Deeds Registries (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 18)

The Minister of Justice has replaced the whole fee schedule in the Deeds Registries Regulations, 1977, and repealed the 2021 fee amendment (S.I. 24 of 2021).

The main registration fees are US$10 to register a deed of grant, and US$50 to register a document required to be attested or prepared by a conveyancer or notary public — the same US$50 whether or not stamp duty is payable. Registering a deed of donation trust costs US$80, and amending or updating one costs US$20.

Smaller charges: noting or uplifting a caveat US$20, a Registrar's report to court US$30, any other act by the Registrar not listed US$30, a document search US$5, an extract from a register for newspaper publication US$5, a copy of a document US$1 per page, and certification of a document US$20.

For conveyancing firms, the standing costs matter most: registration as a user is US$120, user renewal is US$100 a year, and rental of a lodging box is US$120 a year.

On currency, the fees may be paid in local currency at the RBZ interbank mid-rate prevailing on the date of payment — with one exception. Where stamp duty is payable in foreign currency under section 24A of the Finance Act, the fees must strictly be paid in United States dollars.

No commencement date is stated; the regulations were gazetted on 2 February 2024. Note that the schedule was published while the ZWL was still in use and the local-currency footnote refers to ZWL, which the ZiG replaced in April 2024.