How MCD property mutation works, step by step

In MCD areas, mutation is the change of the owner's name in the property tax record. MCD now calls it e-Change of name and takes applications only online, at mcdonline.nic.in. The property tax department of your zone reviews the application, and an approved one produces an e-Change of name certificate that you download from the portal.

MCD's user manual sets out who does what. The person transferring the property is expected to tell MCD about the transfer, and the person receiving it is expected to apply for the change. In practice that means the buyer, the person receiving a gift, or the heirs.

This guide covers MCD areas, which is most of Delhi. Property in NDMC areas, DDA or L&DO leasehold property and Delhi Cantonment property follow their own process. If someone has died, read the guide on mutation after an owner's death first.

• Find the UPIC, the property's unique ID in MCD's tax system. It is printed on old property tax receipts. If the property was never assessed, or you bought part of a larger property, you first apply for a new UPIC and register the property.
• Clear the property tax. Every application asks for receipts showing tax paid up to date, and the form asks for an affidavit about dues.
• Make sure the transfer document is in order. MCD's categories are built on registered documents (sale, gift, relinquishment, partition), a will, or a court order.
• Check the record first. MCD's manual says transfers registered at Delhi Sub-Registrar offices have been shared with MCD online since 1 April 2019. If you bought after that, look at the property's record on the portal before filing anything.

1. Log in

Register or sign in at mcdonline.nic.in with your mobile number and an OTP, then open Property Tax from Online Services.

2. Find the property

Search by UPIC. If MCD has no record of the property, apply for a new UPIC and register it before going further.

3. Pick the case

Use ACTIONS, then Apply for e-Change of name, and choose the 'nature of e-Change of name' that matches how the property came to you. The table below lists them.

4. Upload and pay

Enter the new owners and their shares, upload the documents as PDFs and pay online by UPI, net banking or card. The manual gives two size limits (5 MB on the form, 2 MB in the annexure), so keep each file under 2 MB.

5. Answer any deficiency

The zonal office may send the file back with a deficiency. You fix it from the same dashboard. A rejected application comes with a letter giving the reason, and can be filed again.

6. Download, then move the UPIC

Once approved, download the e-Change of name certificate. The manual then advises getting the UPIC transferred to your name as a separate step.

Every application needs the applicant's photo, a photo of the property and the applicant's ID proof. On top of that, MCD's annexure asks for the following, depending on how the property came to you.

The sample application in MCD's April 2023 manual shows an application fee of ₹1,500. The portal displays the fee for your case when you apply, so treat that figure as a guide rather than a quote. The manual gives no fixed processing time. The zonal office approves the file, sends it back for a deficiency, or rejects it in writing, and most of the delay we see comes from the second of those.

MCD's certificate says the change of name is allowed only for the limited purpose of paying property tax, and that it does not confer or devolve any legal title or ownership. The certificate can also be undone. If documents later turn out to be false, or a dispute arises, the record goes back to the previous owner. It is not valid at all where the building stands on DDA, MCD or other government land that the taxpayer does not hold a lease or licence for.

Ownership comes from the registered deed, the will or the court order. Mutation follows ownership. It does not create it, which is why a careful buyer still reads the chain of title and does not stop at the tax receipt.

Registration happens at the Sub-Registrar's office, when a sale, gift or relinquishment deed is executed and stamp duty is paid. That is the step that transfers the property. Mutation comes afterwards at MCD and changes whose name the tax is billed to. You need both: registration for ownership, and mutation so that the tax record, and every later buyer's or bank's checks, show your name.

This is a general explanation, not advice on your property. Procedure, rates and thresholds differ by state and municipality and change over time. Kabir Real Estates provides advisory and due-diligence assistance and does not issue title certificates or formal legal opinions. Where a matter needs one, we will tell you so.