Agreement of sale vs registered sale deed: checklist for Andhra Pradesh buyers (Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur)

Checked against official sources on 15 Oct 2026 · Not legal advice · Government websites change, so re-check before you rely on a step.

Short answer: In Andhra Pradesh (Visakhapatnam / Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur and elsewhere), a sale agreement is a promise to sell later, not the sale. IGRS AP's Registration FAQ (Q20) says: "According to Transfer of Property Act right, title or interest can be acquired only if the deed is registered." Q21 says a compulsorily registrable deed of transfer that is not registered "will not be admissible in evidence (Sec.49 of Registration Act 1908)". The department's Property Purchase – Precautions note adds: "A seller can sell only what he possesses." So until the sale deed is registered at the SRO, treat money paid on the agreement as at risk. This page shows what the official PDFs said when we read them on 15 Oct 2026.

Agreement of sale vs registered sale deed in AP

What passes title: the registered deed (Registration FAQ Q20).
Possession under an agreement: FAQ Q3 says contracts to transfer for consideration, for the purpose of section 53A of the Transfer of Property Act, must be registered if executed on or after the Registration and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Act, 2000; if not, "they shall have no effect for the purposes of the said section 53A". Ask your lawyer what that means for you.
GPA is not ownership: FAQ Q33: "It is wrong to say that ownership is transferred by getting General Power of Attorney. Persons purchasing property must get the sale deed registered." The Precautions note says an agreement holder who also has a power of attorney to sell is normally a developer, and that such a POA "must be properly stamped and registered (if it is coupled with sale agreement/development agreement/given for consideration)" and not revoked.
EC: FAQ Q39–Q40: the EC is a record of registered transactions; "unregistered transactions are not included"; wrong details may give a wrong EC. See our IGRS AP EC guide.
Old stamp gaps follow the property: the Precautions note says AP has amended the Stamp law to create a charge over the property for deficit stamp duty, so the present owner may have to pay deficit duty and penalties on earlier registered documents. Check every deed in the chain via copies of registered documents (CC) — CC guide.

Stamp duty on sale agreements (IGRS AP schedule)

Sale Agreement with possession: 4%, adjustable.
Sale Agreement without possession: 0.5%, not adjustable.
Agreement of sale-cum-G.P.A: 5%, of which 4% only is adjustable.
These are the rates in the schedule's note on G.O.Ms No.581, Revenue (Regn I) Dept, dt. 30.11.2013, w.e.f. 02.12.2013 (Article 6(B)).
Sale deed: the schedule's note on G.O.Ms No.394 (26.11.2014) says stamp duty on sale deeds was uniformly restored to 5% on consideration or market value, whichever is higher.
Explanation I under Article 47-A says an agreement to sell followed by or evidencing delivery of possession is chargeable as a "sale", and duty already paid on the agreement is adjusted towards the duty on the later sale deed. Which rate your SRO applies is (to verify).

Source: StamDutyFee.pdf (re-downloaded 15 Oct 2026; PDF dated May 2024 in its file properties). Transfer duty and user charges are not in it.

Registration fee (IGRS AP RegistrationFees.pdf)

Sale: 0.5%.
Agreement to sell / construct / develop of immovable property: 0.5%, minimum Rs 1,000, maximum Rs 20,000.
Agreement of Sale cum General Power of Attorney: Rs 2,000.

Source: RegistrationFees.pdf (file last modified April 2023). Confirm the current fee with the SRO (to verify). Full sale and gift rates: our AP stamp duty and registration charges guide.

Worked example (illustration only)

A Vizag flat at Rs 40,00,000. Agreement without possession: 0.5% stamp duty = Rs 20,000, not adjustable; registration fee 0.5% = Rs 20,000 (the listed maximum). Agreement with possession: 4% = Rs 1,60,000, adjustable. Sale deed: 5% = Rs 2,00,000 plus 0.5% registration fee = Rs 20,000, on price or market value, whichever is higher. Ask the SRO for the full total, including transfer duty and user charges (to verify).

Checklist: before you pay more than the token advance

Trace the title. The Precautions note says to verify the seller's title and search SRO records for registered documents; get the EC and copies of registered documents (CC) for each deed in the chain.
Inspect in person. The note calls "Buyer beware" the golden mantra and says to ask neighbours about ownership, possession, disputes and mortgages.
Check who is signing. If a POA holder or "agreement holder" is selling, the POA must be validly executed and, where coupled with a sale or development agreement or given for consideration, stamped and registered (Precautions note). See our NRI GPA / SPA guide.
Stamp the agreement at the schedule rate for what it really is (with or without possession, with or without GPA). Stamp route: our AP e-stamp / franking guide.
Put the sale-deed date in writing and tie the big payment to registration day. Ask your lawyer whether to register the agreement itself.
Watch the clock. FAQ Q22: present within four months of execution (from first receipt in India if signed abroad); up to four more months with a penalty of up to ten times the registration fee if the District Registrar permits; after eight months it cannot be accepted.
New project? AP-RERA's FAQ (Q66) says the promoter cannot take more than 10 percent of the apartment / plot cost as an advance without entering into an Agreement for sale; Q85 says section 13(1) prohibits taking more than 10% "without entering into a written agreement for sale, duly registered". Q67: the format is prescribed as Annexure-A under the Rules. Verify the AP-RERA registration first.
Registration day: PDE and slot per our AP slot booking guide (login / OTP / payment screens (to verify)); then mutation.

What it means for you

Green: seller matches the last registered deed and the EC; earlier deeds were stamped properly; agreement stamped at the schedule rate; only a token advance paid; sale deed date fixed and the balance paid at registration.
Amber: unregistered agreement on plain or low-value paper, possession handed over before registration, "registration after the next instalment", or the agreement was signed abroad and the four-month clock is running.
Red: most of the price paid on an unregistered agreement; seller is only an agreement / GPA holder with an unregistered POA; a builder asks for more than 10% with no registered agreement for sale; the EC or CC copies show another sale or mortgage; or eight months have passed since execution. Stop and see a lawyer.

We don't check properties or offer a registration service. Property in Hyderabad? See our Telangana agreement of sale vs sale deed checklist.

Free NRI Andhra Pradesh property checklist sample

A free sample from our Andhra Pradesh property do-it-yourself pack for NRIs buying in Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur or Tirupati: which papers to ask for, which IGRS / Meebhoomi / AP-RERA checks to run, and what to finish before the big payment.

Get it free (instant download)

Free, no card needed. Made by a small team in Telangana.

FAQ

Does a sale agreement make me the owner in Andhra Pradesh?

No. IGRS AP's Registration FAQ (Q20) says that under the Transfer of Property Act right, title or interest can be acquired only if the deed is registered. Ownership passes on the registered sale deed. Not legal advice.

What is the stamp duty on a sale agreement in AP?

IGRS AP's stamp duty schedule (note on G.O.Ms No.581, w.e.f. 02.12.2013): Sale Agreement with possession 4% (adjustable); without possession 0.5% (not adjustable); Agreement of sale-cum-G.P.A 5% (4% only adjustable). A sale deed is 5% on consideration or market value, whichever is higher.

What is the registration fee for an agreement of sale in AP?

IGRS AP's RegistrationFees.pdf lists Agreement to sell / construct / develop of immovable property at 0.5%, minimum Rs 1,000 and maximum Rs 20,000, and Agreement of Sale cum GPA at Rs 2,000. Confirm with the SRO; the PDF was last modified in April 2023.

Will my sale agreement show on the AP EC?

Only if it is registered. The Registration FAQ (Q39–Q40) says the EC is a record of registered transactions and unregistered transactions are not included.

Can a builder in Vizag or Vijayawada take more than 10% before an agreement?

AP-RERA's FAQ (Q66) says no more than 10 percent may be taken as advance without entering into an Agreement for sale, and Q85 says section 13(1) requires a written agreement for sale, duly registered, before more than 10%.

Is a GPA enough instead of a sale deed in AP?

No. The Registration FAQ (Q33) says it is wrong to say ownership is transferred by getting a General Power of Attorney; persons purchasing property must get the sale deed registered.

Official sources

Not legal advice. We don't check properties or certify ads. A lawyer must confirm title, and the Authority's own notices override anything on this page.