Property
Dual Roman-Dutch transport and Torrens registration systems
Guyana operates two parallel land systems: the older Roman-Dutch conveyance by transport passed in open court under the Deeds Registry Act, and a Torrens-style title registration under the Land Registry Act operating in declared land registration areas. Which applies depends on where the land is, and the two require entirely different conveyancing.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National, with the applicable system determined by land registration area
- Deadline — Transport: advertised and opposed within the statutory period before passing in court
- Deadline — Prescriptive title: 12 years of adverse possession under the Prescription Act
Governing law
- Deeds Registry ActCap 5:01
- Land Registry ActCap 5:02
- Title to Land (Prescription and Limitation) ActCap 60:02
In practice
The transport system is a genuine curiosity of Commonwealth property law: title passes when the transport is granted by a judge in open court after advertisement and the opportunity for opposition, a direct survival of Dutch colonial practice. Because the Torrens system applies only in declared areas, the first question in any Guyanese land transaction is which regime governs the parcel, as the searches, documents and timelines differ completely.