Section 19

In every instrument of transfer of land (other than a mortgage, charge or reconveyance) lodged with the Registrar on or after 1 July 1977 there must be specified, after the name of the person acquiring an estate or interest in land, the name of the country of which he or she is a citizen, together with the number of the identity card issued to him or her under the National Registration Act 1965 or other evidence of his or her citizenship if he or she is a citizen of Singapore and, if he or she is a citizen of any other country, the number of his or her passport and of his or her identity card (if he or she has been issued with one); and where the purchaser is a body corporate there must be specified its place of registration or incorporation.

Every such person acquiring a title or interest in land under such instrument must certify on the instrument that the particulars specified in accordance with subsection (1) are correct, and if that person employs an advocate and solicitor to act for that person, the advocate and solicitor must so certify in such form as the Registrar may approve. For the purposes of this subsection, the Registrar may require the production of such document as he or she may think fit.

The Registrar has the power to refuse registration of any such transfer wherein the particulars required by subsection (1) are not specified or wherein the certification required by subsection (2) has not been effected, and where the Registrar has accepted any such transfer, he or she has the power to cancel the provisional registration of any such transfer or require the person lodging the transfer to withdraw it from registration.

Where the Registrar intends to exercise the power conferred on him or her by subsection (3) to cancel the provisional registration of any such transfer or to require the person lodging such transfer to withdraw it from registration, the Registrar must give written notice to that effect, and must not for a period of 6 weeks of the date of the notice cancel the provisional registration of any such transfer; and where any such notice requires the transfer to be withdrawn and if during that period subsection (1) or (2) has not been complied with, the Registrar may cancel the provisional registration of such transfer and is not bound to give any further notice before effecting such cancellation.

This section applies to every instrument of transfer of land irrespective of whether the land is residential property or otherwise.