“New Land First” Proposal
Q1: What is “new land first” proposal?
A: Under the "new land first" proposal, title registration will be implemented on newly granted land first (i.e. land granted by the Government after the commencement of the Land Titles Ordinance (Cap. 585) (“LTO”)). The conversion of existing land registered under the Land Registration Ordinance (Cap. 128) ("LRO land") will be pursued at a later stage in a subsequent legislative exercise after a few years of implementing title registration on new land and subject to the reaching of consensus with the key stakeholders on the conversion mechanism.
Q2: Why is it proposed to implement title registration on newly granted land first?
A: The implementation of title registration on newly granted land is relatively straightforward. The task of preparing an amendment bill for implementing title registration on new land is simpler. This will help speed up the preparatory work for the implementation of a title registration system in Hong Kong, which will enable the public and industry practitioners to enjoy the benefits of the new system earlier.
The “new land first” proposal will enable the Land Registry to focus its resources on setting up a title registration system for new land and gain experience from operating the title registration system. Also, implementing title registration on new land will have a demonstrative effect and help build support for the extension of the new registration system to existing LRO land.
The Land Registry has forged consensus with the key stakeholders on first implementing title registration on newly granted land (meaning land granted by the Government after a specific date), i.e. the “new land first” proposal. The proposal was presented to the Panel on Development of the Legislative Council (“LegCo”) on 19 December 2022 and 24 January 2025 gained general support. The Registration of Titles and Land (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2025 (“Amendment Bill”) amending the LTO was gazetted on 28 February 2025. The Amendment Bill was introduced into the LegCo for the First Reading on 19 March 2025. A Bills Committee has been formed to scrutinize the Amendment Bill from April 2025 and completed the clause-by-clause examination of the Amendment Bill in July 2025. The Amendment Bill (with the Committee Stage Amendments moved by the government) was passed after the Second and Third Readings of the Amendment Bill at the LegCo meeting held on 25 September 2025. The Land Registry is working on the subsidiary legislation required to be made under the amended LTO. In consultation with key stakeholders, the target is to table the subsidiary legislation at the LegCo in the first half of 2026 for scrutiny. The Registry will continue to engage key stakeholders to work out the implementation details and to undertake other preparatory work including publicity and professional education programmes.
Q3: If the “new land first” proposal is adopted, will the current deeds registration system and the new title registration system run in parallel indefinitely?
A: Under the "new land first" proposal, title registration system will apply to new land first, and existing LRO land will continue to be dealt with and registered under the current deeds registration system and existing laws. Parallel running of two registration systems is not uncommon in overseas jurisdictions. For example, in England and Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Singapore, parallel running of title registration system and its original land registration system has lasted or has been lasting for a relatively long period of time.
In tandem with the preparatory work to implement the “new land first” proposal, the Government will explore and examine options for converting existing land to title registration system. We have started research on possible issues in the current 2.9 million LRO land registers. Based on the findings, we will explore feasible conversion arrangements in 2026 and engage stakeholders on the conversion approach as soon as possible. The plan is to expand the title registration system to existing land progressively.
Q4: What is “new land” under the “new land first” proposal?
A: In gist, subject to certain exceptions, “new land” means land granted under a Government lease or an agreement for a Government lease on or after the day (“appointed day”) on which the LTO comes into operation with a lease term expressed to run from or after the appointed day. It will include land granted by the Government by way of land sale (auction or tender), private treaty grant and land exchange.