The Zemesgrāmata (Land Register) is Latvia's official public register of rights over immovable property. Maintained by the district courts, it records ownership, mortgages, easements, and other encumbrances affecting each registered property.
Registration in the Zemesgrāmata is constitutive: a transfer of ownership takes effect legally only when entered in the register, not when the contract is signed. A buyer who pays but does not register promptly risks a claim by a subsequent registered owner or a creditor of the seller.
The register is organised around cadastral units. Each entry shows the property description by reference to the State Land Service cadastre, the current owner, mortgages and their ranking, easements, and any restrictions on disposal.
Latvia has a fully electronic Zemesgrāmata, searchable via the official portal zemesgramata.tieslietas.gov.lv. Certified register extracts (nostiprinājuma apliecības) can be ordered online and are accepted by banks and courts.
The registration fee is calculated as a percentage of the transaction value. There is also a stamp duty (valsts nodeva) payable on registration of a transfer. Both fees are paid by the buyer unless otherwise agreed.
Standard registration takes up to 10 working days. Expedited registration (paātrināta reģistrācija) within one to three days is available for a higher fee.
The register is public. Anyone can search for ownership and encumbrance information online. Certified extracts require a fee.
Nostiprināšana is the Latvian term for registering or endorsing a right in the Zemesgrāmata. The notary submits the corroboration application after the deed is signed.