Property
State land ownership with concessions following the plantation redistribution
Most land was nationalised after independence from the former roça plantation estates and remains state-owned, with private use granted by concession or long lease. Registration is with the Conservatória do Registo Predial. Redistribution programmes have granted smallholder titles from former estate land.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Conservatória do Registo Predial registers; the Direcção de Agricultura administers state land; the courts hear disputes.
Governing law
- Lei de Terras
- Código Civil 1966 (as received) — property provisions
- Código do Registo Predial
In practice
The roça estates — large colonial cocoa plantations — were nationalised at independence, and the subsequent redistribution to smallholders is the origin of most current São Toméan land holdings, which is why concession and allocation records rather than deeds are often the operative documents.