EC Online Tamil Nadu 2026: View & Download EC Free
You can check an encumbrance certificate (EC) online in Tamil Nadu for free on the Registration Department’s portal, tnreginet.gov.in. Viewing and downloading it needs no login. You need the Sub-Registrar Office (SRO) and one of these: the survey number, the plot or flat number, the ward and block, or the deed’s document number. A certified, digitally signed EC needs an account and a fee.
Open View EC on tnreginet.gov.in
The search runs on TNREGINET, the Registration Department’s portal. It shows every registered deed on the property for the period you pick: sales, mortgages, gifts, settlements, leases and releases.
What you need before you search
The portal offers five search types. Pick the one that matches the papers you have.
| Your property or papers | Details to keep ready | Search type |
|---|---|---|
| Land identified by survey number | Zone, district, SRO, village, survey number, subdivision number | Survey Wise |
| A plot in a layout, or a flat | The same, plus the plot or flat number | Plot Flat Wise |
| Town property recorded under town survey | The same as Survey Wise, plus town, ward and block | Ward Block Wise |
| A registered deed in hand | SRO, document number, year, document type | Document Number Wise |
| An older deed numbered under an earlier series | SRO, the old document number, year, document type | Previous Document Number |
Your sale deed carries most of these details. If you are unsure which SRO covers the property, type the street or village name in the “Know your jurisdiction” box on the TNREGINET homepage first.
How to check EC online in Tamil Nadu, step by step
These steps use Survey Wise, the search most land buyers need. The other four types change only the property fields; they are covered right after.
- Open tnreginet.gov.in/portal. If the page is in Tamil, click “English” at the top right.
- Click the red tile “View/Download Encumbrance Certificate @ Free of Cost”. The page that opens is titled View EC.
- Under “Property Details based Search”, select Survey Wise.
- Leave “Registration Village” selected. If your village does not appear in the list later, come back and choose “Revenue Village”.
- Select the Zone, then the District, then the Sub Registrar Office. Each list fills only after the one before it is chosen.
- Set the “EC Start Date” and “EC End Date” for the period you want to check.
- Under “Survey Details”, select the village, type the Survey No. and the Subdivision No., then click “Add”. The search uses only the survey numbers you have added, so this click matters. Repeat it for each survey number if the property spans more than one.
- Type the code shown in the picture and click “Search”.
- The registered entries for that property and period appear on screen. View or download them free.
Build note (not for publishing): add one dated screenshot of the View EC form with the search type, the village type, the three location lists and the “Add” button marked.
The other four search types
Plot Flat Wise. The form is the same as Survey Wise, with two extra fields: Plot No. and Flat No., each with its own “Add” button. The portal asks for the number only. If your plot is “15A North”, “15/1A” or “15ல் வடக்கு”, enter 15. Add several plot or flat numbers one at a time.
Ward Block Wise. Use this for town property. The portal notes that documents registered with town survey or subdivision details are shown in this search. After the survey number, select the Town, Ward No and Block No, then click “Add”.
Document Number Wise. The quickest search when you hold the deed. It skips the zone, dates and survey fields. Select the Sub Registrar Office, type the Document No., then choose the Year and Document Type.
Previous Document Number. The same four fields as Document Number Wise. Use it for an older deed numbered under an earlier series.
How many years should your EC cover?
There is no single right period. Three things decide it:
- What is online for your SRO. Click “Click Here to know data availability period” on the View EC page before you pick dates. Years outside that range will not show in the free search.
- Who is asking. A bank or the buyer’s advocate usually names the period they want. Ask them before you apply for a certified copy, so you pay for the right years once.
- The property’s history. If the land was resurveyed, subdivided or inherited, search the old survey number and the earlier years too, or the chain of owners will have gaps.
The department’s fee table treats the computerised period as starting from 1987. For years before that, apply for a certified EC; the SRO searches its older registers.
Free EC download vs certified EC
| Free view and download | Certified EC | |
|---|---|---|
| Login | Not needed | TNREGINET account needed |
| Cost | Free | Fees below |
| Issued by | Shown from the portal’s records | The Sub-Registrar Office, with a digital signature |
| Best for | Checking a property yourself before paying an advance | When a bank, court or advocate asks for a certified copy |
How to apply for a certified EC online
- Create a TNREGINET account if you do not have one (“User Registration” at the top right of the portal).
- On the View EC page, click “Apply Online EC” and sign in.
- Enter the property details and the period, the same way as the free search.
- Pay the fee online.
- The SRO issues the EC with its digital signature. Download it from your account once it is issued.
Certified EC fees
From the official “Duty and Fees” page, for one survey number:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | ₹1 |
| Search fee, first year | ₹30 |
| Search fee, each additional year | ₹10 |
| Additional fee, computerised period (from 1987) | ₹200 |
| Urgent EC, non-computerised period | Double the required fee |
The portal shows the exact total before you pay.
Reading the EC you downloaded
An EC is issued in one of two forms. Form 15 lists the registered transactions found in the period. Form 16 is a nil encumbrance certificate: no registered transaction was found. For a full guide to both, see Form 15 and Form 16.
For each entry, check:
- Document number and year, and the nature of the document (sale, mortgage, release, settlement, gift).
- Executant and claimant: the person who gave the property or right, and the person who received it. The last claimant in the chain should be your seller.
- The property schedule: survey number, extent and boundaries should match the deed you are about to sign.
- Open mortgages: a mortgage with no later release entry may still be unpaid. Ask the seller for the bank’s release deed and check it was registered.
The EC shows registered deeds only. Compare the owners it lists with the patta record before you pay an advance.
EC search problems and how to fix them
| What happens | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing comes up after you typed the survey number | The survey number was not added to the search | Click “Add” under Survey Details, then “Search” |
| A plot search finds nothing | The plot number has letters or a slash | Enter the number only: “15A North” becomes 15 |
| Town property is missing in Survey Wise | It was registered with town survey details | Use Ward Block Wise |
| Your village is not in the list | Wrong village type | Switch between “Registration Village” and “Revenue Village” |
| Right village, no entries | The property falls under another SRO | Check “Know your jurisdiction” on the homepage and search again |
| Older deeds missing after subdivision | They sit under the parent survey number | Search the old number, or use Document Number Wise with the deed number |
| Some years are missing | Not online for that SRO | Check the data availability link; apply for a certified EC for earlier years |
| “Apply Online EC” shows a login box | Certified EC needs an account | Create an account, sign in, apply again |
| The captcha keeps failing | Hard-to-read code | Click the refresh icon beside it for a new code |
EC online in Tamil (வில்லங்கச் சான்றிதழ்)
Click “தமிழ்” at the top of the portal to use it in Tamil. The EC tile reads கட்டணமில்லா வில்லங்கச் சான்று விவரம் பார்வை/பதிவிறக்கம். Through the menu, the path is சேவைகள் → மின்னணு சேவைகள் → வில்லங்கச் சான்று → வில்லங்கச் சான்று விவரம் பார்வையிடுதல். The steps are the same in both languages.
EC online Tamil Nadu: common questions
Is an EC free in Tamil Nadu?
Yes, to view and download on tnreginet.gov.in. A certified EC from the Sub-Registrar Office costs ₹1 to apply, ₹30 for the first year searched, ₹10 for each extra year and ₹200 for the computerised period.
Can I check an EC with only the document number?
Yes. Choose Document Number Wise and enter the SRO, document number, year and document type. This search needs no zone, dates or survey number.
How long is an EC valid?
An EC has no expiry date of its own. It covers only the period you searched, so anything registered after its end date will not appear. Take a fresh EC close to the day you sign or register.
Does a nil EC mean the property is safe?
No. A Form 16 nil EC means no registered deed was found for the survey number and period searched. It cannot show unregistered agreements, family disputes or deeds recorded under a different survey number.
Can NRIs check an EC online?
Yes. Viewing an EC needs no account. To apply for a certified EC, NRIs can create a TNREGINET account; the registration form accepts an India OCI passport as ID.
Build note (not for publishing): mark up these five questions with FAQPage schema.