The Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development has introduced a game-changer for land searches in Uganda: the Uganda National Land Information System (UgNLIS). This new online portal allows anyone to perform a land title search quickly and affordably. A title search statement provides crucial details about land, such as the landowner’s name, plot number, block number, size of the land, location, and any caveats or encumbrances registered against it.

Previously, getting a title search statement was a lengthy and costly process. You would need to hire a surveyor, pay about UGX 100,000, and wait for atleast 1–3 working days to receive the document. With the launch of the UgNLIS portal, all of this has changed. Now, you can perform a title search online in just a few minutes for only UGX 10,000. Imagine going from days of waiting and extra costs to getting your results almost instantly—talk about a real-life simplifier!

The portal covers all land titles from 20 zonal offices, meaning you can search for land in any part of the country and get accurate information. The process is user-friendly and only requires a few simple steps:

How to Get a Title Search in Uganda Using the UgNLIS Portal:

1. Create an account: First, go to the UgNLIS portal to set up your account. You can use either your phone number or email address as a username. Once you submit this, you’ll receive a verification code that you need to input on the site. After that, you’ll create a password.
2. Enter your personal details: The next step involves filling in your basic details like full name, date of birth, nationality, and ID type. Once done, your account is ready to use.
3. Top up your account: Before you can make a search, you need to add money to your account. Each title search costs UGX 10,000, and you can top up through mobile money or credit/debit card. One important note is that you’ll need a TIN (Tax Identification Number) to top up your account, although it’s not required for account creation. You can top up more than UGX 10,000, and any extra balance will stay in your account for future searches.
4. Run your search: After topping up, you can enter the details of the land you want to check, including the plot number, block number, county and zonal office. The search process takes 2–10 minutes, and you’ll receive a digital PDF of the title search statement that you can download.

How Reliable is the Information on the Portal?

The Ministry of Lands has been working on transforming land records into a digital format since 2015. The UgNLIS portal is the result of years of development and data organization. The system is connected directly to the Ministry’s official records, so it is as trustworthy as the information in the land registry itself. The system itself is trustworthy and accurate, but like any digital platform, it relies on the quality of the data input. If incorrect information was entered into the system, it could lead to errors. However, as long as the data fed into it is accurate, the results can be trusted, and the chances of fraud or mistakes are greatly reduced.