR.
5. The ADLR reviews the file, then takes photographs and biometrics of all parties and witnesses. The mutation is confirmed and the final documents are prepared.

PLRA also says you can pay the mutation and local government fees by PSID online, and deposit FBR taxes online by generating a challan from the FBR website. If you pay on the same day, you can record your statement before the ADLR the same day.

Fees and taxes are paid in two places

Two sets of payments sit behind a sale mutation. The mutation fee and the local government fees go through PLRA by challan or PSID. The FBR taxes go through an FBR challan. PLRA's mutation page does not print any amounts, so we state none.

The FBR side depends on the sale value and on the tax status of buyer and seller. We explain the federal property taxes in property taxes when you sell in Pakistan. Ask the cashier at the ARC to show the amounts in the system before you pay.

PLRA's two mutation pages describe different routes

PLRA's page on mutations describes the in-person ARC route above. A second page, titled Entry and Attestation of Mutations, describes an application with the registered deed and CNIC copies, checks by revenue staff and attestation by an Assistant Commissioner or Kanungo.

That second page sits under Future Services on the PLRA home page. So we treat the ARC route as the one in use today. If your ARC offers another route for a registered deed, follow the ARC's instruction. For a registered sale deed, the e-registration steps are in registering property online in Punjab.

Once the mutation is confirmed, the new owner can ask for a fard in their name. Keep your copy of the mutation and the paid challans.

Common questions

Can a sale mutation be done in one day?

Yes, PLRA says it can be completed in one visit if the buyer and witnesses come to the ARC and the fee is paid the same day.

What is Bai Zubani?

It is the transfer of land ownership through oral statements of the buyer, seller and witnesses before the Revenue Officer at the ARC.

Which documents are required for a mutation entry?

You need a valid CNIC and ownership documents such as the registry, the fard or the mutation number, which show the property details.

Where do I pay the mutation fee?

At the Bank of Punjab counter at the ARC, or online through a PSID. The FBR taxes are deposited through an FBR challan.

Who confirms the mutation?

The ADLR, the Assistant Director Land Records. The ADLR takes photographs and biometrics of the parties and witnesses before confirming.

Does the buyer have to attend?

Yes. PLRA says to visit the ARC with the buyer and witnesses, and the ADLR verifies all of them.

How we verified this

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

We read the PLRA mutations page, its Entry and Attestation of Mutations page and its home page on 11 October 2026. PLRA's complaints line is (042) 111-22-22-77, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Fee amounts are not published on these pages.