Tamil Nadu to overhaul registration offices, set up 25 model hubs
Tamil Nadu will rationalise registration offices, create 25 model hubs, and roll out presence-less registration from 2026.
The Tamil Nadu government has announced a major overhaul of the Registration Department, aiming to streamline services and reduce the burden on sub-registrars. Commercial Taxes and Registration Minister D. Logesh Tamilselvan told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that the department will be rationalised so that only one sub-registrar's office functions within each revenue division.
As part of the plan, 25 model registration hubs will be established to offer multiple registration-related services under a single roof. The first phase will cover Vellore, Central Chennai, South Chennai, Chengalpattu and Coimbatore (North).
To manage high-volume offices, the government will provide additional buildings, equipment and facilities to 25 sub-registrar offices. The Minister said this would cost ₹54 lakh under Revenue Expenditure and ₹34 lakh under Capital Expenditure.
A significant change will be the introduction of a Presence-less Registration system. From September 15, 2026, loan documents executed at banks and non-banking financial institutions can be registered without physical appearance at a sub-registrar's office. From October 15, 2026, this facility will extend to settlement, release, partition, revocation of settlement and family arrangement deeds.
The 'Engirundhum Pathivu' (Registration from Anywhere) system will be expanded to 100 sub-registrar offices across the state, reducing the need for people to travel to specific offices.
In related tax administration measures, the Minister proposed a single-window online facility to address trader grievances under GST and earlier tax laws. A separate tax assessment circle will be created in every Commercial Taxes Division for traders under the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, Central Sales Tax Act and other legacy laws.
Petrol and diesel retail outlets that have paid VAT at the first-sale stage and are GST-registered will be exempted from obtaining registration under the Tamil Nadu VAT Act.
The monetary jurisdiction of the single-member Bench of the Tamil Nadu Sales Tax Appellate Tribunal will be raised from ₹1 lakh to ₹1 crore to speed up disposal of second appeals. A State-level Economic Intelligence Wing will also be created to analyse data, monitor official performance and share intelligence-based practices.