Most property fraud in Islamabad succeeds because the buyer never checked a document, or checked the wrong one. This page sets out which documents matter, what each actually proves, and where to verify them.
This is the first question, because it decides every other answer. Getting it wrong is why people verify with the wrong office and come away reassured for no reason.
| Where the property is | Who governs it | Records held by |
|---|---|---|
| CDA sectors (F, G, E, I, D, B series) and CDA schemes | Capital Development Authority (CDA) | CDA Estate Management |
| Private housing societies inside ICT | CDA (approval / NOC) + the society | CDA Planning + society office |
| Rural / revenue land inside ICT | ICT Administration | ICT Land Revenue Office, Patwari |
| DHA Islamabad | DHA Islamabad-Rawalpindi | DHA Transfer & Records |
| Bahria Town and similar private schemes | The scheme's own administration | Scheme transfer office |
| Anything on the Rawalpindi side | RDA, and Punjab land record | RDA + PLRA / e-Khidmat Markaz |
An Islamabad plot is verified through CDA; Rawalpindi falls under RDA and the Punjab land record instead. They are different systems with different records.
Shows who is recorded as the owner today. Issued by the land record centre or Patwari. Ask for a fresh Fard — one issued within the last few days — not a copy the seller has been carrying around. For land under the Punjab system a genuine Fard carries a QR code that can be scanned against the PLRA portal.
The registered instrument that legally transferred the property to the current owner, executed before the Sub-Registrar. This is what makes a sale lawful.
The entry that moves ownership in the state's own record after a sale. A registry without a mutation is a common and dangerous gap.
Registry, Intiqal and Fard only protect you as a set. The registry legalises the sale, the intiqal moves ownership in the record, and the Fard shows who holds title now. Any one of them alone proves very little.
For CDA and scheme plots, this is the document the authority issues to the allottee. It is not the same as a registry, and a "file" is not the same as an allotment with possession.
Based on CDA's published procedure, a transfer in a CDA sector needs:
CDA routes this through its One Window Operations Directorate; the NDC for residential property is issued by Estate Management. The published timeline is roughly two to four weeks, with an urgent option (about three working days) against a higher fee. CDA has also relaxed some requirements for transfers between family members. Confirm the current requirement and fee with CDA directly — procedures and fees change.
A perfect file for a plot in an unapproved scheme is still a bad purchase. CDA periodically publishes lists of housing and agro-farming schemes it has not approved — in 2026 it flagged around 98–99 such schemes in Zones 3 and 4 and began sealing offices. Always verify a scheme’s current standing directly with the relevant government body (CDA, RDA or FGEHA) before you look at any individual plot.
| Office | Contact |
|---|---|
| CDA — general Block-V, Sector G-7/4, Islamabad |
051-9252573 contactus@cda.gov.pk |
| CDA — Public Grievance & Complaints Cell Mon–Fri, 8:30am–4:30pm |
051-9253016, 051-9252962 cdacares@cda.gov.pk |
| CDA — Member (Estate) Estate matters, transfers, allotments |
9252648 (Ext. 215) member.estate@cda.gov.pk |
| CDA — Public Information Officer | +92-51-9252972 |
| CDA helpline | 1819 |
| CDA One Window Operations Facilitation centre, G-7/2 — transfers and NDC |
Via the CDA numbers above |
| ICT Land Revenue Office Rural / revenue land inside Islamabad |
Contact the office directly |
Contact details taken from CDA's own published contact page. Always confirm against cda.gov.pk before relying on them — numbers and postings change.
A CDA transfer needs a judicially stamped indemnity bond recorded before a Notary Public, and overseas buyers and sellers usually need a properly drawn power of attorney. We can put you in touch with an authorised Notary Public.
About notarisation (service not open yet) Staying safeProcedures, fees and requirements change, and this page is a general guide written for advertising-site visitors — it is not legal advice and must not be relied on as a substitute for your own lawyer and your own enquiries with the relevant authority.