Real estate title is a documented fact. Control over that title is a separate question. A property may be registered in the name of a company, a trust, or a nominee — and the registered owner may not be the party who directs the asset. Establishing control requires reading two parallel chains: the land register and the corporate register. Where those chains diverge, the divergence is itself evidence.
This page describes what official sources show for real estate assets, what conditions govern access, and where the documentary record ends. No legal qualification of the facts is offered here.
What the land register showsRegistered owner, legal description of the parcel, encumbrances, mortgages, and easements recorded at the time of extraction. Source: national or sub-national land register · verified 2026-03-24 What the corporate register addsWhere the registered owner is a legal entity, the corporate register shows directors, registered shareholders, and — in jurisdictions that maintain one — a beneficial ownership record. Source: national company registry · verified 2026-03-24 Condition of accessLand register access conditions vary by jurisdiction: some require a registered account, a stated purpose, or a fee paid to the registrar. No uniform free-access rule applies across all 35 jurisdictions covered. What neither register showsUndisclosed nominee arrangements, verbal agreements over beneficial use, and off-register encumbrances are not visible in any official source.What the land register records
The land register is the primary source for real estate title. It records the legal owner at the moment of each transaction. The entry reflects the state of the register on the date of extraction — not the current state of any private agreement.
A standard land register extract typically contains:
- the name and identifier of the registered owner
- the legal description and cadastral reference of the parcel
- mortgages, charges, and liens registered against the title
- easements and rights of way noted on the folio
- the date of the most recent registered transaction
What the register does not contain: the purchase price in most jurisdictions, the identity of the beneficial owner where a nominee holds title, and any encumbrance that was not formally registered.
The registered owner may be an individual, a domestic company, a foreign company, or a trust. Each category requires a different second-layer inquiry to reach the controlling party.
The corporate layer: when the owner is a legal entity
Where a company holds the registered title, the land register entry names the company. Control over the asset then depends on who controls the company.
The corporate register for that entity shows directors and registered shareholders at the time of filing. In jurisdictions that maintain a beneficial ownership register, a further layer may be available. In jurisdictions that do not — or where the register was closed to public access following the CJEU ruling in joined cases C-37/20 and C-601/20 — the chain stops at the registered shareholder.
A registered shareholder may itself be a holding company in a second jurisdiction. Each additional layer requires a separate registry inquiry in that jurisdiction. The number of layers is not fixed in advance; it is determined by what each register discloses.
The following table summarises the three source layers and what each contributes to establishing control.
Encumbrances and prior claims
A registered mortgage or charge is visible in the land register. An unregistered lien, a tax authority claim not yet noted on the folio, or a court freezing order issued after the date of extraction may not appear.
The gap between the register and the current legal position is a function of registration lag. In some jurisdictions, court orders affecting title are registered within days. In others, the process takes weeks. An extract dated at the time of inquiry reflects the register at that moment — not any proceeding initiated after that date.
Insolvency registers are a separate source. A company that holds real estate title may be subject to insolvency proceedings that do not yet appear on the land register. Cross-referencing the corporate register and the insolvency register is a standard step in any pre-transaction inquiry.
Cross-border structures: where the chain continues
Real estate held through a cross-border corporate structure requires registry inquiries in each jurisdiction where an entity in the chain is incorporated. The number of jurisdictions is determined by the structure, not by the location of the property.
A property in one country held by a company in a second country, whose shares are held by a holding company in a third country, requires three separate registry inquiries at minimum. Each inquiry is subject to the access conditions of its own jurisdiction.
The following conditions commonly limit access for foreign applicants:
- requirement for a national electronic identity or registered account
- requirement to state a legitimate interest in writing
- language of the register (documents issued in the national language only)
- fee payable to the registrar in local currency or by local payment method
None of these conditions is insurmountable. Each adds time and a procedural step.
The limit of what the sources allow
The land register shows who holds title on the date of extraction. It does not show who directs the use of the asset, who receives the economic benefit, or who gave instructions for the last transaction.
The corporate register shows who is registered as a director or shareholder. It does not show who gives instructions to those persons, or whether a shareholder agreement redistributes control away from the registered majority.
The beneficial ownership register, where accessible, shows a declared beneficial owner above a statutory threshold. It does not show arrangements structured to remain below that threshold, or arrangements in jurisdictions that do not maintain such a register.
The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment. Where a chain cannot be completed from official sources, the report states at which link the chain ends and why — not as an apology, but as a documented finding.
The following gaps are structural and cannot be resolved by any registry inquiry:
- nominee arrangements not reflected in any register
- verbal or undocumented agreements over beneficial use
- control exercised through debt instruments rather than equity
- structures in jurisdictions with no public corporate register