Picture a buyer in Whitefield who registered a resale two bedroom flat in early 2026, paid the stamp duty, collected the sale deed, and assumed the property was fully in her name. Months later the property tax demand still carried the seller's name, and a top up on her home loan stalled because the municipal record had never moved. Since 1 October 2024, when Karnataka made the digital e-Khata compulsory for property transactions in Bengaluru, this gap between registration and the municipal record has become the most common surprise for resale buyers.

The short answer. Khata transfer Bengaluru is a separate step from registration: once you register the sale deed, you must apply on the e-Aasthi portal to move the khata into your name, using the registered sale deed, the latest property tax paid receipt, an encumbrance certificate, and identity proof. The mutation fee is 2 percent of the stamp duty paid, subject to a minimum of Rs 500. Skip it, and you keep paying tax, and you build loan and resale risk, in the seller's name.

Bengaluru owners obtain the e-Khata through the state e-Aasthi portal at bbmpeaasthi.karnataka.gov.in, the platform the BBMP has run since the October 2024 mandate. The registered sale deed proves you own the property, but the khata is what the civic body uses to raise property tax and to identify the taxpayer, so the two records have to be reconciled by a deliberate application.

Why does registration alone not update the khata in Bengaluru?

Registration and khata are two different records kept by two different arms of the state, so registering the sale deed does not automatically transfer the khata into your name. The sale deed is registered with the Department of Stamps and Registration through Kaveri, which records the change of ownership in the title chain. The khata sits with the civic administration, now under the Greater Bengaluru Authority framework, and it exists to assess and collect property tax. Nothing pushes data automatically from one record to the other for you to rely on, which is why a fresh khata transfer application is mandatory after every resale purchase. Our explainer on why e-Khata is now mandatory across Karnataka covers how the two systems were linked.

What is the e-Khata under the GBA and e-Aasthi system?

The e-Khata is the digital, verified version of the old paper khata, issued through the e-Aasthi portal and now the standard format for every khata transfer in the city. Karnataka switched the manual khata off from 1 October 2024, and since then a valid e-Khata is required to register, sell, or transfer any property inside the former BBMP limits, now folded into the Greater Bengaluru Authority. The e-Aasthi record carries a unique property identification number, geotagged details, and the owner information, which makes it far harder to hold two conflicting khatas on the same site. The move to the Greater Bengaluru Authority in 2025 reorganised the civic bodies, but the e-Aasthi record and the khata transfer process carried over, so buyers deal with the same portal and the same document set regardless of which new corporation their ward now sits under. If you are buying a plot still on the B register, read our note on the B khata to A khata conversion fee before you commit, because a B khata property follows a different and slower path.

What documents do you need for khata transfer Bengaluru?

For khata transfer Bengaluru after a resale purchase you need the registered sale deed, the latest property tax paid receipt, an encumbrance certificate, and photo identity and address proof, at minimum. The encumbrance certificate, drawn as Form 15 from Kaveri, shows the property is free of undisclosed loans or claims. Most applicants also attach the previous owner's khata certificate or extract, so the record can be traced cleanly, and apartment buyers add the allotment or possession letter. Keep the property identification number consistent across every document, because a mismatch is one of the most common reasons an application is sent back. Scan every document clearly in the formats the portal accepts, because blurred or partial uploads are rejected as often as genuine title problems. Verified guides such as the e-Aasthi application walkthrough list the same core set.

How does the online khata transfer process work on e-Aasthi?

The process runs online on the e-Aasthi portal, described by the BBMP as faceless and contactless, from application through to the final download. You create a login, select the khata transfer or mutation service, enter the property identification number, and upload the scanned documents. The system routes the file to the jurisdictional revenue officer, who checks the deed, the tax status, and the encumbrance certificate against the record. After verification you pay the fee online and, once approved, download the updated e-Khata carrying your name. You can track the application status online, and if the Sakala service time lapses you can raise an escalation to the higher officer, which is one advantage of the digital route over the old counter based flow. The table below sets the two records side by side so you can see why one does not replace the other.

What are the fees and timelines for khata transfer?

The main charge is the mutation fee of 2 percent of the stamp duty paid on the sale deed, with a floor of Rs 500, plus small portal charges for the e-Khata itself. Property advisory guides that track the e-Aasthi fee schedule, such as this 2026 khata charges breakdown, cite an e-Khata processing fee commonly listed around Rs 125, with a further service charge on top, though buyers should confirm the live figure on the portal at the time of applying because these are the numbers most prone to change. On timelines, the service falls under the Karnataka Sakala framework, and clean online applications are generally processed within about 15 to 30 working days, with some straightforward cases cleared faster and disputed or physically verified files taking longer. Compared with the pre 2024 paper process, where files moved by hand between counters, the digital route is meant to be quicker and more traceable, though the trade-off is that a single document mismatch can now auto reject a file that a clerk might once have fixed at the desk.

Before you apply, run through this seven point checklist.

1. Confirm the seller already holds a valid e-Khata, not just an old paper or B khata.
2. Collect the registered sale deed with every page and the property schedule.
3. Pull a fresh encumbrance certificate as Form 15 from Kaveri.
4. Clear all property tax dues and keep the latest paid receipt.
5. Match the property identification number across the deed, tax receipt, and khata.
6. Keep Aadhaar or another photo identity and address proof ready as scans.
7. Apply on e-Aasthi promptly and save the acknowledgement and payment record.

Is khata transfer different for a resale site or plot?

The core steps are the same for a flat and for an independent site, but a site or plot carries extra checks that catch buyers off guard. For a plot you should confirm the land is properly converted for residential use and that it sits on the A register rather than the B register, because a B khata site cannot be treated as fully regularised and both lenders and the civic body treat it with caution. Apartment buyers, by contrast, usually inherit a khata that already flows from the builder's parent record, so the transfer is more routine once the project itself is clean. In both cases the e-Aasthi record should show a single property identification number, and any older paper khata or duplicate entry has to be reconciled before the transfer clears. The comparative point matters: a resale flat in a completed, khata clean tower is the smoother path, while a resale site demands that you verify the conversion, the register, and the tax history before you rely on the transfer going through.

What happens if you skip the khata transfer after buying?

Skipping the khata transfer leaves the civic record, the property tax liability, and the taxpayer name with the seller, which quietly creates three problems for the buyer. First, property tax demands keep generating in the seller's name, and paying against the wrong record can complicate your own claim to the asset. Second, most lenders want the khata in the borrower's name before they sanction a loan or a top up, so financing gets harder even though you legally own the flat. Third, and most costly, when you try to resell, your own buyer's due diligence will flag that the khata never moved, which weakens your price and can stall the deal while you scramble to fix a years old omission. This is the honest trade-off buyers underweight: the khata transfer feels optional on the day you collect the keys, and it is the record that comes back to bite at tax time, at the loan desk, and at resale. The BBMP made the e-Khata compulsory precisely to close these gaps, as reported when the civic body set the e-Khata deadline for all registrations.

Is khata transfer mandatory after buying a resale flat in Bengaluru?

Yes. Registration records ownership, but the khata records who the civic body taxes, and it does not move on its own. Since October 2024 a valid e-Khata is required for property transactions in Bengaluru, so a resale buyer must file a separate khata transfer on the e-Aasthi portal to put the record in their own name.

How much does khata transfer cost in Bengaluru?

The core mutation fee is 2 percent of the stamp duty paid on the sale deed, with a minimum of Rs 500, plus small e-Khata portal charges. Because the portal fees are the most likely to be revised, confirm the exact amount on the e-Aasthi portal when you apply rather than relying on an older figure.

Can I get a home loan without transferring the khata?

It is difficult. Most lenders in Bengaluru want the khata in the borrower's name before sanctioning a home loan or a top up, because the khata ties the property tax record to you. Even though the registered sale deed proves ownership, an untransferred khata often stalls or complicates loan approval on a resale property.

What is the difference between the sale deed and the khata?

The sale deed is the registered legal document that proves you own the property, held in the title chain through Kaveri. The khata is the civic record that identifies who pays property tax, held on the e-Aasthi portal. Both must show your name, and updating one does not update the other automatically.

Last updated 2026-07-04. PropNewz Team.