There is a target from the Royal Cambodian government to map and have all land titles approved and issued over the next few years, and although the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC) has implemented digitalisation improvements, the registration of land in Cambodia is still time-consuming.
So far in 2024, 2,633 investment projects have been approved in the construction which cover a total area of more than 10 million square meters, which is down from 12 million square meters in 2023.
Land Title Certificates Distribution To Be Completed by 2027
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced in November 2024 that the aim is to have the distribution of land title certificates completed before the end of 2027. This was announced at the annual meeting of the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC).
The timing has been targeted as it will be the 40th anniversary of former prime minister Hun Sen initiating the granting of private ownership of land to Cambodian citizens.
Minister H.E. Say Samal reaffirmed the government’s commitment to completing the land registration process and emphasised its importance in “promoting stability, development, and equitable land use across the nation.”
At the meeting, Hun Manet encouraged the Cambodian provincial and municipal governors to actively ensure the issuance of land title certificates for the citizens.
- Over the past year, the government has measured and registered more than two million plots of land.
- Nearly 590,000 new land titles have been issued.
- A further 1 million parcels of land are still to be surveyed and demarcated.
- Kampong Cham province was the first province to complete all land surveys and demarcations.
- In Mondulkiri province, nearly 90,000 hectares of land have been surveyed and registered, with more than 40,000 land ownership certificates issued. A total of 331,439 hectares of state land are registered, representing around 18% of the total area.
Government Spokesperson H.E. Pen Bona said this is vital for preparing detailed administrative maps, infrastructure blueprints, and land use master plans, ultimately enhancing citizens’ livelihoods and economic opportunities.
In total, Cambodia has registered over 7.7 million private land parcels and to date, the ministry has issued 7 million land titles and surveyed 3 million new parcels.
The Ministry also has a target to complete all land registration by 2025 which is intended to resolve all land disputes and strengthen land rights and management.
In 2024, The MLMUPC confirmed that Cambodia has attracted US $4.3 billion of investment capital from the construction sector in 2024.
Land Disputes To Be Settled
For the issuance of state and collective land certificates, there have been 15,690 reported land disputes, of which 14,919 cases have been resolved, leaving 1,041 disputes still under review.
Prime Minister Hun Manet confirmed that the Royal Government plans to allocate approximately US $100 million for land demarcation to resolve land disputes.
He said, “In this new mandate, we have prepared 5,000 officers to work (measure and demarcate the boundaries). I have approved an increase in the budget, and we plan to allocate US $100 million to complete this task.”
MLMUPC Digitisation
Although there have been efforts by the MLMUPC to offer more digitised services, registering land in Cambodia still requires boots on the ground and an in-person visit to the ministry which can be time-consuming.
In September 2024, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction (MLMUPC) launched a new suite of digital public services as it embarked on its ongoing digital transformation, aligning with the Royal Government’s Pentagon Strategy for Economic Development and Digitalization.
The digital transformation is intended to streamline public access to land management services.
The procedural flow of services entails 5 steps from creating an account, applying online with all documentation and selecting the service:
- Vente and Donation Definitive Services
- Hypothec and Mortgage Services
- Documents Tracking Via QR Code
- Documents Saved and Requested and
- Declaration of Adjudication Areas
Once requested and accepted, the applicant will receive a notice to pick up their final documents and pay the service fees at the Phnom Penh Department of Land Management, Urban Planning, Construction and Cadaster.
Adding QR Codes to Land Certificates
The MLMUPC and the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication (MPTC) have been working together to standardise QR codes and add them to land certificates which can more easily authenticate important information via the government’s verify.gov.kh.
This document verification platform was launched alongside the cmhl.gov.kh, to identify property location in the Kingdom.
The idea is that property owners with land certificates can go to the MLMUPC’s website to look up their land information such as location, area, and type of land among others by typing in the number of their land certificate and a security code.
This forms part of the priority actions in accordance with the Cambodia Digital Government Policy 2022-2035 of the government’s Pentagonal Strategy-Phase 1. Titled, “Cambodia: My Homeland” the combination of QR codes linked to blockchain technology is intended to ensure secure and verified documentation.
Under the system, the property owners can request public services regarding land administration by paying a service fee of 20,000 riels (approximately US $5) and pay digitally via e-banking services such as ABA Pay, Wing, VISA, and MasterCard.
You can read more to understand the differences between Land Titles in Cambodia.
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