Property
State ownership of untitled land with a registration system
Land legislation vests untitled land in the state and provides for registration of private title. Urban development in Malabo and Bata has driven expropriation and resettlement, and surface rights for hydrocarbon operations are separately regulated.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Registro de la Propiedad registers; ordinary courts decide disputes.
- Deadline — Registration: publicity period before title issues
- Deadline — Expropriation: compensation assessed under the state property law
Governing law
- Ley n° 1/1994 sobre el Patrimonio del Estado
- Legislación sobre el Registro de la Propiedad
- Ley n° 8/2006 de Hidrocarburos — surface and access rights
In practice
Because most land is untitled and vested in the state, and because oil revenue funded large-scale construction, expropriation and compensation have been the dominant property questions rather than conveyancing between private owners.