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No power of attorney. Ever.

State guide · Punjab· ਤੁਹਾਡੀ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ

Protecting your land in Punjab, from wherever you live.

Punjab has one of the largest NRI landowning communities in India, and much of that land is farmland back in the pind, looked after by a cousin, a neighbour or a tenant farmer. The record that matters is the jamabandi, and the certified copy you ask for is called a fard. Punjab also has dedicated NRI institutions, which makes acting early easier than in most states — if you know about the problem in time.

Punjab land records at a glance

Land record
Jamabandi (certified copy: Fard)
Check online
PLRS — Punjab Land Records Society (jamabandi.punjab.gov.in)
Plot number
Khasra / killa number, under a khewat and khatauni number
Ownership change
Intkal
Land units
Kanal, marla, bigha, killa (about one acre), acre
Report languages
Punjabi, Hindi, English

Terms explained: mutation, khasra, girdawari, encumbrance certificate. Convert local units with the land unit converter or jump straight to 1 bigha in Punjab, kanal to acre and kanal to marla.

What to watch for

Common risks for NRI land in Punjab

  • Farmland leased out informally, year after year, where the cultivator slowly starts treating it as his own — especially when he appears as the cultivator in the girdawari (crop inspection) entries.
  • Relatives or neighbours shifting a mend (field boundary) by a few karams each season, so a killa quietly shrinks without any paperwork changing.
  • Intkal entries sanctioned on the basis of a power of attorney or an unregistered family arrangement that the owner abroad never saw.
  • Plots near expanding towns and along new highways being cleared, levelled or fenced while the family is overseas.

What helps

Practical tips

  • Punjab has a Department of NRI Affairs and a Punjab State Commission for NRIs, which hears complaints from NRIs, including property disputes.
  • NRI police stations operate under the ADGP (NRI Wing) of Punjab Police and can register complaints from NRIs about property and fraud.
  • Check your jamabandi and girdawari on the PLRS portal once or twice a year, and order a fresh fard before signing anything or starting a dispute.
  • Keep any lease with a tenant farmer written, time-bound and renewed openly — a clear paper trail shows the use is permissive, not adverse.

How it works

Three minutes to set up. Then we keep watch.

बस सर्वे नंबर या लोकेशन पिन भेजिए — बाकी काम हमारा।

  1. Step 1

    Tell us where your land is

    Drop a pin on the map, or give the village and the survey, khasra, gat or dag number. About three minutes. No documents to upload, no power of attorney, no visits.

  2. Step 2

    We watch it on two fronts

    Every clear satellite image of your plot is compared with its own history — crops, digging, new building. And in 19 states we read your official land record every week for new owners or mutations.

  3. Step 3

    A person tells you what it means

    Each month a short update lands in your email. If something changes, our team checks it first, then explains it on WhatsApp or a call — in English or your home language.

Families from Punjab we help, around the world

Questions

Punjab: questions NRIs ask

The jamabandi is the record of rights itself; a fard is a certified copy of it. You view the jamabandi online through PLRS, and you get a fard from a Fard Kendra or service centre when you need a copy that courts, banks or registrars will accept.

Often, yes. The Punjab State Commission for NRIs and the NRI Wing of Punjab Police accept complaints from NRIs, and a local property lawyer can follow up on your behalf. Having dated satellite evidence of when the change began makes that complaint far stronger.

Not simply by farming it with your permission. Permissive use is generally not adverse possession. The danger comes when permission is undocumented and the relationship turns hostile, so keep leases written and check who is recorded as cultivator in the girdawari.

Guides for Punjab landowners

Free tools for Punjab land

All 55 free tools

Mutation After Death Checklist

Intkal, varsai, dakhil-kharij: the papers and steps to put land in the heirs’ names.

Use free tool

Measure Land Area on Map

Tap the corners of your plot on satellite imagery — get acres, kanal, bigha and sq ft.

Use free tool

Look at your land tonight. Sleep easier tomorrow.

Three quick questions, about two minutes. No documents or power of attorney needed to start.

  • Full refund if we can’t find your plot
  • A real person confirms the boundary with you
  • Cancel anytime

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FarmlandEmpty plotHouse or buildingNot sure / a mix
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