Law No. 13/2017 establishing the Special Regime for the Definition of the Real Estate Ownership. Country/Territory Timor-Leste Document type Legislation Date 2017 Source FAO, FAOLEX Original source Jornal da República, Serie I, Extraordinary No. 21A. Subject Land & soil Keyword Land tenure Legal proceedings/administrative proceedings Ownership Gender Institution Land commission Property rights Dispute settlement Geographical area Asia, Asia and the Pacific, Indian Ocean, Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States, South-Eastern Asia Entry into force notes This Law enters into force 90 days after its publication. Abstract This Law, consisting of 85 articles divided into nine Chapters, establishes the special regime for defining the ownership of immovable property through the recognition and attribution of the first property rights over immovable property. The special regime for defining the ownership of immovable property is intended to clarify the legal situation of immovable property, promote the distribution of property to citizens and guarantee access to land for all. The guiding principles for the recognition and attribution of the first property rights over immovable property are the respect for previous rights, the recognition of possession as the basis for the attribution of the property right and compensation in cases of duplicate rights. The right of ownership of immovable property is ensured on equal terms for men and women, with any form of discrimination in ownership, access, management, administration, enjoyment, transfer or disposition thereof prohibited. Chapter 5 deals with the National Property Registry as the land registry system, containing official information on the legal situation of real estate, collected through the cadastral survey process. Chapter 8 deals with the first property rights, creating the Land and Property Commission for the disputed cases within the scope of the process of recognition and attribution of first property rights. Full text Portuguese Website www.legis-palop.org