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Brief History - (Legislations affecting Land Registration in Sarawak)

Land Regulations, 1863

An Order passed by the Supreme Council during the time of the First rajah  provides:  "All mortgages upon lands to render them legal must be registered ....."

Court Order V of 1898 

"Declared that no Bill of Sale or other document giving  parties other  than the owner of  any lien or security for value received over any description of real, personal or moveable property shall be deemed to be valid unless registered in Court" 

Land Order VIII of 1920  

An order made by the Third Rajah of Sarawak in 1920 : 
"Every person whose name is recorded in any  Government  Register as the owner of land shall be  deemed to have a permanent, and transferable right interest and occupancy of his land ." 

Rajah Land Order No. L-2 of 1931      

The  Land  Ordinance  was  the first  legislation to provide for the  registration  of titles and  land  transactions in Land Offices and Land Registers open to public inspection."

Land Settlement Order No. L-7 of 1933       

" The Land Settlement Ordinance provided for a new register of titles based on an accurate and fully verified cadastral survey.  The Ordinance  re-enacted the  provision of  the  1931 Land Order  requiring all dealings in land  ( other than  sublease for a year) to be registered."

The Land Code (Cap. 81) 

The Land Ordinance and the Land Settlement Ordinance form the basis of the present Land Code which was enacted in 1957 and came into operation on 1.1.1958.  An important feature of the present Land Code is the indefeasibility of title."

 Land registration is incorporated under Part VII of the Land Code which practices the principle of the Torrens System.